Who will be the next English Goncourt Prize? For the 2020 edition, the Booker Prize jurors have made their first selection and more than half of the selected works are first novels.
An "unusually high proportion," noted Gaby Wood, literary director of the Booker Prize Foundation, quoted in a statement. “In this year of seismic changes, the visibility of new books published in the UK has been extremely low. So, unintentional as this ratio is, it's especially heartwarming to know that some authors who started their careers in the midst (of the Covid-19 pandemic) now have a chance to reach the readers they deserve, ” she added.
Already distinguished Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood
Among 162 novels published in the United Kingdom or Ireland between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020, thirteen works were finally selected by the jury, including nine signed by novelists. And eight first novels.
Besides Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood, among the already distinguished authors are also Yann Martel, Kazuo Ishiguro and Julian Barnes. Last year, the prize was awarded jointly to Canadian writers Margaret Atwood and Anglo-Nigerian Bernardine Evaristo, respectively for Les Testaments and Girl, Woman, Other .
Already twice laureate of the British equivalent of Goncourt, Hilary Mantel is once again selected by the five jurors after having caught their attention thanks to her third book on Thomas Cromwell, minister of the king of England, Henry VIII. His bestsellers have since been adapted for television in the award-winning "Wolf Hall" series.
The six finalites announced in September
The famous Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga is one of her competitors with the third volume of a trilogy, sequel to Nervous conditions ( A fleur de peau in the French version), on the journey of a young girl from Zimbabwe. The names of the six finalists will be announced on September 15, before the winner is chosen in November. As a result, a reward of 50,000 pounds (around 55,000 euros) and the assurance of international fame.
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