Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Wins 2009 Man Booker Prize

Hilary Mantel (pictured) has been named the winner of the £50,000 Man Booker Prize for Fiction for her novel Wolf Hall, published by Fourth Estate.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel was picked from a shortlist of six titles. Authors A.S. Byatt, J.M. Coetzee, Adam Foulds, Simon Mawer and Sarah Waters were all shortlisted for this year’s prize.

Wolf Hall is set in the 1520s and tells the story of Thomas Cromwell’s rise to prominence in the Tudor court. Hilary Mantel has been praised by critics for writing ‘a rich, absorbingly readable historical novel; she has made a significant shift in the way any of her readers interested in English history will henceforward think about Thomas Cromwell.’

James Naughtie, Chair of the judges for this year’s prize, said “Hilary Mantel has given us a thoroughly modern novel set in the 16th century. Wolf Hall has a vast narrative sweep that gleams on every page with luminous and mesmerising detail. It probes the mysteries of power by examining and describing the meticulous dealings in Henry VIII’s court, revealing in thrilling prose how politics and history is made by men and women.”

“In the words of Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell, whose story this is, ‘the fate of peoples is made like this, two men in small rooms. Forget the coronations, the conclaves of cardinals, the pomp and processions. This is how the world changes.’”

This is the first time the publisher Fourth Estate has had a Man Booker Prize winner. They have previously published three shortlisted books – Nicola Barker’s Darkmans (2007) and Carol Shields’ novels Unless (2002) and The Stone Diaries (1993). Read more

The Man Booker Prize 2009 Shortlist Announced

A S Byatt, J M Coetzee, Adam Foulds, Hilary Mantel, Simon Mawer and Sarah Waters are the shortlisted authors for the 2009 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The shortlist was announced by Chair of judges James Naughtie at a press conference held at the Man Group plc’s London headquarters on 8 September.

The six books, selected from the Man Booker Prize longlist of 13, are:

• The Children’s Book by A S Byatt (Random House, Chatto and Windus)

• Summertime by J M Coetzee (Random House, Harvill Secker)

• The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds (Random House, Jonathan Cape)

• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (HarperCollins, Fourth Estate)

• The Glass Room by Simon Mawer (Little, Brown)

• The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Little, Brown, Virago)

Having previously won in 1999 with Disgrace and 1983 with Life & Times of Michael K, South African writer J.M. Coetzee would be the first author to win the Man Booker Prize three times if successful this year. A.S. Byatt is in the running for a second win – her novel Possession won the Booker Prize in 1990. Hilary Mantel’s Beyond Black was longlisted in 2005 and both Mantel and Byatt have been judges of the prize. Sarah Waters has been shortlisted twice for Fingersmith (2002) and The Night Watch (2006). The youngest on the list, at 34, is Adam Foulds and Simon Mawer is shortlisted for his eighth novel, The Glass Room. Read more

Man Booker Prize 2009 longlist announced

The judges for the 2009 Man Booker Prize for Fiction have announced the longlist for the prize, the leading literary award in the English speaking world. A total of 132 books, 11 of which were called in by the judges, were considered for the ‘Man Booker Dozen’ longlist of 13 books.

Chaired by broadcaster and author James Naughtie, the 2009 judges are Lucasta Miller, biographer and critic; Michael Prodger, Literary Editor of The Sunday Telegraph; Professor John Mullan, academic, journalist and broadcaster and Sue Perkins, comedian, journalist and broadcaster.

The longlist includes: Read more

Marilynne Robinson Wins The Orange Prize For Fiction 2009

American author Marilynne Robinson has won the fourteenth Orange Prize for Fiction with her third novel ‘Home’ (Virago). British debut author Francesca Kay has won the 2009 Orange Award for New Writers with her novel ‘An Equal Stillness’ (Weidenfeld & Nicolson).

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The winners of the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Award for New Writers were announced today at an awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London, hosted by Orange Prize for Fiction Co-Founder and Honorary Director, Kate Mosse and the 2009 Chair of Judges, Fi Glover.

For more information on the awards please visit www.orangeprize.co.uk

Alice Munro wins 2009 Man Booker International Prize

Alice Munro (pictured) has won the third Man Booker International Prize. Not to be confused with the annual Man Booker Prize, the Man Booker International Prize is worth £60,000 to the winner and is awarded once every two years to a living author for a body of work that has contributed to an achievement in fiction on the world stage.

The Man Booker International Prize was first awarded to Ismail Kadaré in 2005 and then to Chinua Achebe in 2007.

Munro is best known for her short stories and is one of Canada’s most celebrated writers. Born in Wingham, Ontario on 10 July, 1931, she moved to Victoria, Canada in 1963 and established Munro Books with her husband. Her stories frequently appear in publications such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Grand Street, Mademoiselle, and The Paris Review. Read more

Sebastian Barry Announced As Winner Of The 2008 Costa Book Award

On Tuesday 27th January 2009, Sebastian Barry was announced as the winner of the 2008 Costa Book of the Year for his novel ‘The Secret Scripture’ at a prestigious awards ceremony held at the Intercontinental Hotel in central London.

The winning author was chosen by a judging panel including actress Rosamund Pike, comedian and actor Alexander Armstrong, writer and actress Pauline McLynn and journalist, writer and broadcaster Michael Buerk. The panel was chaired by columnist and broadcaster Matthew Parris. Sebastian Barry received a cash prize of £25,000.