The Man Booker Prize shortlist was selected yesterday (20th September 18) by a panel of five judges: the philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah (Chair); crime writer Val McDermid; cultural critic Leo Robson; feminist writer and critic Jacqueline Rose; and artist and graphic novelist Leanne Shapton.
The six finalists are:
Anna Burns (UK) for The Milkman (Faber & Faber)
Daisy Johnson (UK) for Everything Under (Jonathan Cape)
Esi Edugyan (Canada) for Washington Black (Serpent’s Tail)
Rachel Kushner for The Mars Room (Jonathan Cape)
Richard Powers for The OverStory (William Heinemann)
Robin Robertson for The Long Take (Picador)
Daisy Johnson, 27, is the youngest writer ever to be shortlisted for the prize which is excellent news for any young budding authors out there.
The shortlist, which features four women and two men, covers a wide range of subjects, from an 11 year-old slave escaping a Barbados sugar plantation, to a D-Day veteran living with post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to Leanne Shapton, renowned Artist, writer and graphic novelist, “The recurring theme overall is different forms of trauma whether it’s to our environment or to the mind.”
The 2018 winner will be announced on Tuesday 16 October in London’s Guildhall, at a dinner that brings together the shortlisted authors and well-known figures from the cultural world. The ceremony will be aired by the BBC.
For more information visit @manbookerprize on twitter
