It is a proud moment for the Irish writer Paul Lynch to be able to bring home the prestigious Booker Prize. As he receives the award, he becomes the fifth writer to receive the prestigious Prize; a prize that is a dream come true for all writers.
Prior to Lynch, it was Irish Murdoch, the British-Irish novelist who received the reward in the year 1978. Her famous book The Sea, the Sea won the lady the prestigious prize. In the year 1993, it was Roddy Doyle who took the Prize home for his work titled Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. In the year 2007, the receiver of the award was Anne Enright for The Gathering. Next was, Anna Burns, who won the prize for the Milkman.
In the year 2023, it is Paul Lynch to experience the big moment of receiving the Booker Prize.
While there is a lot of buzz and excitement surrounding the Booker Prize among writers, not many know much about the prestigious award. What is the Booker Prize and why does it hold such immense value? When and how did it originate, and how are the winners selected?
Where is the prize given and who all become eligible for it? There are too many questions, but we have answered them all. Read on.
The Booker Prize: An Introduction
The world of books is never short of wonders. In the sky of literature, there are too many stars shining bright, and it is difficult to spot the brightest of them all. While some stars twinkle bright, others are rare to find but are equally mesmerizing. However, there is always one star that's so bright that it manages to get the maximum gazes.
Every year, the Booker Prize is conferred to a writer for the best novel written in the English language, published in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The literary award was formerly called by many names, like the Booker Prize for Fiction from 1969 to 2001, and the Man Booker Prize from 2002 to 2019. It should not be surprising to guess that the winner of the gets international level publicity and this further increases their sales.
At the time of inception, the novels belonging to the Commonwealth, South Africa, and Irish were eligible for the prize. However, in the year 2014, the eligibility for the Booker Prize was expanded to any novel written in the English language. This change, however, brought in controversies.
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Who chooses the Booker Prize winners?
It is a five-person panel appointed by the Booker Prize Foundation that selects the Booker Prize-winning book. The panel consists of librarians, authors, publishers, booksellers, and literary agents. The chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation at present is Gaby Wood.
This panel is actually chosen by an advisory committee. The membership of the panel is altered every year. It is a rare event when a judge from the panel is chosen a second time.
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Eligibility Criteria
The Booker Prize can actually be awarded to any novel that is originally written in the English language. The novel must be published in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the year of the Booker Prize. The nationality of the author is not taken into consideration.
There are two important things that need to be taken care of. One, the novel must be an original work written in the English language. It should not be a translation. Secondly, the novel must be published by a registered Irish or UK imprint. The novels that are self-published are not eligible for the Booker Prize.
Where is the winner announced?
The International Literary Award function is held in the United Kingdom.
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