The folks at the Man Booker Prize have announced a special "Best of the Booker" award, to be given in July in honor of the 40th anniversary of the prize.
In all, 41 novels will be eligible for the award, including Rushdie's 'Midnight Children', Roy's 'God of Small Things' and Kiran Desai's 'The Inheritance of Loss'.
This is the second time that a celebratory award has been created by the Man Booker prize organisers. In 1993 -- the 25th anniversary -- Rushdie won the 'Booker of Bookers' for 'Midnight's Children'.
The bookies are favoring Yann Martel's Life of Pi.
So the Booker bookies are bookying for Yann Martel's book. Yum.
Posted by: Patrick Stephenson | February 21, 2008 at 10:36 AM
Life of Pi? Really? Meh. How about The Remains of the Day?
Posted by: Antoine Wilson | February 21, 2008 at 03:57 PM
You know someone will vote for VERNON GOD LITTLE. I don't know who, but someone will.
Posted by: Sarah | February 21, 2008 at 05:06 PM
Life of Pi? You've got to be kidding. I'd have to read the whole list to see if anything is worse.
Posted by: John Shannon | February 21, 2008 at 06:31 PM
I would suggest there are only 4-5 titles that can really be considered:
The Sea, The Sea
Offshore
Remains of the Day
The Line of Beauty
The God of Small Things
and maybe all the Coetzee. And Banville. Sheesh.
Posted by: ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL | February 21, 2008 at 10:00 PM
The Old Devils is a masterpiece of a Booker winner (certainly, leagues better than either Life of Pi or Vernon God Little), but I doubt it'll even get a peek.
Posted by: Steven Augustine | February 22, 2008 at 08:33 AM