Ed Andrieski/AP
The committee for the Man Booker Prize, the prestigious British literary award that has been criticized in the past for elitism, is touting “the most diverse longlist” in the prize's history. Seven of the 13 longlisted authors are women, and seven different countries are represented on the list. Eleanor Catton, 27, is the youngest author on the list, with her 832-page novel, The Luminaries. Only two of the nominees—Colm Tóibín and Jim Crace—have been shortlisted before. The winner of the 2013 prize will be announced on October 15.
The longlist:
Tash Aw, Five Star Billionaire
NoViolet Bulawayo, We Need New Names
Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries
Jim Crace, Harvest
Eve Harris, The Marrying of Chani Kaufman
Richard House, The Kills
Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland
Alison MacLeod, Unexploded
Colum McCann, TransAtlantic
Charlotte Mendelson, Almost English
Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being
Donal Ryan, The Spinning Heart
Colm Tóibín, The Testament of Mary