Man Booker Prize for Fiction: 2012 longlist announced

The longlist, or ‘Man Booker Dozen’, for this year’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction is announced today, Wednesday 25 July 2012.

The 12 books were chosen by a panel of judges chaired by Sir Peter Stothard, Editor of the Times Literary Supplement. The longlisted books were selected from a total of 145 titles, 11 of which were called in by the judges.  

The longlist is:

Author                       Title (Publisher)

Nicola Barker          The Yips (Fourth Estate)

Ned Beauman        The Teleportation Accident (Sceptre)

André Brink              Philida (Harvill Secker)

Tan Twan Eng         The Garden of Evening Mists (Myrmidon Books)

Michael Frayn         Skios (Faber & Faber)

Rachel Joyce         The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Doubleday)

Deborah Levy         Swimming Home (And Other Stories)

Hilary Mantel             Bring up the Bodies (Fourth Estate)

Alison Moore(left)    The Lighthouse (Salt)

Will Self                     Umbrella (Bloomsbury)

Jeet Thayil                Narcopolis (Faber & Faber)

Sam Thompson      Communion Town (Fourth Estate)

Peter Stothard, Chair of judges, comments:

“Goodness, madness and bewildering urban change are among the themes of this year’s longlist. In an extraordinary year for fiction the ‘Man Booker Dozen’ proves the grip that the novel has on our world. We did not set out to reject the old guard but, after a year of sustained critical argument by a demanding panel of judges, the new has come powering through.”

The 2012 longlist includes four debut novels, three small independent publishers and one previous winner. Of the 12 writers, seven are men and five women; nine are British, one Indian, one South African and one Malaysian. The eldest on the list is Andre Brink at 77 and the youngest is Ned Beauman at 27.

The shortlist of six authors will be announced at a press conference at the Man Group headquarters on Tuesday 11 September 2012. The winner of the 2012 prize will be announced at a dinner at London’s Guildhall on Tuesday 16 October, in a ceremony covered by the BBC. Each of the six shortlisted writers is awarded £2,500 and a specially commissioned beautifully handbound edition of his/her book. The winner receives a further £50,000.

Peter Stothard is joined on the 2012 Man Booker Prize for Fiction judging panel by: Dinah Birch, academic and literary critic; Amanda Foreman, historian, writer and broadcaster; Dan Stevens, actor and Bharat Tandon, academic, writer and reviewer.

2012 marks the 44^th year of the prize, which began in 1969. A full history of the prize, including an interactive timeline, can be found on the Man Booker Prize website – www.themanbookerprize.com – which has just been re-launched, allowing visitors to experience the prize across a variety of new platforms and formats.


Reaction from HuffPost:



The Man Booker Prize longlist for 2012 has been announced, and we're already excited.
It's great to see some old favourites in there (hello, Will Self and Michael Frayn) along with some eagerly-watched newbies, like Ned Beauman.
Surprising omissions include heavyweights Zadie Smith, Ian McEwan and Martin Amis, all of whom could have been in contention.
The 'Man Booker Dozen' below are the pick of 145 titles, selected by a panel of judges chaired by Sir Peter Stothard, Editor of the Times Literary Supplement.
Of the longlist, Stothard said, "In an extraordinary year for fiction the ‘Man Booker Dozen’ proves the grip that the novel has on our world. We did not set out to reject the old guard but, after a year of sustained critical argument by a demanding panel of judges, the new has come powering through."
A list filled with "goodness, madness and bewildering urban change", it's also one which features four debut novels, three small independent publishers and one previous winner. The age range between the nominees is a massive 50 years - between 77-year-old Andre Brink and Ned Beauman, who is 27.


Reaction from The Telegraph - Man Booker Prize longlist snubs Amis, McEwan and Smith


And at The New Statesman - For the most part, the judges have ignored the big names.


New York Daily News -  Will Mantel get her second?



www.themanbookerprize.com