Man Booker Prize

Iris Murdoch was a prolific writer, completing 26 novels and several philosophy books in her lifetime. She still holds the record for most Booker Prize shortlistings (a joint record with Margaret Atwood) and the Booker Prize trophy has recently been renamed the 'Iris' in her honour. This month, we've picked The Black Prince, which was shortlisted for the Booker in 1973, as our Book of the Month. It's a part-thriller, part-love story that follows Bradley Pearson – an elderly writer with a ‘block’. Adding and contributing to his torment are a host of predatory friends and relations: his melancholic sister, his ex-wife and her delinquent brother, and a younger, deplorably successful writer, Arnold Baffin. In this episode Jo and James share: Their thoughts on Iris Murdoch's novels Why Murdoch was an exceptionally funny writer, as well as a gifted one A brief biography of Murdoch A summary of The Black Prince What they thought about The Black Prince Who should read The Black Prince Reading list: The Blac

This week we're bringing you a special episode recorded live at Cheltenham Literature Festival in October. Tune in as James is joined by all six Booker Prize 2023 shortlisted authors and we get to hear all about their books, the varied inspirations behind them and why and how they write. Reading list: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery This Other Eden by Paul Harding Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein Chetna Maroo's Western Lane Paul Lynch's Prophet Song Paul Murray's The Bee Sting A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we hurtle towards the Booker Prize 2023 announcement later this month, we're continuing our deep dive into this year's shortlist. This week, in the second of two parts, Jo and James take a closer look at the remaining three books. Listen in to hear what they make of them and which book they think will take home the prize this year.   In this episode Jo and James discuss: Chetna Maroo's Western Lane Paul Lynch's Prophet Song Paul Murray's The Bee Sting Their winner predictions for this year's Booker Prize Reading list: Western Lane by Chetna Maroo Prophet Song by Paul Lynch The Bee Sting by Paul Murray A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're a month away from finding out which title will take home the 2023 Booker Prize so what better time to take a deep dive into this year's final six? This week, in the first of two parts, we're exploring half of the books. Listen in to hear what Jo and James make of them, whether virtuousness is a desirable quality in these novels and what the shortlist says about the state of fiction today.   In this episode Jo and James discuss: Their overview of the 2023 shortlist, and what it says about the state of fiction today How these books would behave if they were guests in your house The common themes that run through these novels Jonathan Escoffery's If I Survive You Paul Harding's This Other Eden Sarah Bernstein's Study for Obedience Reading list: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery This Other Eden by Paul Harding Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebo

Spooky season is upon us. While the Booker Prizes' archive might not be filled to the rafters with tales of horror, Bora Chung's Cursed Bunny is certainly ghostly and horrifying – a perfect read for this time of year. Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022, Cursed Bunny, translated from Korean to English by Anton Hur, presents a collection of fantastically surreal stories that address the very real horrors of capitalism and the patriarchy. In this episode Jo and James talk about: Their own Halloween traditions Bora Chung and her background in writing The unexpected way the book found its way to western readers The stories in this collection, and which are their favourites Their theories on themes throughout the book and what the author is trying to say Whether these tales of terror are going to keep them up at night Reading list: Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, translated by Daisy Rockwell The Vegetarian by Han Kang, translated

George Saunders is best known as a writer of short stories. In fact, he's often considered to one of the greatest living short story writers in the world. In 2017, however, he took home the Booker Prize for his first (and so far only) novel – the startlingly original Lincoln in the Bardo. The book follows Willie Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln, as he succumbs to illness and ends up in the bardo, a limbo-like state between the living and the dead. This week, George Saunders joins James and Jo to tell us all about how winning the Booker Prize changed his life, his writing, and what makes a great writer. In this episode Jo and James speak to George about: What it was like to win the Booker Prize, and how winning affected his work Why George decided to turn his hand to penning a novel – and whether he'll ever write another The differences between novel writing and short story writing How to write about historical figures without being trite His popular Substack, Story Club with George Saunders, which explor

Yoko Ogawa's The Memory Police, translated by Stephen Snyder, is a haunting and provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020. On an unnamed island, things are disappearing and most of the island's residents are forgetting all about them. It starts small with hats and ribbons but it soon escalates. When a novelist discovers that her editor – who, for some reason, doesn't forget – is in danger from the draconian Memory Police, she concocts a plan to save him. Join us as we explore our latest Book of the Month. In this episode Jo and James: Share a brief author biography Summarise the novel's plot Consider whether the book is about totalitarian regimes or fascist politics, as many of the book's reviewers suggested, or whether it's about something altogether more mysterious Discuss how translations may affect our reading of the book, in quite significant ways Wonder whether forgetting is really that bad Suggest who shou

Last week we crowned the best Booker shortlist ever and this week, we're going even deeper into that list. In 2005, the odds were on Julian Barnes to win the Booker Prize with Arthur & George but the judges chose The Sea by John Banville. Arthur & George traces the intersecting lives of an obscure solicitor and the world-famous creator of Sherlock Holmes, while The Sea follows a man attempting to escape a recent loss while confronting a past trauma. So, we're taking a closer look at both books and asking: who was right – the Booker judges or the bookies? In this episode Jo and James: Give plot summaries of Arthur & George and The Sea Share a short biography of Julian Barnes and John Banville Discuss the merits of each novel Consider whether the bookies' favourite should have won the Booker Prize in 2005 Reading list: The Sea by John Banville Arthur & George by Julian Barnes On Beauty by Zadie Smith The Accidental by Ali Smith A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro S

Following the Booker Prize 2023 shortlist announcement, Jo and James share a hot off the press reaction to this year's six finalists before heading onto the topic at hand: which year saw the best ever Booker Prize shortlist? To help Jo and James along the way, they're joined by Bob Jackson – a man who has read every single book ever shortlisted for the award. That's over 300 books, spanning from the Booker's inception in 1969 up to the present day. So, listen in and find out which shortlist gets crowned as the best one ever. In this episode Jo and James: Ask Bob to reveal his favourite (and least favourite) books from the Booker archive Hear how Bob approached his quest to reading every Booker-shortlisted book Discuss their contenders for which year's shortlist is best Argue it out until just one shortlist is crowned the winner Reading list: Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery This Other Eden by Paul Harding Prophet Song by Paul Lynch Western Lane by Chetn

His Bloody Project tells the story of a fictional 19th-century triple murder in a remote crofting community, through the memoir of the accused and documents such as court transcripts, medical reports, police statements and newspaper articles. The book was shortlisted for the 2016 Booker Prize – and while Paul Beatty's The Sellout took home the award that year, His Bloody Project remained the bestseller of the bunch until the winner was announced. This week, its author Graeme Macrae Burnet joins us in the studio to tell us about the inspirations behind His Bloody Project, what it was like to be nominated for the prize again with Case Study in 2022 and what we can expect from him next. In this episode Jo and James speak to Graeme about: The plot of His Bloody Project and the real-life inspiration behind it How the Booker Prize transformed his writing career The power of ambiguity and allowing readers to make up their own minds Why thinking about readers' reactions while writing can undermine the authentici

In 1970, when the Booker Prize was still in its infancy (its second year running, in fact), the prize was awarded to Bernice Rubens. Rubens was the first woman to win the award and is still the only Welsh person to ever win the prize. 2023 marks the centenary of Rubens' birth so, this week, we're taking a closer look at The Elected Member – a piercing novel that explores what happens to a respectable, close-knit Jewish family when their prodigious son becomes a middle-aged drug addict. In this episode Jo and James: Ponder the weight of being the eldest child Share a brief biography of Bernice Rubens Give a slightly spoiler-y summary of The Elected Member Discuss whether parental expectation can turn from encouragement to abuse Consider how love can be damaging Wonder why Bernice Rubens has fallen off the radar Decide who should read The Elected Member Reading list: The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens Bruno's Dream by Iris Murdoch Mrs Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel by William Trevor Eva Trout by Eli

In 2014, the Booker Prize broadened its submission rules to allow books from any nationality, as long as they were written in English and published in the UK. This change in eligibility led to worries around whether American novels would dominate the award's nominations, but it wasn't until 2016 when Paul Beatty scooped the prize with The Sellout that the prize went to an author from the States. The Sellout is a biting satire on race relations told through its protagonist, who is on trial for trying to reinstate slavery and segregation – and this week on the podcast, we're revisiting the story. In this episode Jo and James: Consider what the inclusion of American authors and novels has meant for the Booker Prize Share a brief biography of Paul Beatty Give a slightly spoiler-y summary of The Sellout Discuss whether the novel is an on-point laugh-a-minute satire or a relentlessly nihilistic trudge Try to get to the bottom of what Paul Beatty is trying to say through this novel Chat about whether the ques

Cast your minds back to the heady days of 2015... It's early autumn and Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life is hotly-tipped to scoop the Booker Prize but the judges award that year's prize to A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James – an epic novel inspired by the true story of an attempted assassination attempt on Bob Marley. This week, Marlon James joins Jo and James on the podcast to tell us how winning the Booker Prize changed his life, his writing, and what he's working on next. In this episode Jo and James speak to Marlon about: Why Marlon didn't think he was going to win the Booker Prize How he spent his prize money The reception A Brief History of Seven Killings received in Marlon's home country, Jamaica, versus further afield Get Millie Black, the new original HBO / Channel 4 crime drama he's working on TikTok and why reading is not the same as identifying as a reader How he loves writing but hates coming up with ideas for new work The new novel he's writing Reading list: A Brief His

Muriel Spark was a prolific poet and novelist who was nominated for the Booker Prize three times over the course of her writing career. In 1981, Spark's Loitering with Intent was shortlisted for the prize alongside that year's eventual winner Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. The novel is a wonderfully gossipy and entertaining literary joyride which sees a would-be novelist takes inspiration from her life only to find the tables are mysteriously turned – and it's our August Book of the Month. In this episode Jo and James: Continue getting to know each other by chatting about the life event James would start his memoir with and Jo's favourite albums of all time Share a brief biography of Muriel Spark Give a slightly spoiler-y account of what happens in Loitering with Intent Discuss how much of Muriel Spark's writing may be influenced or based on her own life Consider why Muriel Spark is not as widely read now as she once was Who should read Loitering with Intent Reading list: Loitering with Inte

This week, we're joined by Frederick Studemann, literary editor of the FT, to bring you a Booker Prize longlist reaction hot off the press. Listen in as Fred, James and Jo share their opinions of this year's longlist as a whole, and give you a flavour of each of the 13 books that make up this year's Booker Dozen: it's speed dating meets the Booker Prize. Books discussed in this episode: A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney This Other Eden by Paul Harding Pearl by Siân Hughes All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow Prophet Song by Paul Lynch In Ascension by Martin MacInnes Western Lane by Chetna Maroo The Bee Sting by Paul Murray The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng A full transcript of the episode is available at our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to

What exactly is “a Booker book”? Some might jump to a specific kind of high-minded, serious fiction, while others argue for a broader definition inclusive of more mainstream titles. Over the years, the pendulum has swung between the two and in 2003, DBC Pierre's debut, Vernon God Little, was awarded the prize. In this episode, we take a closer look at the novel and why it was an unexpected winner. In this episode, Jo and James talk about: Their childhood reading inspirations A brief – and slightly spoiler-y – summary of Vernon God Little The reaction to its 2003 Man Booker Prize win The author behind the novel, DBC Pierre Whether Vernon God Little stands up to reading 20 years after its release Books to read after reading Vernon God Little Books and authors discussed in this episode: Matilda by Roald Dahl Rudyard Kipling Charles Dickens Vladimir Nabokov Virginia Woolf The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Philip Pullman The Moomins books by Tove Jan

The sun is shining, the sea is glistening and we're heading off to Booker Island – our very own version of Love Island. This week we're pairing up fictional characters from novels in the Booker archive, so tune in to find out who's coupled up, who's getting mugged off and who's getting dumped in our quest to find the ultimate literary romantic couple. Books discussed in this episode: Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch Exit West by Mohsin Hamid Atonement by Ian McEwan The Sellout by Paul Beatty On Beauty by Zadie Smith Us by David Nicholls Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Any Human Heart by William Boyd G by John Berger Mother's Milk by Edward St Aubyn Normal People by Sally Rooney A full transcript of the episode is available on our website. Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more abo

Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass is the third and concluding volume of the epic His Dark Materials trilogy – and might just be the only children’s book ever nominated for The Booker Prize. The story follows the journey of Lyra – a young girl destined to bring about unfathomable change in her world and beyond. It was longlisted for The Booker Prize in 2001, alongside Ian McEwan’s Atonement, David Mitchell’s number9dream and that year’s winner, Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang. In this episode, Jo and James talk about: The animal forms their daemons would take A brief – and slightly spoiler-y – summary of what happens in The Amber Spyglass, as well as the previous books in the trilogy Whether The Amber Spyglass is really a children's book The literature that has inspired His Dark Materials Whether more children's books should be in contention for The Booker Prize The Booker Clinic: Books to rediscover the joys of reading Books discussed in this episode: Paradise Lost by John Milton Son

Warning: this episode contains references to suicide. The Vegetarian, an International Booker Prize winner and the first of Han Kang's books to be translated into English, explores shame, desire and our faltering attempts to understand each other. In 2016, the International Booker Prize moved from a bi-annual award recognising an author's body of work to a prize that celebrated an individual book translated into English, giving its author and translator equal billing – The Vegetarian was the first novel to win the revamped prize, and this month we're revisiting the story to explore it more deeply. In this episode Jo and James chat about: Jo and James' best and worst ever meals, spurred on by the omnipresence of food throughout The Vegetarian A slightly spoiler-y account of what happens in the novel and whether it's about Korean society and the pressures faced by women living under the patriarchy... even though the author has stressed that this isn’t the case Whether Yeong-hye, the book's protagonist, is “m