20 Years Hence, Arundhati Roy in the Running for Man Booker Prize
Arundhati Roy had won the Man Booker Prize in 1997 for her first book of fiction ‘The God of Small Things’.
20 years after a novel she wrote won the same award, Arundhati Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is in the running for the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction. 20 years after her first novel (The God of Small Things), her much-awaited second novel has received rave reviews and created quite a stir, both among readers and critics alike.
Also Read: Arundhati Roy’s New Book Paints Dystopian Present, Hopeful Future
Paul Auster's intimate epic 4 3 2 1 and Whitehead's fantasy-tinged historical saga The Underground Railroad are among the four works by US authors on the list – alongside Emily Fridlund's coming-of-the-age story History of Wolves and George Saunders' magical, mournful Lincoln in the Bardo.
Roy isn’t the only one to have been on the list before. Previous finalists such as Britain's Zadie Smith for Swing Time, Ireland's Sebastian Barry for Days Without End, and Pakistan's Mohsin Hamid for Exit West are also on the 2017 list.
Roy’s novel was reviewed by The Quint earlier this year. Here is the video:
The 13 books announced on Thursday were chosen from 144 novels submitted by publishers.
Literary critic Lola Young, chairwoman of the judging panel, said the list contained works of "huge energy, imagination and variety."
Founded in 1969 and originally open only to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth, the Booker expanded in 2014 to include all English-language authors. The six finalists will be named on 13 September and the winner of the 50,000-pound ($65,000) prize will be announced on 17 October.
(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)