2017 Man Booker prize longlist is full of ambitious works that examine the
big questions, the large ideas about love, freedom, death, and the need
to transcend our puny mortal selves.
Here’s a quick look at the books that have made it to the list.
Arundhati Roy, Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie and Zadie Smith all stand a great chance to win but HT’s money is on Colson Whitehead’s visceral The Underground Railroad.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
A work of genius, The Underground Railroad revisits pre-Civil War America and its savagery through the story of Cora, a slave girl, who gets on the train to freedom.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Nadia and Saeed meet as their country collapses into civil war. As the bombs go off, they hear about the doors that can help them escape. The couple find a door to a future where they struggle to hold on to all they know
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy’s first novel in two decades takes us from old Delhi to Kashmir and into the heart of central India, and introduces us to Anjum, who was once Aftab, and S Tilottama, among others, in this story of hope.
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
A retelling of Sophocles’ Antigone featuring two British Muslim families, and set against the backdrop of contemporary London, this is a story of love, of sundered families and of politics.
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
Set against the American Civil War and the Indian wars against the Sioux and Yurok tribes, Days Without End presents, through the story of two men, a larger picture of America during a particularly grim era.
4321 by Paul Auster
The story of four versions of the protagonist Archie Ferguson’s life, 4321, set in 1950s and 1960s Newark, New Jersey and New York, looks at US politics and the social upheavals of that period.
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
When lonely 14-year-old Madeline begins babysitting for the new family in the neighbourhood, she chances on secrets too complicated to comprehend. The choices she makes mark her through her life.
Solar Bones by Mike McCormack
Irish legend has it that the dead may return on All Souls’ Day. Solar Bones is about the return of Marcus Conway. A story of love and loss, it looks at the larger impact of minor decisions.
Reservoir 13
A young girl goes missing in the hills in England and villagers join the search for her. Set in the early 2000s and spread over 13 years, this is the story of one family’s loss and the impact it has on a community.
Arundhati Roy, who won the prize in 1997 for “The God of Small Things,” is in the running again with her long-awaited second novel, “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.”
Previous finalists on the 2017 list include Britain’s Zadie Smith, for “Swing Time;” Ireland’s Sebastian Barry, for “Days Without End;” and Pakistan’s Mohsin Hamid, for “Exit West.”
The 13 books announced Thursday were chosen from 144 novels submitted
by publishers. Literary critic Lola Young, chairwoman of the judging
panel, said the list contained works of “huge energy, imagination and
variety.”
Founded in 1969 and originally open only to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth, the Booker expanded in 2014 to include all English-language authors. Its first American winner was Paul Beatty’s “The Sellout” in 2016.
The six finalists will be named September 13, and the winner of the 50,000-pound ($65,000) prize will be announced on October 17
Here’s a quick look at the books that have made it to the list.
Arundhati Roy, Mohsin Hamid, Kamila Shamsie and Zadie Smith all stand a great chance to win but HT’s money is on Colson Whitehead’s visceral The Underground Railroad.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
A work of genius, The Underground Railroad revisits pre-Civil War America and its savagery through the story of Cora, a slave girl, who gets on the train to freedom.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Nadia and Saeed meet as their country collapses into civil war. As the bombs go off, they hear about the doors that can help them escape. The couple find a door to a future where they struggle to hold on to all they know
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy’s first novel in two decades takes us from old Delhi to Kashmir and into the heart of central India, and introduces us to Anjum, who was once Aftab, and S Tilottama, among others, in this story of hope.
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
A retelling of Sophocles’ Antigone featuring two British Muslim families, and set against the backdrop of contemporary London, this is a story of love, of sundered families and of politics.
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
Set against the American Civil War and the Indian wars against the Sioux and Yurok tribes, Days Without End presents, through the story of two men, a larger picture of America during a particularly grim era.
4321 by Paul Auster
The story of four versions of the protagonist Archie Ferguson’s life, 4321, set in 1950s and 1960s Newark, New Jersey and New York, looks at US politics and the social upheavals of that period.
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
When lonely 14-year-old Madeline begins babysitting for the new family in the neighbourhood, she chances on secrets too complicated to comprehend. The choices she makes mark her through her life.
Solar Bones by Mike McCormack
Irish legend has it that the dead may return on All Souls’ Day. Solar Bones is about the return of Marcus Conway. A story of love and loss, it looks at the larger impact of minor decisions.
Reservoir 13
A young girl goes missing in the hills in England and villagers join the search for her. Set in the early 2000s and spread over 13 years, this is the story of one family’s loss and the impact it has on a community.
Arundhati Roy, who won the prize in 1997 for “The God of Small Things,” is in the running again with her long-awaited second novel, “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness.”
Previous finalists on the 2017 list include Britain’s Zadie Smith, for “Swing Time;” Ireland’s Sebastian Barry, for “Days Without End;” and Pakistan’s Mohsin Hamid, for “Exit West.”
Founded in 1969 and originally open only to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth, the Booker expanded in 2014 to include all English-language authors. Its first American winner was Paul Beatty’s “The Sellout” in 2016.
The six finalists will be named September 13, and the winner of the 50,000-pound ($65,000) prize will be announced on October 17
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