Debut novel wins Booker

DEBUT novelist Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction last night beating, among others, hotly tipped Irish author Sebastian Barry.

The 33-year-old, who celebrates his birthday later this month, was the youngest on this year’s shortlist for his book The White Tiger.

He is the second youngest author to win the prize after Ben Okri, who clinched the Man Booker in 1991, aged 32.

The White Tiger was described by chairman of the judges Michael Portillo as being in the tradition of Macbeth with a “delicious twist”.

The novel concerns Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw puller and the “White Tiger” who dreams of escaping his life as a tea shop worker turned chauffeur. When his chance arrives, Balram becomes caught between his instinct to be a better son and his desire to better himself.

The announcement was made by Mr Portillo at a ceremony in London. He said: “My criteria were ‘Does it knock my socks off?’ — and this one did ... The others impressed me ... this one knocked my socks off.”

Adiga is the third first-time novelist to win the £50,000 prize. Previous debut winners were Arundhati Roy in 1997 for God of Small Things and DBC Pierre in 2003 for Vernon God Little.

Adiga was born in Madras and later moved to Mumbai. He is the fourth Indian-born author to win the prize, joining compatriots Salman Rushdie, Roy and Kiran Desai. A fifth winner, VS Naipaul, is of Indian ancestry.

The book is the ninth winning novel to take its inspiration from India or Indian identity.

Irish author Sebastian Barry had been shortlisted for the prize with his novel, The Secret Scripture.