The Man Booker International Prize

Once upon a time, I devoured books like there was no tomorrow. I literally went everywhere with one in my bag.  Now with the many demands on my time, I hardly have any time to read. And it pains me that there aren't enough hours in the day for me to squeeze an hour or two for this favorite activity of mine.  Maybe if I slept less, I'd find that elusive hour.  


I'm so out of the literary loop that it came as a complete surprise to me to hear that the long list for the Man Booker International Prize had already been announced. A quick check on their website reveals the thirteen authors, or should I say, twelve because John Le Carre has withdrawn himself from the list.

• Wang Anyi »
• Juan Goytisolo »
• James Kelman »
• John le Carré »
• Amin Maalouf »
• David Malouf »
• Dacia Maraini »
• Rohinton Mistry »
• Philip Pullman »
• Marilynne Robinson »
• Philip Roth »
• Su Tong »
• Anne Tyler »

The Man Booker International Prize is separate and distinct from the Man Booker Prize because the former recognizes the writer's entire body of work and is awarded to the author who has most contributed to fiction in the world stage. Its a pretty big deal. Looking over this list, there is certainly no shortage of heavyweights and there are several who've already won the Booker Prize.

I think I'm going to bet my money on Philip Pullman. Simply because I loved the Dark Materials Trilogy. That ought to silence all critics who say fantasy and speculative fiction are secondary genres in fiction!

Who's your pick among the thirteen?