Booker Prize 2020 longlist: Hilary Mantel is up for her third award

The list encompasses both seasoned favourites and debut talents

The Booker Prize for Fiction has announced its longlist for the 2020 award.

The ‘Booker Dozen’ is made up of 13 novels chosen from 162 published in the UK or Ireland between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020.

This year’s longlist was chosen by editor, literary critic and former publisher Margaret Busby (chair); author Lee Child; author and critic Sameer Rahim; writer and broadcaster Lemn Sissay; and classicist and translator Emily Wilson.

Double winner Hilary Mantel has made the list with the third book in her Cromwell trilogy, The Mirror & The Light, while eight of the longlisted books are from debut authors, including the much buzzed about Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.

The Booker Prize for Fiction longlist 2020

The New Wilderness by Diane Cook (USA) 

This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe)

Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi (USA) 

Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze (UK)

The Mirror & The Light by Hilary Mantel (UK)

Apeirogon by Colum McCann (Ireland/USA)

The Shadow King by Maaza Mengistie (Ethiopia/USA) 

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (USA) 

Real Life by Brandon Taylor (USA) 

Redhead by The Side of The Road by Anne Tyler (USA) 

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Scotland/USA)

Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward (UK) 

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang (USA)

“Each of these books carries an impact that has earned it a place on the longlist, deserving of wide readership. Included are novels carried by the sweep of history with memorable characters brought to life and given visibility, novels that represent a moment of cultural change, or the pressures an individual faces in pre- and post-dystopian society,” Margaret Busby said in a statement.

“Some of the books focus on interpersonal relationships that are complex, nuanced, emotionally charged. There are voices from minorities often unheard, stories that are fresh, bold and absorbing. The best fiction enables the reader to relate to other people’s lives; sharing experiences that we could not ourselves have imagined is as powerful as being able to identify with characters. As judges we connected with these writers’ well-crafted prose, the mastery of detail, the arresting sentence, the credibility of the narrative arc, the ability to use to the full, the resources of storytelling. Unplanned, our final selection encompasses both seasoned favourites and debut talents ― a truly satisfying outcome.”

Gaby Wood, Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, adds: “When the judges had drawn up their longlist of 13 books, one of them said: ‘Out of interest, how many debuts are there?’ We counted. It was more than half the list. That’s an unusually high proportion, and especially surprising to the judges themselves, who had admired many books by more established authors, and regretted having to let them go. It is perhaps obvious that powerful stories can come from unexpected places and in unfamiliar forms; nevertheless, this kaleidoscopic list serves as a reminder.

“In this year of seismic change, visibility for new books published in the UK has been drastically low. So, however unintended the ratio, it’s especially heartening to know that some authors who have launched their careers in the midst of Covid-19 may now have a chance to reach the readers they deserve.”

As well as a large portion of debuts, nine of the 13 longlisted books are by female authors and three of the novelists - Hilary Mantel, Anne Tyler and Colum McCann - have been shortlisted before.

The shortlist will be announced on September 15 and the winner will be announced in November - receiving a cash prize of £50,000.

Last year Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments was placed joint first along with Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo - the latter having spent 25 weeks on The Sunday Times bestseller list as a result.

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