Best of the Booker shortlist announced

Voting opens to the public to decide on winner

12 May 2008

The Best of the Booker, a one-off celebratory award to mark the 40th anniversary of the Booker Prize, announces its shortlist today (12 May 2008).

The six shortlisted books, chosen from the list of 41 Booker Prize and Man Booker Prize winners, are: 

Pat Barker's The Ghost Road (1995, Viking; paperback Penguin)          

Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda (1988, Faber & Faber; paperback Faber) 

JM Coetzee's Disgrace (1999, Secker & Warburg; paperback Vintage)

JG Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur (1973, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, paperback Phoenix)

Nadine Gordimer's The Conservationist (1974, Cape; paperback Bloomsbury)

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children (1981, Cape; paperback Vintage)

The shortlist was selected by a panel of judges - the biographer, novelist and critic Victoria Glendinning, (Chair); writer and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, and John Mullan, Professor of English at University College, London.

Victoria Glendinning comments:  'It was a great experience, revisiting all the Booker and Man Booker Prize winners, and very tough arriving at the shortlist - but we really feel that the six novels we picked represent the best fiction-writing of the past 40 years and that each one of them will  stand the test of time.  As to which of the six is the most important, and the most enjoyable, the Best of Booker - that is up to the readers to decide.'

The winner will be chosen by the public and voting begins today to find 'The Best of the Booker' novel.

The public are able to cast their vote through online partnerships with national and international media, with libraries, reading groups and book retailers, millions of people across the globe have the opportunity of registering their votes for their favourite book from the shortlist.

The only time that a celebratory award has previously been created for ‘the Booker' was in 1993 - the 25th anniversary - when Salman Rushdie won the Booker of Bookers with Midnight's Children. Now 15 years on, William Hill has offered Rushdie 6/4 odds as the favourite to win again.  Second favourite is Pat Barker at 3/1, followed by Peter Carey (4/1) and JM Coetzee at 5/1, Nadine Gordimer (8/1) and JG Farrell (10/1).

The overall winner of The Best of the Booker will be announced as part of the London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre on 10 July 2008 where the winner will be awarded a custom-made trophy.

Votes can be registered via the Man Booker Prize website and via SMS text messaging.

Voters need to text TBOTB to 81025 followed by the letter corresponding to their chosen title:

A for Pat Barker's The Ghost Road;

B for Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda;

C for JM Coetzee's Disgrace

D for JG Farrell's The Seige of Krishnapur

E for Nadine Gordimer's The Conservationist

F for Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children.

Users can unsubscribe at anytime by texting Stop TBOTB to 81025

Voters have until midday on 8 July to select what they believe is the best novel to have won the prize since it was first awarded on 22 April 1969.

Text messages are charged at 25p along with standard network charges. All votes received via SMS after midday on 8 July may still be charged by their network.

For more information you can read the press release in our media centre.

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