The Booker Prize Shortlist 2021

Hello Gentle Reader, 
 
The Booker Prize judges have announced this year's shortlist. After deliberation, debate, and discussion, they have successfully whittled the longlist down to its more splintered core -- or at the very least its counterpart, a shadow of its former self. The former longlist was praised for its exceptional sense of strength and unique perspectives, which means expectations are high on the novels inducted into the shortlist. Overall, a safe understanding - if not painless caveat - to state that the judges made an honest attempt and succeeded on an overall level. Whether or not they appeased and sated the expectations is not entirely clear. 
 
This year’s Booker Prize shortlist is made up of the following: 
 
Nadifa Mohamed – Somalia/United Kingdom – "The Fortune Men," 
Damon Galgut – South Africa – "The Promise," 
Maggie Shipstead – United States – "Great Circle," 
Anuk Arudpragasam – Sri Lanka/United States – "A Passage North," 
Patrick Lockwood – United States – "No One Is Talking About This," 
Richard Powers – United States – "Bewilderment," 
 
Some of these authors have previously been nominated, while for others this marks their debut. One of the more established writers, whose been beat out on this year's Booker Prize Shortlist is the Nobel Laureate in Literature and his science fictionesque like novel that contemplated human emotions, relationships, and the peculiar concept of what it means to be human in a increasingly 'transcending world,' as observed through the eyes of a robotic companion in a near future society.  Though the future is envisioned in the stylish novel “Bewilderment,” by Richard Powers, which is considered one of the most forceful contenders for this year’s prize. Along with former nominee Damon Galgut with his novel: “The Promise,” which through the four lens’s the trivialities, consequences, bitterness, resentments, and march of time as it is reflected through the tinted and tainted lens of a member of the swart family, who are unto themselves unremarkable, which creates a sober satire that like all comedy is bitter and sweet. The other great contender of this year’s short list is the up and coming and potently talented Somalian born English writer Nadifa Mohamed with her historical novel “The Fortune Men,” which recounts the injustice of Mahmood Mattan.
 
Despite the strengths of the list which maintain a strong literary bent, it does seem surprising to see Patricia Lockwood’s debut novel, “No One Is Talking About This,” appear on the shortlist. Lockwood’s novel (from what can be deduced) is written in style that emulates social media and other virtual platforms and their use and misuse of language, to create a virtual modernist writing style, taking the stream of consciousness style and transcribing it into the virtual paradigm. The novel has been warmly received by critics in America, who have praised it one of the most innovative novels of recent memory (as if they’ve never read Tom McCarthy and his traditional modernist narratives in the information age). The notion of writing a novel in a format that reminiscent or reflective of social media or any other electronic format (ironic stating that from a blog) does not appear groundbreaking, or a stroke of literary genius. It sounds more transient, topical, even cliché. This thought may come from the fact that the world is current overtly saturated with social media, misinformation, and demagoguery in general, that the notion of the novel being written in a similar format – or seeking to emulate it – seems to be a kitschy attempt at parading the commonplace as revolutionary.
 
Congratulations to the shortlisted writers.
 
Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
 
M. Mary