It was a gradual and growing idea idea: I thought one of my bookselling co-workers had said that he had read Man-Booker prize winners, and as I saw copies of the winners flow in and out of the store inventory, I began to fondle them and set them aside. As I considered it, it seemed like more and more of a good idea.
Several reasons come to mind:
1. My love of British literature: I am curious about what had been proclaimed the best of British (and Commonwealth) literature in the second half of the twentieth century and into the new millennium.
2. As a citizen of a Commonwealth country, I was interested in the works of South Africa’s prizewinning authors, J.M. Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer.
3. A chance to read fiction from all over the world (The old empire: New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, India, Egypt etc.)
4. The Man-Booker Prize is an easier target than the Nobel Prize winners, which are received for a consistent work contribution. This would be difficult to choose one work for which these authors were known.
5. I am an Anglophile. I was more interested in Booker prizewinners than Pulitzer prizewinners.
6. It has only been given since 1969: much shorter a lineage than the Pulitzer or the Nobel Prizes.
So far I have noticed two emphases: India and the ocean. Some might suggest the lack of plot development. I plan to document any other observations and links I find. Hopefully I shall finish all 41 books by the end of September when the shortlist for 2008 is released. I would like to have identified similarities in past winners and try and predict this year’s winner, though this is difficult as the committee changes yearly. Bon voyage!
Several reasons come to mind:
1. My love of British literature: I am curious about what had been proclaimed the best of British (and Commonwealth) literature in the second half of the twentieth century and into the new millennium.
2. As a citizen of a Commonwealth country, I was interested in the works of South Africa’s prizewinning authors, J.M. Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer.
3. A chance to read fiction from all over the world (The old empire: New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, India, Egypt etc.)
4. The Man-Booker Prize is an easier target than the Nobel Prize winners, which are received for a consistent work contribution. This would be difficult to choose one work for which these authors were known.
5. I am an Anglophile. I was more interested in Booker prizewinners than Pulitzer prizewinners.
6. It has only been given since 1969: much shorter a lineage than the Pulitzer or the Nobel Prizes.
So far I have noticed two emphases: India and the ocean. Some might suggest the lack of plot development. I plan to document any other observations and links I find. Hopefully I shall finish all 41 books by the end of September when the shortlist for 2008 is released. I would like to have identified similarities in past winners and try and predict this year’s winner, though this is difficult as the committee changes yearly. Bon voyage!
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