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“The Booker Prize is a big, popular prize for big, popular books, and that’s the way it should be.”

John Banville

When an individual invests substantial effort in refining their skills to contribute for the greater good; merit recognition, rewards, and admiration are the means to encourage their exemplary efforts.

In this blog, our focus will be an extensive discussion on the ‘The Booker Prize’ which is a dream award for every novel writer.

What is the Booker Prize ?

• The Booker Prize is an annual literary award presented to the finest novel composed in the English language and published in the United Kingdom and Ireland which increases the prestige and recognition and boosts the sales of the book.
• Literary analysts have observed that being chosen for the ‘shortlist’ or even nominated for the ‘longlist‘ is a significant recognition for authors.
• At first, eligibility was restricted to novels authored by citizens of the Commonwealth, Ireland, and South Africa (later extending to include Zimbabwe). However, in 2014, the eligibility criteria were expanded to encompass any English-language novel, a modification that sparked significant debate.

Alternative Titles

The Booker Prize, formerly referred to as the ‘Booker Prize for Fiction‘ (1969-2001) and later as the ‘Man Booker Prize‘ (2002-2019).

Booker Prize vs International Booker Prize

• The International Booker Prize, a counterpart to the main award, is presented for a book translated into English and released in the United Kingdom or Ireland. The prize amount of £50,000 is divided equally between the author and the translator of the victorious novel.

Indians who won booker prize

Listed below are Indians who have achieved the esteemed Booker Prize

1. Arundhati Roy for ‘The God of Small Things’ in 1997
2. Kiran Desai for ‘The Inheritance of Loss’ in 2006
3. Aravind Adiga for ‘The White Tiger’ in 2008

Born in British India, Salman Rushdie secured victory with ‘Midnight’s Children‘ in 1981, though he held British citizenship at the time of winning.

Indians who won International booker prize

Geetanjali Shree became the inaugural Indian recipient of the prestigious International Booker Prize in 2018 for her novel ‘Ret Samadhi‘. The novel was translated into English by Daisy Rockwell under the title ‘Tomb of Sand‘.

History & Significance

• The award was founded as the Booker Prize for Fiction when it received sponsorship from Booker, McConnell Ltd in 1969 subsequently, it gained widespread recognition under the moniker ‘Booker Prize’ or simply ‘the Booker’.
• When the administration of the award was transferred to the Booker Prize Foundation in 2002, the title sponsor shifted to the investment company Man Group. They chose to maintain ‘Booker’ as an integral part of the official prize title. The foundation operates as an independent registered charity, funded by the entire profits of Booker Prize Trading Ltd, where it serves as the sole shareholder.
• Initially, the prize money bestowed alongside the Booker Prize amounted to £5,000. This figure doubled in 1978 to reach £10,000, and later escalated to £50,000 in 2002 under the sponsorship of the Man Group, making it one of the most substantial literary awards globally. Among the authors shortlisted, each receives £2,500 and a specially crafted edition of their book.