More than 30 years ago, Canadian author Margaret Atwood was already nominated for the Booker Prize for "The Handmaid's Tale", and in 2000 she won it for "The Blind Assassin" (dt. "). The blind murderer "). Now she competes with the sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale", "The Testaments", for the most important British literary award. Under the title "Die Zeuginnen", the novel will also be published in German translation by Berlin Verlag on September 10th.
Other nominees include Lucy Ellmann, Bernardine Evaristo, Chigozie Obioma, Salman Rushdie and Elif Shafak. "Like any great literature, these novels are bursting with life, with a profound and solemn humanity," said Jury President Peter Florence at the announcement in London.
US-born and Scottish-born writer Lucy Ellmann was shortlisted with "Ducks, Newburyport." The complex and almost 1000 pages long novel is about a housewife from Ohio, who ponders about her past. Should the work win, it would be the longest victorious in the history of the Booker Prize, as the jury announced. So far, Eleanor Catton leads this list with "The Luminaries" (German: Die Gestirne, 832 pages). She won the award in 2013.
"Girl, Woman Other" is the title, with the Briton Bernadine Evaristo on the shortlist succeeded. In it she tells the stories of twelve very different characters living in Britain, mostly female and black, over many years.
"An Orchestra of Minorities" is Chigozie Obioma's second novel and his second Booker Award nomination. Already on his shortlist for his debut "The Fishman" the Nigerian was shortlisted in 2015. The new book by the Nigerian-born and US-based author will be published by Piper on October 14 under the title "Crying of the birds ".
An old acquaintance among the six finalists is Salman Rushdie. In 1981 he won the award for "Midnight's Children" ("Midnight Children"). His current novel is entitled "Quichotte" - the German-language edition will be published on October 14 by C. Bertelsmann.
With Elif Shafak also the most widely read Turkish author is on the shortlist. She is nominated for her Istanbul novel "10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World" (German: "Unpublished Voices", No & But).
The announcement and presentation of the Booker Prize will be in London on October 14th. All six candidates receive 2500 pounds, the prize itself is endowed with 50,000 pounds (about 57,000 euros). Above all, it helps to worldwide attention. Last year Anna Burns won the award for "Milkman". After the announcement, sales increased by almost 100 percent.
