Lovers of English literature hold your breath; the list of nominated authors for the Man Booker Prize 2015 has finally arrived. The literary prize, which is awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language, not only has great value for the book trade but is also perceived as a mark of excellence even for authors, who make it to the “longlist” for the nominees. Initially only original English language works of authors from the UK & Commonwealth, Republic of Ireland and Zimbabwe were eligible for it, when it started off in the year 1969.
The longlist or ‘Man Booker Dozen’ for 2015 includes writers of different countries such as Ireland, Jamaica, Nigeria, New Zealand and the United States apart from the UK. What has got us even more excited is that even Anuradha Roy’s name is seen on the list, the sole Indian entry, for her book Sleeping on Jupiter. Sunjeev Sahota, a British novelist of Indian origin has also been nominated for his book The Year of the Runaways. Irish Anne Enright, who had earlier won the prize in 2007 for The Gathering, is also longlisted this year for The Green Road.
The 2015 ‘Man Booker Dozen’ list has the majority of its entries from the United States and also features the names of three debut novelists: Bill Clegg, Chigozie Obioma and Anna Smaill.
