Barnes leads race for Man Booker

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British author Julian Barnes led the six-book shortlist for the Booker Prize announced on Tuesday with his latest novel The Sense of an Ending. Former Booker-winner Alan Hollingh-urst’s The Stranger’s Child, however, did not make it to the shortlist. Hollinghurst won the prize in 2004 for The Line of Beauty.
The shortlist includes two Canadian writers Patrick deWitt (The Sisters Brothers) and Esi Edugyan (Half Blood Blues) and four Britons including Barnes, Carol Birch (Jamrach’s Menagerie), Stephen Kelman (Pigeon English) and A.D. Miller (Snowdrops). There were no Indian authors on the longlist this year, third year running. The bookies are favouring a tight match between Barnes and Birch, but have made Barnes 6/4 favourite to win the prize after making the shortlist the fourth time. Birchhas been put at 7/2 to win. “Our literary punters think that this may be the year for Barnes to finally come good and this is backed up by the fact that the judges at the announcement suggested it was Barnes’ best work to date,” William Hill spokesman said.
“We are expecting a six-figure turnover on the prize but would prefer to see anyone other than Julian Barnes announced the winner. Barnes would be one of the biggest Booker losers ever but seeing as we have never had to pay out on him being runner up, we should have enough in reserve to pay out should he win,” he added. The list includes two first-time writers Stephen Kelman and A.D. Miller, but London-based 65-year-old Barnes was shortlisted thrice earlier for the Booker Prize.
The winner of the £50,000 prize will be announced October 18 in London. Each of the six shortlisted authors, including the winner, will receive £2,500 and a designer bound edition of their book.