Canadian Snags Man Booker International

'The Sense of an Ending' author once called prize 'posh bingo'

(NEWSER) - Julian Barnes once described the Man Booker Prize as “posh bingo,” but he won that game of bingo this week. Barnes won the 2011 prize for his 150-page novella, The Sense of an Ending, in a decision that took the judges just 31 minutes to reach, the Telegraph reports. The novella concerns a seemingly boring middle-aged man who revisits his younger years and questions his memories after receiving the diary of an old friend who committed suicide. More»

Veterans outpace first-timers for prestigious literary gong

(NEWSER) - JM Coetzee may become the first author to win the Man Booker Prize three times after his fictionalized memoir Summertime made the prestigious literary award's shortlist today. The South African writer's new book takes the form of interviews by a biographer writing about "the late author John Coetzee." But he faces tough competition from Hilary Mantel, whose Wolf Hall, a hulking novel set at the court of Henry VIII, is the bookies' favorite. More»

(NEWSER) - Indian author Aravind Adiga has won the UK's prestigious Man Booker Prize for his debut novel the White Tiger, the Guardian reports. Adiga's novel explores the darker side of India's rise to prosperity through its narrator, the son of a rickshaw puller who escapes crushing poverty. "In many ways it was the perfect novel," said the chairman of the judges' panel. More»

Rushdie, O'Neill passed over for top literary award

(NEWSER) - The jury for the Man Booker Prize announced its shortlist today—and left off the two books most hotly tipped to win the prestigious literary award, reports the Bookseller. Six novels were chosen, including two debuts. But many were surprised by the omission of Salman Rushdie's The Enchantress of Florence, which had the shortest odds, and Joseph O'Neill's Netherland, the bestseller about post-9/11 New York that has won rave reviews. More»

Author of Things Fall Apart honored for his body of work

(NEWSER) - Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, won the Booker International prize, an award given out every two years to recognize a living writer's body of work. The 76-year-old Nigerian is credited with the creation of the modern African novel and is the most translated African author. More»