BRITISH WRITER Beryl Bainbridge, who was shortlisted five times for the Booker Prize but never won, got a consolation Booker when her book Master Georgie was announced as a winner of a special prize.
Bainbridge, who was also an actress, is the only author to have been shortlisted five times for the Booker Prize. Her failure to win led Bainbridge, who died in July last year when she was 77 years old, being labelled as the “Booker bridesmaid”.
Bainbridge was shortlisted for Booker Prize for The Dressmaker in 1973; The Bottle Factory Outing in 1974; An Awfully Big Adventure in 1990; Every Man for Himself in 1996 and Master Georgie in 1998. She wrote 17 novels, two travel books and five plays for stage and television.
The winning book was announced by Ion Trewin, literary director of the Man Booker Prizes, at a party in Soho on Tuesday to celebrate Bainbridge’s life. The prize, a one-off, designer-bound copy of the book, was accepted by Bainbridge’s daughter Jojo Davies and grandson Charlie Russell on behalf of the family.