For any littérateur, the announcement of the Booker Prize every year is a huge deal and while the winner for this year will be announced in October, the shortlist was disclosed in a live ceremony all the way from the Serpentine Pavillion in London yesterday at 7.30 pm (British Standard Time).
This year’s judging panel included some stellar personalities, starting with Neil MacGregor (Chair of The 2022 Booker Prize), Shahidha Bari, Helen Castor, M. John Harrison, and Alain Mabanckou. And, time and again these judges in various statements that they have given to different organisations over the world have resonated with the same thought of how difficult the process of choosing this list can be.
The Guardian quoted Neil MacGregor describing the books in the shortlist as books that “speak powerfully about important things” and at the same time he also mentioned that this year the judges were trying to find books in which “something momentous happens” and “demonstrate how great writing gives the human predicament a shape.”
The Booker Prize Shortlist For 2022
‘Glory’ by NoViolet Bulawayo– The Booker Prize judges described the book as “A magical crossing of the African continent with its political excesses and its wacky characters.”
‘The Trees’ by Percival Everett– “Part Southern noir, part something else entirely, ‘The Trees’ is a dance of death with jokes,” said the judges.
‘Treacle Walker’ by Alan Garner– The judges described this book as “A mysterious and affecting glimpse into the deep work of being human. This one made some of us cry.”
‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ by Shehan Karunatilaka– As described by the judges it is “A Sri Lankan whodunnit and a race against time, Seven Moons s full of ghosts, gags and a deep humanity.”
‘Small Things Like These’ by Claire Keegan– “Keegan is measured and merciless as she dissects the silent acquiescence of a 1980s Irish town” mentioned the judges while talking about the book.
‘Oh William!’ by Elizabeth Strout– The judges said it is “One of those quietly radiant books that finds the deepest mysteries in the simplest things.”
The winner of this prestigious award will be declared on October 17 in a ceremony that will take place at The Roundhouse in London. While the winner will go on to be awarded £50,000, the six shortlisted authors will each receive £2,500 and a specially bound edition of their book.
