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Booker Prize

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A literary award or literary prize is an award presented in recognition of a particularly lauded literary piece or body of work. It is normally presented to an author .

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67-680: The Booker Prize , formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, which was published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. The winner of the Booker Prize receives £ 50,000, as well as international publicity that usually leads to

134-706: A Jamaican -born photographer, was a member of the BBP and documented their activities. Malcolm X was visiting the UK between 1964 and 1965, and Stokely Carmichael 's address at the Dialectics of Liberation Congress at the Roundhouse in London in 1967, inspired many in Britain's Black power movement . Carmichael's speech and visit influenced writer Obi Egbuna . Egbuna, in 1966, spent time in

201-441: A charitable foundation run by Sir Michael Moritz and his wife, Harriet Heyman – then announced it would sponsor the award for five years, with the option to renew for another five years. The award title was changed to simply "The Booker Prize". In 2019, despite having been unequivocally warned against doing so, the foundation's jury – under the chair Peter Florence – split the prize, awarding it to two authors, in breach of

268-644: A biographer of Howe, said: "He basically turned it into a trial of the Police.... His defence appealed to Magna Carta, and the media loved it because it was rooted in English traditions of fair play, but was also enormously radical and subversively funny." As the BBP began to fall apart in 1973, a number of women including Beverley Bryan , Olive Morris and Liz Obi organised to form the Brixton Black Women's Group in Brixton. In recent years, Kenlock's photographs of

335-399: A corresponding award ceremony . Many awards are structured with one organization (usually a non-profit organization) as the presenter and public face of the award, and another organization as the financial sponsor or backer, who pays the prize remuneration and the cost of the ceremony and public relations, typically a corporate sponsor who may sometimes attach their name to the award (such as

402-464: A judge; in 2001, she called the prize "a pile of crooked nonsense" with the winner determined by "who knows who, who's sleeping with who, who's selling drugs to who, who's married to who, whose turn it is". In 1997, the decision to award Arundhati Roy 's The God of Small Things proved controversial. Carmen Callil , chair of the previous year's Booker judges, called it an "execrable" book and said on television that it should not even have been on

469-564: A jury badly split over Ian McEwan 's novel On Chesil Beach . The following year it was India's turn again, with Aravind Adiga narrowly defeating Enright's fellow Irishman Sebastian Barry . Historically, the winner of the Booker Prize had been required to be a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations , the Republic of Ireland, or Zimbabwe. It was announced on 18 September 2013 that future Booker Prize awards would consider authors from anywhere in

536-528: A letter to The Guardian requesting that the prize be given to him so that he could use the money to buy every copy of the longlisted books in Ireland and donate them to libraries, "thus ensuring that the books not only are bought but also read – surely a unique occurrence". Judging for the 1983 award produced a draw between J. M. Coetzee 's Life & Times of Michael K and Salman Rushdie 's Shame , leaving chair of judges Fay Weldon to choose between

603-414: A number of titles based on their longlisting history (previously they could submit two). Non-longlisted publishers can submit one title, publishers with one or two longlisted books in the previous five years can submit two, publishers with three or four longlisted books are allowed three submissions, and publishers with five or more longlisted books can have four submissions. In addition, previous winners of

670-724: A permanent home for the archives from 1968 to present at Oxford Brookes University Library. The Archive, which encompasses the administrative history of the Prize from 1968 to date, collects together a diverse range of material, including correspondence, publicity material, copies of both the Longlists and the Shortlists, minutes of meetings, photographs and material relating to the awards dinner (letters of invitation, guest lists, seating plans). Embargoes of ten or twenty years apply to certain categories of material; examples include all material relating to

737-619: A rule established in 1993. Florence justified the decision, saying: "We came down to a discussion with the director of the Booker Prize about the rules. And we were told quite firmly that the rules state that you can only have one winner ... and as we have managed the jury all the way through on the principle of consensus, our consensus was that it was our decision to flout the rules and divide this year's prize to celebrate two winners." The two were British writer Bernardine Evaristo for her novel Girl, Woman, Other and Canadian writer Margaret Atwood for The Testaments . Evaristo's win marked

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804-413: A significant sales boost. When the prize was created, only novels written by Commonwealth , Irish, and South African (and later Zimbabwean) citizens were eligible to receive the prize; in 2014, eligibility was widened to any English-language novel—a change that proved controversial. A five-person panel consisting of authors, publishers and journalists, as well as politicians, actors, artists and musicians,

871-444: A small number of literary insiders is controversial for many. The Guardian introduced the "Not the Booker Prize" voted for by readers partly as a reaction to this. Author Amit Chaudhuri wrote: "The idea that a 'book of the year' can be assessed annually by a bunch of people – judges who have to read almost a book a day – is absurd, as is the idea that this is any way of honouring a writer." The author Julian Barnes once dismissed

938-549: Is appointed by the Booker Prize Foundation each year to choose the winning book. As of 2024, the chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation is Gaby Wood . A high-profile literary award in British culture , the Booker Prize is greeted with anticipation and fanfare around the world. Literary critics have noted that it is a mark of distinction for authors to be selected for inclusion in the shortlist or to be nominated for

1005-567: The Bookseller /Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year , and the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction and Lyttle Lytton Contests , given to deliberately bad grammar There are also literary awards targeted specifically to encourage the writing from African American origin and authors of African descent. Two of these awards are Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence , which was established in 2007 by

1072-721: The Baton Rouge Area Foundation , and Hurston/Wright Legacy Award , which is a given by the National Community of Black Writers. Australian author Richard Flanagan wrote a critique of literary awards, saying "National prizes are often a barometer of bourgeois bad taste." He says juries can be influenced by vendettas, paybacks and payoffs, "most judges are fair-minded people. But hate, conceit and jealousy are no less human attributes than wisdom, judgment and knowledge." Book prizes will sometimes compete with one another, and these goals do not always coincide with anointing

1139-705: The British Black Panther movement (BPM) was a Black Power organisation in the United Kingdom that fought for the rights of black people and racial minorities in the country. The BBP were inspired by the US Black Panther Party , though they were unaffiliated with them. The British Panthers adopted the principle of political blackness , which included activists of black as well as South Asian origin. The movement started in 1968 and lasted until around 1973. The movement reached its pinnacle with

1206-728: The Commonwealth were also considered. In 2008, the winner for 1948 was Alan Paton 's Cry, the Beloved Country , beating Norman Mailer 's The Naked and the Dead , Graham Greene 's The Heart of the Matter and Evelyn Waugh 's The Loved One . In 2015, the winner for 1915 was Ford Madox Ford 's The Good Soldier , beating The Thirty-Nine Steps ( John Buchan ), Of Human Bondage ( W. Somerset Maugham ), Psmith, Journalist ( P. G. Wodehouse ) and The Voyage Out ( Virginia Woolf ). Literary award Most literary awards come with

1273-584: The Orange Prize ). There are awards for various writing formats including poetry and novels . Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing (such as science fiction or politics ). There are also awards dedicated to works in individual languages, such as the Miguel de Cervantes Prize ( Spanish ); the Camões Prize ( Portuguese ); the Booker Prize , The Writers' Prize ,

1340-866: The Pulitzer Prize and the Hugo Award ( English ). Other international literary prizes include the Nobel Prize in Literature , the Franz Kafka Prize , and the Jerusalem Prize . The International Dublin Literary Award is given to writers, as well as to the translator(s) if the book chosen was written in a language other than English. Spoof awards include: The Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award ,

1407-910: The United States learning about the black power movement in the United States. Activists in Britain were also inspired by the Black Panther newspaper, and watching reports on the US Black Panthers on the BBC . The British Black Panther Movement (BPM) were founded in the summer of 1968, by Obi Egbuna, Darcus Howe , Linton Kwesi Johnson and Olive Morris , who were influenced by the American Black Panther Party . Other early members included Altheia Jones-LeCointe , as well as south Asian activists such as Farrukh Dhondy and Mala Sen under

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1474-693: The " Mangrove Nine ", chose to either defend themselves or have "radical barrister Ian McDonald " represent them. They also requested all-black juries, citing Magna Carta as precedent. All members of the Mangrove Nine were later found not-guilty by the jury. The British Black Panther Movement were under extensive State surveillance by the Special Branch's "Black Power Desk". Top-secret documents were uncovered by Robin Bunce and Paul Field while writing their political biography of Darcus Howe. The State sought to end

1541-571: The "longlist". A sister prize, the International Booker Prize , is awarded for a work of fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. Unlike the Booker Prize, short story collections are eligible for the International Booker Prize. The £50,000 prize money is split evenly between the author and translator of the winning novel. The prize was established as the "Booker Prize for Fiction" after

1608-507: The 1970 Mangrove Nine Trial. The trial, involving members of the Panther Movement and other black activists, succeeded in fighting against police harassment of Frank Crichlow 's Mangrove restaurant . The BBP worked to educate black communities and fight against racial discrimination . Members of the BBP worked to educate one another and British communities about black history . The BBP used imagery and symbols already established by

1675-532: The 50th anniversary, the Golden Man Booker was awarded. One book from each decade was selected by a panel of judges: Naipaul's In a Free State (the 1971 winner), Lively's Moon Tiger (1987), Ondaatje's The English Patient (1992), Mantel's Wolf Hall (2009) and Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo (2017). The winner, by popular vote, was The English Patient . Since 2014, each publisher's imprint may submit

1742-567: The BBP demonstrated against the constant police raids on the Mangrove , a black-owned restaurant in Ladbroke Grove , a West Indian neighbourhood in west London. There were 700 police involved, and violence and arrests took place. In addition to the police, a Special Branch "black power desk" monitored the protest. Nineteen members of the BBP were arrested, though later the charges against 10 were dropped. The remaining people, who became known as

1809-454: The BPM have been featured in exhibitions and other media. A 2013 project by Brixton arts organisation Photofusion conducted oral histories interviews with a number of members and held an exhibition of Kenlock's photographs of the BPM curated by young people. Tate Britain 's 2017 display Stan Firm Inna Inglan: Black Diaspora in London, 1960–70s , featured photographers, including Kenlock, who captured

1876-574: The Black Panther Party in the United States. They were fighting against police brutality in the UK and they "emphasized their own preparedness and willingness to confront police when necessary." The BPM also opposed the Immigration Act 1971 , defended communities against fascist violence, held civil rights demonstrations, and supported Caribbean and Palestinian liberation struggles. Black and South Asian activists were involved with

1943-465: The Black Power movement and imprison leading figures within the BPM. Eventually the movement "collapsed amid infighting, power struggles and ' kangaroo courts '," according to The Guardian . Actions and educational efforts by the BBP helped expose racism in schools and in the government. The trial of the Mangrove Nine drew attention to the fight against racism in the UK police force. Robin Bunce,

2010-523: The Booker was awarded in 2008 to celebrate the prize's 40th anniversary. A shortlist of six winners was chosen — Rushdie's Midnight's Children , Coetzee' Disgrace , Carey's Oscar and Lucinda , Gordimer's The Conservationist , Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur , and Barker's The Ghost Road — and the decision was left to a public vote; the winner was again Midnight's Children . In 2018, to celebrate

2077-415: The Booker Prize. This was rectified in 2010 by the awarding of the " Lost Man Booker Prize " to J. G. Farrell 's Troubles . In 1993, a special Booker of Bookers prize was awarded to mark the prize's 25th anniversary. Three previous judges of the award, Malcolm Bradbury , David Holloway and W. L. Webb, met and chose Salman Rushdie 's Midnight's Children , the 1981 winner, as "the best novel out of all

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2144-574: The Booker in either year. Forty years later, the Booker Prize Foundation announced in January 2010 the creation of a special award called the " Lost Man Booker Prize ", with the winner chosen from a longlist of 22 novels published in 1970. The prize was won by J. G. Farrell for Troubles , though the author had died in 1979. In 1972, winning writer John Berger , known for his Marxist worldview, protested during his acceptance speech against Booker McConnell. He blamed Booker's 130 years of sugar production in

2211-467: The Caribbean for the region's modern poverty. Berger donated half of his £5,000 prize to the British Black Panther movement , because it had a socialist and revolutionary perspective in agreement with his own. In 1980, Anthony Burgess , writer of Earthly Powers , refused to attend the ceremony unless it was confirmed to him in advance whether he had won. His was one of two books considered likely to win,

2278-708: The International Booker Prize since the Man Group ended its association with the prizes in 2019. A Russian version of the Booker Prize was created in 1992 called the Booker-Open Russia Literary Prize , also known as the Russian Booker Prize. In 2007, Man Group plc established the Man Asian Literary Prize , an annual literary award given to the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and published in

2345-401: The award to just a single author/book. The choice of James Kelman 's book How Late It Was, How Late as 1994 Booker Prize winner proved to be one of the most controversial in the award's history. Rabbi Julia Neuberger , one of the judges, declared it "a disgrace" and left the event, later deeming the book to be "crap"; WHSmith 's marketing manager called the award "an embarrassment to

2412-576: The banner of "blackness", with "black" as a political label for all people of colour ; for example, the related Southall Black Sisters were an Asian organisation. In 1969, the Race Today political magazine was founded by the Race Today Collective, becoming a leading organ for Black and Asian politics in 1970s Britain. It was founded by BPM members including Darcus Howe , Farrukh Dhondy , Linton Kwesi Johnson , and Mala Sen . The group

2479-470: The best winner. Sometimes juries can not decide between two contentious books so they will compromise with a third inoffensive bland book. He says there are now so many awards and prizes it has diluted the prestige of being a prize-winning book. Flanagan clarifies he is not against literary awards, but believes they should not be taken too seriously as a form of support for literary culture. British Black Panthers The British Black Panthers (BBP) or

2546-412: The books that have been submitted. (In 2023, the judges read 163 books over seven months.) After doing so, they select a longlist of 12 or 13 titles (the "Booker Dozen"), before each reading those books for a second time. They then select a shortlist of six titles, and read the six books a third time before selecting a winner. The Booker judging process and the very concept of a "best book" being chosen by

2613-410: The chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, chooses the judges in consultation with an advisory committee made up of senior figures from the UK publishing industry. On rare occasions a judge may be selected a second time. Judges are selected from amongst leading literary critics, writers, academics and leading public figures. Unlike some other literary prizes, each judge is expected to read all of

2680-429: The company Booker, McConnell Ltd began sponsoring the event in 1969; it became commonly known as the "Booker Prize" or the "Booker". Jock Campbell , Charles Tyrrell and Tom Maschler were instrumental in establishing the prize. When administration of the prize was transferred to the Booker Prize Foundation in 2002, the title sponsor became the investment company Man Group , which opted to retain "Booker" as part of

2747-610: The experiences of black people during that time. A television drama miniseries, Guerrilla (2017) , explores the British Black Panthers movement in the early 1970s. However, American magazine Ebony criticised the series for not representing black women in leadership roles in the black power movement of the UK. There has also been some controversy over Freida Pinto 's casting as a female lead, which has been defended as historically appropriate by early British Black Panther members, Farrukh Dhondy and Neil Kenlock, noting

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2814-669: The first time the Booker had been awarded to a black woman, while Atwood's win, at 79, made her the oldest winner. Atwood had also previously won the prize in 2000. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual award ceremony was replaced with a livestream from the Roundhouse in London, without the shortlisted authors in attendance. The winner was Douglas Stuart for his debut novel Shuggie Bain , which had been rejected by more than 30 publishers. 2021's small-scale ceremony, once again impacted by COVID-19, saw South African writer Damon Galgut , who had been shortlisted in 2003 and 2010, win

2881-489: The following year. In 2018, publishers sought to reverse the change, arguing that the inclusion of American writers would lead to homogenisation, reducing diversity and opportunities everywhere, including in America, to learn about "great books that haven't already been widely heralded". Man Group announced in early 2019 that the year's prize would be the last of eighteen under their sponsorship. A new sponsor, Crankstart  –

2948-425: The goose that lays your golden eggs." In 1988, Peter Carey won the first of his two Booker Prizes for Oscar and Lucinda (which would later be shortlisted for The Best of the Booker ). In 1992, the jury split the prize between Michael Ondaatje 's The English Patient and Barry Unsworth 's Sacred Hunger . This prompted the foundation to draw up a rule that made it mandatory for the appointed jury to make

3015-537: The group. Several branches existed, but the main centre of the organisation was in Brixton , South London . The BBP also had a Youth League. Headquarters, at 38 Shakespeare Road, were purchased with a donation from writer John Berger (half of his 1972 Booker Prize award for the novel G. ). The BBP published its own newspaper called Freedom News , and other publications such as Black Power Speaks (1968) and Black People's News Service (1970). Neil Kenlock ,

3082-610: The judging process and the Longlist prior to 2002. Between 2005 and 2008, the Booker Prize alternated between writers from Ireland and India. "Outsider" John Banville began this trend in 2005 when his novel The Sea was selected as a surprise winner: Boyd Tonkin , literary editor of The Independent , famously condemned it as "possibly the most perverse decision in the history of the award" and rival novelist Tibor Fischer poured scorn on Banville's victory. Kiran Desai of India won in 2006. Anne Enright 's 2007 victory came about due to

3149-589: The movement. The growth of the organisation was slow, but by the early 1970s, they were "firmly ensconced in Britain's left political culture," and there were around 3,000 members. In March 1970, about 300 BBP members demonstrated in front of the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square to protest against the treatment of the American Black Panthers. On 9 August 1970, 150 protesters involved with

3216-462: The number of nominees was capped at 12 or 13 each year. In 2001, Peter Carey won his second Booker Prize for True History of the Kelly Gang , a work now ranked by The Guardian as one of the 100 greatest novels written in English. Carey is one of only four writers to have won the Booker Prize twice, the others being J.M. Coetzee , Hilary Mantel , and Margaret Atwood . The Booker Prize created

3283-429: The official title of the prize. The foundation is an independent registered charity funded by the entire profits of Booker Prize Trading Ltd, of which it is the sole shareholder. The prize money awarded with the Booker Prize was originally £5,000. It doubled in 1978 to £10,000 and was subsequently raised to £50,000 in 2002 under the sponsorship of the Man Group, making it one of the world's richest literary prizes . Each of

3350-466: The other being Rites of Passage by William Golding . The judges decided only 30 minutes before the ceremony, giving the prize to Golding. Both novels had been seen as favourites to win leading up to the prize, and the dramatic "literary battle" between two senior writers made front-page news. Alice Munro 's The Beggar Maid was shortlisted in 1980, and remains the only short-story collection to be shortlisted. In 1981, nominee John Banville wrote

3417-456: The previous calendar year. For many years, as part of The Times 's Literature Festival in Cheltenham , a Booker event was held on the last Saturday of the festival. Four guest speakers/judges debated a shortlist of four books from a given year from before the introduction of the Booker Prize, and a winner was chosen. Unlike the real Booker Prize (1969 through 2014), writers from outside

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3484-492: The prize are automatically considered if they enter new titles. Books may also be called in: publishers can make written representations to the judges to consider titles in addition to those already entered. In the 21st century the average number of books considered by the judges has been approximately 130. A separate prize for which any living writer in the world may qualify, the Man Booker International Prize ,

3551-430: The prize as "posh bingo" for the apparently arbitrary way winners are selected. On winning the prize in 2011 he joked that he had revised his opinion, telling reporters that he had realised "the judges are the wisest heads in literary Christendom". For many years, the winner was announced at a formal, black-tie dinner in London's Guildhall in early October. However, in 2020, with COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in place,

3618-489: The prize for The Promise . 2022 saw a reimagined winner ceremony at the Roundhouse, hosted by comedian Sophie Duker and featuring a keynote speech by singer Dua Lipa . The prize was won by Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka for his second novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida . In 2023, for the first time, the shortlist featured three writers named Paul ( Paul Lynch , Paul Murray and Paul Harding ). The prize

3685-523: The prize's second year, Bernice Rubens became the first woman to win the Booker Prize, for The Elected Member . The rules of the Booker changed in 1971; previously, it had been given retrospectively, to books published in the year prior to each award. In 1971, eligibility was changed to make the year of a novel's publication the same as the year of the award, which was made in November; in effect, this meant that books published in 1970 were not considered for

3752-450: The prize. In fact, he has only been shortlisted once and that was for Time's Arrow , which was not one of his strongest books. That really is suspicious. He pissed people off with Dead Babies and that gets lodged in the culture. There is also the feeling that he has always looked towards America. The selection process for the winner of the prize commences with the appointment of a panel of five judges, which changes each year. Gaby Wood,

3819-461: The shortlist. Booker Prize chairman Martyn Goff said Roy won because nobody objected, following the rejection by the judges of Bernard MacLaverty 's shortlisted book due to their dismissal of him as "a wonderful short-story writer and that Grace Notes was three short stories strung together". Before 2001, each year's longlist of nominees was not publicly revealed. From 2001, the longlisted novels started to be published each year, and in 2007

3886-509: The shortlisted authors receives £2,500 and a specially bound edition of their book. The original Booker Prize trophy was designed by the artist Jan Pieńkowski and the design was revived for the 2023 prize. The first winner of the Booker Prize was P. H. Newby in 1969 for his novel Something to Answer For . W. L. Webb, The Guardian ' s Literary Editor, was chair of the inaugural set of judges, which included Rebecca West , Stephen Spender , Frank Kermode and David Farrer. In 1970,

3953-536: The two. According to Stephen Moss in The Guardian , "Her arm was bent and she chose Rushdie", only to change her mind as the result was being phoned through. At the award ceremony, Fay Weldon used her speech to attack the assembled publishers, accusing them of exploiting and undervaluing authors. "I will ask you if in your dealings with authors you are really being fair, and honourable, and right? Or merely getting away with what you can? If you are not careful, you will kill

4020-479: The whole book trade"; Waterstones in Glasgow sold a mere 13 copies of Kelman's book the following week. In 1994, The Guardian ' s literary editor Richard Gott , citing the lack of objective criteria and the exclusion of American authors, described the prize as "a significant and dangerous iceberg in the sea of British culture that serves as a symbol of its current malaise". In 1996, A. L. Kennedy served as

4087-424: The winner ceremony was broadcast in November from the Roundhouse , in partnership with the BBC . The ceremony returned to the Roundhouse for a more casual in-person ceremony in 2022, before moving to Old Billingsgate in London in 2023. In 1971, the nature of the prize was changed so that it was awarded to novels published in that year instead of in the previous year; therefore, no novel published in 1970 could win

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4154-465: The winners". In 2006, the Man Booker Prize set up a "Best of Beryl" prize, for the author Beryl Bainbridge , who had been nominated five times and yet failed to win once. The prize is said to count as a Booker Prize. The nominees were An Awfully Big Adventure , Every Man for Himself , The Bottle Factory Outing , The Dressmaker and Master Georgie , which won. Similarly, The Best of

4221-560: The world, so long as their work was in English and published in the UK. This change proved controversial in literary circles. Former winner A. S. Byatt and former judge John Mullan said the prize risked diluting its identity, whereas former judge A. L. Kennedy welcomed the change. Following this expansion, the first winner not from the Commonwealth, Ireland, or Zimbabwe was American Paul Beatty in 2016. Another American, George Saunders , won

4288-465: Was a judge for the 1999 prize, was reported as saying in 2001: There is a well-established London literary community. Rushdie doesn't get shortlisted now because he has attacked that community. That is not a good game plan if you want to win the Booker. Norman Mailer has found the same thing in the US – you have to "be a citizen" if you want to win prizes. The real scandal is that [Martin] Amis has never won

4355-428: Was inaugurated in 2005. Until 2015, it was given every two years to a living author of any nationality for a body of work published in English or generally available in English translation. In 2016, the award was significantly reconfigured, and is now given annually to a single book in English translation , with a £50,000 prize for the winning title, shared equally between author and translator. The award has been known as

4422-633: Was initially known as the British Black Power Movement , but after about a year, changed its name to the British Black Panthers. Egbuna had been arrested and was convicted in December 1968 on the charge of a conspiracy to murder police officers because of an essay he wrote about resisting police violence. The arrest attracted the first media attention the group received, where they were labelled as "black racialists" and "extremists." After Egbuna, Altheia Jones-LeCointe took his place as leader of

4489-470: Was won by Irish writer Paul Lynch for his novel Prophet Song . In the media, reaction was mixed. In The Guardian , Justine Jordan wrote that "This is a novel written to jolt the reader awake to truths we mostly cannot bear to admit", while in The Telegraph , Cal Revely-Calder wrote that Prophet Song is "political fiction at its laziest" and "the weak link in a strong shortlist". John Sutherland , who

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