Book News
Two Irish authors on Man Booker longlist
Tuesday 29 July 2008
The books were selected from a total of 103 titles submitted for consideration by publishers and nine from the judges.
Barry's 'The Secret Scripture' tells the story of a female patient at Roscommon Psychiatric Hospital and her relationship with her psychiatrist before the hospital's closure.
Barry was Booker-nominated for 'A Long Long Way' in 2005, the year the prize was won by John Banville for 'The Sea'.
O'Neill's 'Netherland' follows a man who experiences a crisis after the death of an old friend but finds solace in the New York cricket scene.
This is the first time he has been longlisted for the Man Booker.
Salman Rushdie, whose 1981 book 'Midnight's Children' was named the 'Best Booker Winner' ever in a special competition voted on by the public earlier this year, has also made the longlist with his 'The Enchantress of Florence'.
Enright's 'The Gathering' has sold 70,000 in hardback in the UK, 76,000 in the Irish Trade paperback and a total of 160,000 in paperback in the UK and Ireland. It has also sold 340,000 copies in the US.
Chair of judges Michael Portillo commented: "With a notable degree of consensus, the five Man Booker judges decided on their longlist of 13 books. The judges are pleased with the geographical balance of the longlist with writers from Pakistan, India, Australia, Ireland and UK. We also are happy with the interesting mix of books, five first novels and two novels by former winners."
Man Booker Prize 2008 Longlist:
Aravind Adiga 'The White Tiger'
Gaynor Arnold 'Girl in a Blue Dress'
Sebastian Barry 'The Secret Scripture'
John Berger 'From A to X'
Michelle de Kretser 'The Lost Dog'
Amitav Ghosh 'Sea of Poppies'
Linda Grant 'The Clothes on Their Backs'
Mohammed Hanif 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes'
Philip Hensher 'The Northern Clemency'
Joseph O'Neill 'Netherland'
Salman Rushdie 'The Enchantress of Florence'
Tom Rob Smith 'Child 44'
Steve Toltz 'A Fraction of the Whole'
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