13 novels have been selected from 151 submissions for the 2019 Booker Prize longlist.
The contenders for this prestigious literary honour, worth £50,000 literary prize, include three Nigerian authors. They are Bernardine Evaristo, Chigozie Obioma, and Oyinkan Braithwaite.
Nigerian-British writer, Evaristo is on the list for the first for her eighth book 'Girl, Woman, Other' while Obioma makes his second appearance for his second novel 'An Orchestra of Minorities.'
This is also a first nomination for Braithwaite's 'My Sister, the Serial Killer' which judges describe “as skilful, sharp and engaging a debut as any first novelist can produce”, packed with prose “as pointed as a lethal weapon”. At 31, she is the youngest candidate in this year's lineup.
The 13-strong list includes two former winners - Margaret Atwood for her 'The Handmaid's Tale' sequel 'The Testaments', which comes out in September and Salman Rushdie for 'Quichotte'.
According to the Booker Prize Foundation literary director Gaby Wood, the longlist "shows the incredible range of what's being written today. There are familiar names here writing at the height of their powers, there are young writers of exceptional imagination and daring, there is wit, incisive political thought, stillness and thrill. And there is a plurality that shows the making of literature in English to be a global endeavour."
Commenting on their selections, the judges said, "There are no favourites; they are all credible winners. They imagine our world, familiar from news-cycle disaster and grievance, with wild humour, deep insight and a keen humanity. These writers offer joy and hope. They celebrate the rich complexity of English as a global language. They are exacting, enlightening and entertaining."
Former publisher and editor Liz Calder, novelist Xiaolu Guo, musician Joanna MacGregor, writer Afua Hirsch, and Hay Festival director Peter Florence make up the judging panel.
Here is the full longlist:
The shortlist will be out on September 3rd, followed by a ceremony in London on October 14th where the winner will be announced.
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