The Atlantic Wire
Associated Press
Next year, Americans will be eligible for the Man Booker Prize, Britain's answer to the Pulitzer, and pretty much everyone is a little iffy on the whole thing. As of now the prize is only open to authors from the British commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe, but if the the likes of Jonathan Franzen and Jennifer Egan are eligible, who knows what could happen? In a rare turn events, authors, critics and academics agree that this is probably a bad idea, for a few reasons.
“Not sure I can see a reason for this. Why can’t we have a prize of our own?" said Susan Hill, a British author who was shortlisted for the award in 1972. And while some might argue that Brits are just worried about Americans taking all their awards, one wonders why the Pulitzer and the National Book Award are only open to Americans. "UK small, open economy; US protectionist?" tweeted Reuters editor Simon Robinson.
Patrick Deer, an associate professor of English at NYU (and a Brit who has been based out of New York for the last 25 years) said he had mixed feelings about the news. "On the one hand it's a recognition of the increasingly global nature of Anglo-American publishing and readership," Deer told The Atlantic Wire.
At the same time, Deer argued that the Man Booker has allowed British, Irish and commonwealth authors to "punch above their weight" in the American book market. Deer said there's "the potential for more neglected and quirky British writers getting edged out for popular American fiction." Linda Grant, a British author whose The Clothes on Their Backs was shortlisted for the Booker in 2008, tweeted that being shortlisted got her a U.S. publisher and "access to a huge market I didn't have before." More competition means less exposure and less commercial success.
Maybe the greatest risk would be to Booker-eligible authors outside of the U.K. and Ireland, such as Zimbabwe's NoViolet Bulawayo (We Need New Names) and New Zealand's Eleanor Catton (The Luminaries), whose works might be elbowed out. This year's Booker shortlist showcased the diversity the prize is capable, and as Deer noted, it would be ashamed to lose that variety because of mainstream American novels.
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American authors already have enough awards
American authors have the Pulitzer Prize for literature, the National Book Award and the biannual Man Booker International prize. "Why shouldn’t Britons then be eligible for American prizes?" asked Gaby Wood at The Telegraph. "The only American literary prize open to British authors (albeit those published by American houses) is the National Book Critics Circle Award." Americans didn't necessarily ask to be eligible for the Booker, but we haven't exactly embraced world literature with open arms, either.“Not sure I can see a reason for this. Why can’t we have a prize of our own?" said Susan Hill, a British author who was shortlisted for the award in 1972. And while some might argue that Brits are just worried about Americans taking all their awards, one wonders why the Pulitzer and the National Book Award are only open to Americans. "UK small, open economy; US protectionist?" tweeted Reuters editor Simon Robinson.
It's bad for British, Irish and Commonwealth authors
Patrick Deer, an associate professor of English at NYU (and a Brit who has been based out of New York for the last 25 years) said he had mixed feelings about the news. "On the one hand it's a recognition of the increasingly global nature of Anglo-American publishing and readership," Deer told The Atlantic Wire. At the same time, Deer argued that the Man Booker has allowed British, Irish and commonwealth authors to "punch above their weight" in the American book market. Deer said there's "the potential for more neglected and quirky British writers getting edged out for popular American fiction." Linda Grant, a British author whose The Clothes on Their Backs was shortlisted for the Booker in 2008, tweeted that being shortlisted got her a U.S. publisher and "access to a huge market I didn't have before." More competition means less exposure and less commercial success.
Maybe the greatest risk would be to Booker-eligible authors outside of the U.K. and Ireland, such as Zimbabwe's NoViolet Bulawayo (We Need New Names) and New Zealand's Eleanor Catton (The Luminaries), whose works might be elbowed out. This year's Booker shortlist showcased the diversity the prize is capable, and as Deer noted, it would be ashamed to lose that variety because of mainstream American novels.
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