Peter Carey is among the 15 authors on the judges’ list of contenders for the second Man Booker International Prize.
The judges’ list was announced by the chair of judges, Professor Elaine Showalter, at a press conference held yesterday at Massey College, Toronto. The 15 writers come from 10 countries and four are writers in translation.
The 15 authors on the list are:
- Chinua Achebe
- Margaret Atwood
- John Banville
- Peter Carey
- Don DeLillo
- Carlos Fuentes
- Doris Lessing
- Ian McEwan
- Harry Mulisch
- Alice Munro
- Michael Ondaatje
- Amos Oz
- Philip Roth
- Salman Rushdie
- Michel Tournier
Worth £60,000 (A$137,000) to the winner, the prize is awarded once every two years to ‘a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in the English language.’ The Man Booker International Prize was announced in June 2004 and ‘recognises one writer for his or her achievement in fiction.’ The winner is chosen solely at the discretion of the judging panel; there are no submissions from publishers.
Albanian writer Ismail Kadaré won the inaugural prize in 2005 and went on to gain worldwide recognition for his work. In addition, there is a separate prize for translation and, if applicable, the winner can choose a translator of his or her work into English to receive a prize of £15,000 (A$34,000).
The winner of the 2007 prize will be announced on 28 June at a ceremony at Christ Church, Oxford, in the UK.
The judging panel for the 2007 Man Booker International Prize is: Professor Elaine Showalter, academic and author; Nadine Gordimer, writer and novelist; and writer and academic, Colm Tóibin. In announcing their list, the judges commented: ‘With this list, we offer a gift to readers all over the world, an opportunity to join a conversation on 15 writers, diverse in nationality, language, themes and techniques, but united in their dedication to the power of the word.’