Booker Prize Longlist Announced!

Of the 138 books considered for the Man Booker Prize for fiction, thirteen have been chosen as finalists. These will, in turn, be narrowed further when the shortlist is released on September 7, 2010. The winner will be named on October 12.

The Man Booker Prize is awarded to a full length novel published for the first time in the year that it is being considered and is written by a citizen of Ireland or the UK.

The honor is very prestigious as well as providing a cash prize for the winner of £50,000. Some of the titles are only available in the UK now. I checked both Audible.com and Audible.co.uk.

Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey

This year’s longlist includes Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey, narrated by Humphrey Bower. This novel takes place in the early to mid-1800s in America. Parrot is the servant of Olivier, a French aristocrat who has run to America to escape those who want him dead. The reader is presented a view of America from two very different perspectives.

The Long Song by Andrea Levy

Narrated by the author and Adrian Lester. During the last days of slavery, in Jamaica, this story tells the story of a slave girl on a sugar plantation. The sample sounds lovely.

The Thousand Autumns  of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

Narrated by Jonathan Aris and Paula Wilcox. At a remote trading post in Japan in 1799, Jacob becomes interested in a very unique woman. The lies, love, lust, and guilt drive this novel forward.

Trespass by Rose Tremain

Narrated by Juliet Stevenson. Aramon Lunel is an alcoholic who lives alone in his farmhouse where he is letting everything go to ruin as he tries to forget his violent past. His sister also lives alone, but in a modern home where she dreams of revenge.

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

Narrated by Alex Dimitriades. In Australia, a man slaps a child who is not his at a barbecue. The incident and the consequences are presented from the points of view of 8 people who attended the picnic. Sounds like an interesting and provocative read…

Titles Are Not Available On Audio

The remaining titles are not available on audio at present: Emma Donoghue’s Room; Helen Dunmore’s The Betrayal; Damon Galgut’s In a Strange Room; Howard Jacobson’s The Finkler Question; Tom McCarthy’s C; Lisa Moore’s February; Paul Murray’s Skippy Dies; and Alan Warner’s The Stars in the Bright Sky.

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Tagged as: The Man Booker Prize