As Strange as Fiction

Rohinton Mistry is the only author whose all novels — Such a Long Journey (1991),A Fine Balance (1995),and Family Matters (2002) — have been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in the past. Yet,the prize has continued to elude him. This year though,he might become a Booker winner,even though he has not authored any new book since 2002. This year’s Man Booker International prize longlist features his name along with 12 other authors,including Philip Roth (US),Philip Pullman (UK) and Dacia Maraini (Italy).

The Man Booker International Prize is significantly different from the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The former highlights one writer’s overall contribution to fiction from a global perspective. For this,the judges consider a writer’s body of work rather than a single novel. The prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is available in translation in the English language.

The inaugural Man Booker International prize was awarded in 2005 to Albanian writer Ismail Kadaré. The previous winners also include Chinua Achebe and Alice Munro.

Popular UK-based spy novelist John le Carre,whose name also features on this year’s longlist,has created a stir by asking the judges to withdraw his name. With the judges refusing to comply,it remains to be seen who takes the £60,000 worth prize home. The winner will be announced in Sydney on May 29.