List of Contenders announced
Judges’ list for Man Booker International 2007
15 authors have made it on to the Judges’ List of Contenders for the second Man Booker International Prize. The writers come from 10 countries and four are writers in translation.
The Judges’ List was announced by the chair of judges, Professor Elaine Showalter, at a press conference held at Massey College, Toronto today (Thursday 12 April).
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
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.”
Harvey McGrath, Chairman, Man Group plc comments:
“We are delighted to announce the Judges’ List for the 2007 Man Booker International Prize from Massey College, Toronto. Massey College has a heritage of fostering creative talent and is therefore an appropriate setting in which to announce what is a rich and interesting list and one which we hope will encourage lively debate. Man Group believes that the value of this unique prize, which recognises writers of all the nations of the world, is in its contribution to encouraging more reading of and debate about contemporary fiction.”
The Man Booker International Prize was announced in June 2004 and recognises one writer for his or her achievement in fiction. Worth £60,000 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.
Ismail Kadaré was winner of the inaugural Man Booker International Prize in 2005. He received the award at a ceremony held at the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh. His work went on to gain well-deserved recognition around the world.
The prize is sponsored by Man Group plc, which also sponsors The Man Booker Prize for Fiction.
The Man Booker International Prize differs from the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction in that it highlights one writer’s continued creativity, development and overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. Both prizes strive to recognise and reward the finest fiction.
