Sebastian Barry fails to make Booker shortlist

THERE was no room for Irish author Sebastian Barry on the shortlist for this year’s Man Booker Prize.

The final six authors who made the shortlist are Julian Barnes (The Sense of an Ending), Carol Birch (Jamrach’s Menagerie), Patrick deWitt (The Sisters Brothers), Esi Edugyan (Half Blood Blues), Stephen Kelman (Pigeon English) and AD Miller (Snowdrops).

The final six authors were announced yesterday and are now in the frame for the prestigious prize.

The overall winner will be announced on October 18.

The Man Booker Prize has been described down the years as “posh bingo” and “the indispensable literary thermometer”.

Undoubtedly, the prize promotes the finest in new fiction and rewards the year’s best novel, securing international renown for both its shortlisted and longlisted authors.

The judges’ selection includes two first-time novelists — Stephen Kelman and AD Miller.

Four of the books on the list are from independent publishers.

Of the six writers, two have enjoyed success with the prize in the past. Julian Barnes has been shortlisted three times for Arthur and George (2005), England, England (1998) and Flaubert’s Parrot (1984), while Carol Birch was longlisted in 2003 for Turn Again Home.

Two Canadian writers — Patrick deWitt and Esi Edugyan — feature on the shortlist along with four British novelists.

However, there was no room for Irish author Sebastian Barry’s On Canaan’s Side, which failed to make the shortlist. One of the biggest surprises was the omission of many people’s pre-Booker favourite Alan Hollinghurst and his novel The Stranger’s Child.

The shortlist was announced by chair of judges, author and former director-general of MI5 Stella Rimington at a press conference held at Man’s London headquarters.

Ms Rimington said it had been a difficult process to pick the six authors.

“Inevitably it was hard to whittle down the longlist to six titles,” she said.

“We were sorry to lose some great books. But, when push came to shove, we quickly agreed that these six very different titles were the best.”

The winner of this year’s prize will be announced at a dinner at London’s Guildhall and will be broadcast on the BBC. The winner will receive £50,000 (€56,987) and each of the six shortlisted authors, including the winner, will receive £2,500 (€2,849) and a designer bound edition of their book.

Last year’s winner was The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson.