2008 Booker Shortlist Announced

Six Contenders Remain for Prestigious British Literary Prize

Sep 11, 2008

This year's Man Booker Prize shortlist was announced this week. Just 6 final contenders now remain for the £50,000 prize, and there are some surprises amongst them.

This year's Man Booker Prize shortlist features refreshing new talent and a decided absence of the big Booker regulars. Two first time authors make an appearance, Aravind Adiga and Steve Toltz, whilst literary heavyweight and early favourite Salman Rushdie did not make the longlist to shortlist cull. Only one previously shortlisted author numbers amongst the final contenders, Sebastian Barry.

The Man Booker Prize 2008 Shortlisted Novels Are:

Only one female writer features on the shortlist. Linda Grant, whose second novel When I Lived in Modern Times won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2000, was also a former member of the Booker 2002 longlist.

Comments from the Panel

This year's prize panel is chaired by former MP Michael Portillo who had this to say about the final six:

"The judges commend the six titles to readers with great enthusiasm. These novels are intensely readable, each of them an extraordinary example of imagination and narrative. These fine page-turning stories nonetheless raise highly thought-provoking ideas and issues. These books are in every case both ambitious and approachable".

Salman Rushdie’s absence from the shortlist is all the more surprising for coming hot on the heels of his recent ‘Best of the Booker’ accolade, which saw voters in an online poll declare Midnight’s Children the best of all previous Booker Prize winners in a special award arranged to coincide with the Booker's 40th anniversary.

Favourites to Win

Bookies are torn over declaring their favourites in this year’s race. William Hill favours Sebastian Barry at 2/1, whilst Ladbrokes are backing Aravind Adiga for the award, with Linda Grant following in close second place. Barry is better known internationally for his playwriting successes than for writing novels, although he was shortlisted in 2005 for A Long Long Way.

About the Booker Prize

The Man Booker Prize is Britain’s foremost literary prize, awarded to the finest book of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. The shortlist has been whittled down from the 13 strong longlist announced at the end of July. In turn the longlist was produced from 112 novels originally entered - a grueling reading assignment for each of the 5 judges.

Announcement of the Winner

Judges will decide this year’s winner in their deliberations on Tuesday 14th October, and the £50,000 prize money will be awarded in a following evening ceremony at London’s Guildhall.

The copyright of the article 2008 Booker Shortlist Announced in British/UK Fiction is owned by Lisa Sutlieff. Permission to republish 2008 Booker Shortlist Announced in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.