Booker Prize Longlist Announcement
Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, previous Booker Prize winners, find themselves nominated yet again for the esteemed award, accompanied by novels exploring diverse themes. The selection includes tales of Dublin’s gangs, dystopian worlds, and characters from New England, crafted by Pulitzer Prize laureate Elizabeth Strout.
The judges reviewed 163 novels to determine the 13 semifinalists for the 50,000 pound ($66,000) Booker Prize. Historian Mary Beard, leading the judging panel, characterized the list as literary ‘dynamite.’
The notable list features James’ ‘The Disappearers,’ depicting the lives of gay men in a challenging 1980s Jamaica; Stuart’s ‘John of John,’ depicting father-son secrets on a secluded Scottish island; and Strout’s intimate small-town narrative ‘The Things We Never Say.’
James is celebrated for winning the Booker in 2015 with ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings,’ while Stuart took the prize in 2020 for ‘Shuggie Bain.’ Strout, recognized with the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2009 for ‘Olive Kitteridge,’ was a Booker finalist in 2022 with ‘Oh William!’
The longlist also includes authors from Britain, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Turkey, and the United States.
Three debut authors appear: Turkish-American Kenan Orhan with ‘The Renovation,’ a story of familial history; British Rebecca Perry with ‘May We Feed the King,’ spanning Medieval to modern themes; and Ireland’s Djamel White with the Dublin-underworld thriller ‘All Them Dogs.’ At 28, White represents the youngest contender. M. John Harrison, at 81, is the eldest nominee. His novel, ‘The End of Everything,’ ventures into postapocalyptic science fiction.
Other contenders encompass Chloe Aridjis’ ‘The Shadow of the Object,’ Luke Kennard’s ‘Black Bag,’ Missouri Williams’ ‘The Vivisectors,’ Emma Cline’s ‘Switzy,’ Makenna Goodman’s ‘Helen of Nowhere,’ and Gwendoline Riley’s ‘The Palm House.’
Beard noted the jurors, including Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and American novelist Patricia Lockwood, aim to transcend the notion of a traditional Booker winner – typically serious with potential to become a classic. Instead, they selected novels that challenge self-perception and encourage novel approaches.
‘Sometimes they’re using humor, sometimes it’s pathos, sometimes there’s shock value,’ Beard remarked. ‘They’re risk-takers. They are dynamite. They say ‘Come on, try seeing it a different way.’
Established in 1969, the Booker Prize is known for reshaping writers’ careers, accessible to novels from any country published in the U.K. and Ireland. Last year’s winner was ‘Flesh’ by Hungarian-British writer David Szalay.
The judges will announce six finalists on September 22, with the winner revealed on November 9 during a London ceremony.