I’m keeping up with this stuff, because last year I was really annoyed when the year end “best of” lists were released. I found that I hadn’t heard of, much less read, most of the books named. It was one of the reasons this blog got started. Anyway, here are the finalists for the ‘05 Booker Prize:
- Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- The Accidental by Ali Smith
- The Sea by John Banville
- On Beauty by Zadie Smith
- A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry
In that list, only two are readily available in the US. More incredible insights after the jump (fancy blog talk for - click the “more” link for the rest of the post).
Books that didn’t make the cut from the long list (abbreviated):
- Saturday by Ian McEwan
- This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson
- A History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewyka
- Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie
A few observations. I’ve read three of the four that weren’t selected to the short list (didn’t do the Rushdie). I’ve read one of the books in the short list (the Ishiguro), and I wasn’t crazy about it. Conclusion: Ishiguro is a mortal lock to win it all. You read it here first. I also can’t believe that Ian McEwan and Salman Rushdie were kicked to the curb - the Brits love those guys. They cut Harry Thompson after he got diagnosed with cancer? That’s just wrong. Apparently this is not “Who wants to be the next Brit Lit Idol?”. I just got the Zadie Smith book in the mail. She has no chance. Poor kid. Unless I really hate it.