ISLAMABAD JULY 28 (TNS): Mohsin Hamid and Kamila Shamsie, the British-Pakistani authors have had the honor of being nominated for the prestigious Man Booker prize. Shamsie’s Home Fire and Hamid’s Exit West are among the 13 novels long-listed for the £50,000 award.
Hamid’s second novel — The Reluctant Fundamentalist — was shortlisted for the award in 2007. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness – penned by renowned author Arundhati Roy – has also been long-listed for the prize. Roy won the award for her first novel, The God of Small Things — published 20 years ago.
Not only their work but the contenders are also a diverse range of authors, with six women and seven men on the list. There are four UK, four US, two Irish, two British-Pakistani, and one Indian long-listed for the award.
Baroness Lola Young, the Chair of judges shared that only when the judges surveyed the 13 remaining contenders that they realized the diversity of their list. “The long-list showcases a diverse spectrum – not only of voices and literary styles but of protagonists too, in their culture, age and gender. Nevertheless we found there was a spirit common to all these novels: though their subject matter might be turbulent, their power and range were life-affirming – a tonic for our times,” said Young.
Young and her fellow judges will reread the long-list of 13 titles to come up with a shortlist of six, which will be announced on September 13. The winner will be announced on October 17.
