The 2012 Booker Prize longlist was announced on July 25. Below are the dozen nominees:
- The Yips by Nicola Barke
- The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauma
- Philida by André Brin
- The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
- Skios by Michael Frayn
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
- Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
- Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
- The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
- Umbrella by Will Self
- Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil
- Communion Town by Sam Thompson
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 will be announced on 11 September, which gives you 48 days to read all twelve nominees. Is anyone going to attempt that feat?
I'm already reading one - Bring Up the Bodies. Can that count or is it cheating if I started before the announcement???
ReplyDeleteIt counts in my book, Karen! I hope to read that one soon too (I'm in a long-ish library queue). I hope you'll come back and tell us all about it when you've finished!
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm excited for Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies, although really, I have yet to read Wolf Hall. And there's something about The Teleportation Accident that interests me.
ReplyDeleteLooks a challenging list I think (Brink and Frayn along with Mantel the writers I'm familiar with) - there is no way I will be getting through the 12 before 11 September as at least three of them aren't in print yet (dates may be brought forward as now on a list which will boost sales). I am thinking I may just go shortlist this year, but have ordered (or pre-ordered) the lot so could well churn through a few. Last year did read the whole long list but that took me between the announcement and the winner being announced, so a further 42 days or so.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting list. So much hope.I will look out for Andre Brink.
ReplyDeleteHopefully I will manage to read them all before the shortlist is out but it is going to be a struggle. I've already read "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" and I really enjoyed it! I am currently reading "Bring Up The Bodies" after speeding through "Wolf Hall". It seems like a very good list, I'm especially looking forward to reading "Philida", "Skios", "Narcopolis" and "The Teleportation Accident". Although I am dissapointed not to see the new novels from Ian McEwan, Zadie Smith and particularly John Banville's "Ancient Light", which I thought was excellent.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what's going to make the shorlist. I'd be happy if Rachel Joyce made it but I wonder if it possibly lacks the complicity that the Booker often demands. I assume that Hilary Mantel will make it but apart from that I really don't know.