WASHINGTON D.C., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighteen authors have made it on
to the Judges' List of contenders for the first ever Man Booker International
Prize. They come from thirteen countries and ten are writers in translation.
The Judges' List was announced by the chair of judges, Professor John
Carey, at a press conference at Georgetown University, Washington, DC today
(Friday 18th February, 2005).
The eighteen authors on the list are:
Margaret Atwood
Saul Bellow
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gunter Grass
Ismail Kadare
Milan Kundera
Stanislaw Lem
Doris Lessing
Ian McEwan
Naguib Mahfouz
Tomas Eloy Martinez
Kenzaburo Oe
Cynthia Ozick
Philip Roth
Muriel Spark
Antonio Tabucchi
John Updike
A.B. Yehoshua
The judging panel for the 2005 Man Booker International Prize is:
Professor John Carey (Chair); writer, novelist and editor, Alberto Manguel;
and writer and academic, Azar Nafisi.
Professor John Carey comments:
"For us, these are eighteen authors who combine uniqueness and
universality and remind us irresistibly of the joy of reading."
The Man Booker Prize has a long-standing relationship with Georgetown
University via a course taught by Fr. Alvaro Ribeiro, S.J., on the topic of
the prize. Since 1995, Fr. Ribeiro has taught advanced seminars at Georgetown
entitled "Booker Prize Novels", in which students study Man Booker Prize
novels and analyze the cultural, commercial and literary factors that impact
on the prize's judges, authors and sponsors.
Harvey McGrath, Chairman, Man Group plc comments:
"From our early meetings with the Trustees of the Booker Prize Foundation,
it has been clear that we all share a common desire to more widely encourage
interest in contemporary fiction by raising the Man Booker profile
internationally. We are delighted to see that shared aspiration become
reality today with the publication of the Judges' List of Contenders for the
first Man Booker International Prize. We are particularly pleased to be
making today's announcement in the historic surroundings of Washington's
Georgetown University both because of the long-standing relationships we have
had here, and because this venue underlines the international character of the
Prize.
"We are confident that the Man Booker International Prize will swiftly
establish itself as an important part of the global literary landscape."
The Man Booker International Prize was announced in June 2004 and will
recognize one writer for his or her achievement in fiction. Worth 60,000
pounds Sterling to the winner, the prize will be awarded once every two years
to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or
whose work is generally available in translation in the English language.
The first winner of The Man Booker International Prize 2005 will be
announced in June in London and the prize will be awarded at a dinner later
that month. The prize is sponsored by the Man Group, which also sponsors the
Man Booker Prize for Fiction.
The Man Booker International Prize differs from the annual Man Booker
Prize for Fiction in that it highlights one writer's continued creativity,
development and overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. Both
prizes strive to recognize and reward literary excellence.
-- The Judges
John Carey is the UK's most eminent literary critic. He is also a
broadcaster and the author of many books. He was Merton Professor of
English Literature at the University of Oxford from 1976-2001 and
chaired the Booker Prize in 1982 and in 2003.
Azar Nafisi is a visiting fellow, professorial lecturer, and the
director of The Dialogue Project: The Culture of Democracy in Muslim
Societies at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins
University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in
Washington, DC.
Alberto Manguel is a writer, novelist, translator and editor. He has
received numerous awards and honours from around the world, including
the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2004), Premio
German Sanchez Ruiperez for best literary criticism (Spain, 2002) and
the Prix Roger Caillois (France, 2004). He has also been awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowship.
For up to date information, please visit
http://www.manbookerinternational.com or contact Colman Getty PR on
+44 (0)20 7631 2666.
Notes to Editors
-- The Man Booker International Prize is unique in the world of
literature in that it can be won by an author of any nationality,
providing that his or her work is available in the English
language. Worth 60,000 pounds Sterling to the winner, the prize will
be awarded once every two years to a living author. An author can
only win the award once.
-- Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in
America, founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. Georgetown today
is a major student-centered, international, research university
offering respected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs
on its three campuses. For more information about Georgetown
University, visit http://www.georgetown.edu .
-- The Administrator of the Man Booker International Prize is Ion Trewin,
currently Deputy Administrator of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.
-- Photographs of the judges are available from Colman Getty PR.
-- Colman Getty PR handles PR and event management for the prize and
provides administrative back-up.
-- The Man Booker International Prize website includes detailed
information about all aspects of the prize and runs regular news
bulletins: http://www.manbookerinternational.com
-- The Man Booker International Prize was announced in June 2004
and will recognize one writer for their achievement in fiction.
Worth 60,000 pounds Sterling to the winner, the prize will be awarded
once every two years to a living author who has published fiction
either originally in English or whose work is generally available in
translation in the English language.
-- The trustees of the Booker Prize Foundation are former Chairman of
Booker plc, Jonathan Taylor CBE (Chairman); playwright Ronald Harwood
CBE; Baroness Kennedy QC; writer, Rabbi Dame Julia Neuberger; MEP
Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne; and former Finance Director of
Rentokil plc, Christopher Pearce.
-- Man Group plc is a leading global provider of alternative investment
products and solutions as well as one of the world's largest futures
brokers. The Group employs over 2,800 people in 15 countries, with
key centres in London, Pfaffikon (Switzerland), Chicago, New York,
Paris, Singapore and Sydney. Man Group plc is listed on the London
Stock Exchange (EMG.L) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Man Investments, the Asset Management division, is a global leader in
the fast growing alternative investments industry. It provides
innovative products and tailor-made solutions for private and
institutional investors. Man Financial, the Brokerage division, is
one of the world's leading providers of brokerage services. It acts
as a broker of futures, options and other equity derivatives for both
institutional and private clients, and as an intermediary in the
world's metals, energy and foreign exchange markets with offices in
key financial centres.
-- Booker is the UK's leading cash & carry operator with 173 branches
serving 450,000 retailers and caterers across the country.
http://www.manbookerinternational.com
For further information and press enquiries please contact:
Mark Hutchinson, Sophie Rochester or Truda Spruyt Colman Getty PR
Tel: +44 (0)20 7631 2666 e-mail: mark@colmangettypr.co.uk,
sophie@colmangettypr.co.uk or truda@colmangettypr.co.uk
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