Prized

‘Most Diverse’ Man Booker Longlist Released

Seven of 13 authors are women.

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