ORGANISERS behind the prestigious Man Booker Prize have chosen Liverpool to host a special event ahead of the 2016 winner being announced next month.
On Thursday 20 October, four of the six shortlisted 2016 Man Booker Prize authors will head to St George’s Hall where they will read extracts of their acclaimed novels, before taking part in a question and answer session with the audience – just five days before the overall winner is announced in London on Tuesday 25 October.
Those taking part, and their books, are:
- Paul Beatty, The Sellout – a remarkable satire on race relations in the US, whose narrator ironically initiates the most outrageous action conceivable – reinstating slavery and segregation at a local high school.
- Deborah Levy, Hot Milk – a witty novel which studies the relationship between a mother and daughter, examining female rage and sexuality.
- Graeme Macrae Burnet, His Bloody Project – a painfully realistic picture of poverty in a small community in the Scottish Highlands told through documents relating to the case of Roderick Macrae.
- Otessa Moshfegh, Eileen – a compelling story of a disturbed young woman working in a boys’ prison, pulled in to crime by a strange new friendship.
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member for culture, tourism and events, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “I’m delighted that this Man Booker Prize event is heading to Liverpool – it’s a real coup for the city.
“The prize itself is the equivalent of the literary Oscars and so it is wonderful to be able to host many of the shortlisted authors in the beautiful surroundings of the Concert Room. Of course they are in very good company as Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray have stood on that very stage and given readings.
“Having these acclaimed authors under one roof, reading extracts from what are regarded as the best books of the year, will be a huge treat for literary fans, and will really whet the appetite ahead of the winner announcement on Tuesday 25 October.”
Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, says: “We’re delighted to be bringing some of this year’s Man Booker Prize shortlisted authors to Liverpool – a great city of culture and a city of great readers. If audience members haven’t yet discovered these excitingly varied novels, they are in for an enormous treat.”
Tickets for the event are now on sale – £10 full price and £7 concessions. To book tickets visit
www.ticketquarter.co.uk/Online/man-booker.
To hear the most up-to-date news on this year’s prize, listen to the Man Booker Prize Podcast series, or learn more about the prize’s history and share your thoughts online, you can follow The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, @ManBookerPrize on Twitter or visit
www.themanbookerprize.com or
www.cultureliverpool.co.uk/event/man-booker-prize/.
