2011 Booker Prize Foundation University Initiative

13,000 copies of Man Booker Prize shortlisted titles have been distributed to students beginning university this autumn.

24 October 2011

13,000 copies of Man Booker Prize shortlisted titles have been distributed to students beginning university this autumn. The authors of the featured books will visit five universities before the end of the year to take part in a combination of workshops, lectures and reading groups. The universities taking part this autumn are: Newcastle; Hull; Stirling; Birkbeck and St Andrews.

Regardless of their chosen area of study, first year students joining these five leading universities have been asked to read a selected shortlisted or winning Man Booker Prize novel; the author of the novel will be visiting the university in the autumn term to talk to the students and participate in lively question and answer sessions.

The autumn schedule is:

25 October Newcastle University
Andrea Levy will discuss her 2010 shortlisted book The Long Song

2-3 November Hull University
DBC Pierre will discuss his 2003 winning book Vernon God Little

14 November Stirling University & Birkbeck University
DBC Pierre will discuss his 2003 winning book Vernon God Little at Stirling and Sarah Waters will discuss her 2009 shortlisted book The Little Stranger

16-17 November St Andrews University
Linda Grant will discuss her 2008 shortlisted book The Clothes on their Backs

The university initiative was launched in 2009 when shortlisted authors Mohsin Hamid and Sebastian Barry spoke to first year students at St Andrews, Scotland and Georgetown University, Washington. Last year's programme saw visits from Lloyd Jones to St Andrews & Liverpool ; Simon Mawer to Imperial College London; Kazuo Ishiguro to Newcastle and Hisham Matar to UEA. This year the scheme continues to expand with additional plans for visits in the spring term.

The scheme is jointly funded by the Booker Prize Foundation and the individual universities.