Following the recent release of their longlist, the Man Booker Prize 2013 has now announced its more condensed shortlist of candidates for this year’s competition. While seven out of the original 13 in the longlist have now been whittled out of contention, we now have the six finalists for the prestigious literature prize.
The seven that missed out on making it through are Richard House’s The Kills, Colum McCann’s TransAtlantic, The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris, The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan, Charlotte Mendelsen’s Almost English, Tash Aw’s Five Star Billionaire and Unexploded by Alison MacLeod leaving the six shortlist nominees below:
Harvest by Jim Crace
Spinning together a tale of village life as it implodes following the arrival of dark visitors.
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
NoViolet Bulawayo’s debut novel is about life in the shanty and the dream of a better life.
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
28 year old Eleanor Catton weaves a mystery in 19th century New Zealand in the midst of the gold rush.
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Yet another mystery is unwound in A Tale for the Time Being with the arrival of a piece of tsunami flotsam and jetsam that contains a diary.
The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín
Mother Mary fights to dredge up the truth about the brutal death of her son as she refutes her son Jesus’ religious heritage in Colm Tóibín’s novella.
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Communist fervor separates two brothers from Calcutta with actions unfurling with repercussions that impacts across the seas and through generations.
This year’s shortlist has been selected by a panel of judges chaired by travel writer Robert Macfarlane and they have been outspoken in their bid for diversity and that can be seen quickly in the differences between the 6 shortlisted novels. If you compare the 90 pages that make up Colm Tóibín’s short story on the old age of the Virgin Mary with the 832 pages of New Zealand gold rush era drama in Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries you can see the variation instantly.
In terms of favourites to take the prize the bookies are backing previous Booker Prize nominees Jim Crace and Colm Tóibín with Catton’s The Luminaries getting an outside nod too. However, as with previous years, 2013 could see anything happen when the winner is announced on the 15th October 2013.
To find out more about all of the 13 nominees, visit our Man Booker Prize 2013 longlist page for more details.
