2004 Man Booker Prize Shortlist Announced

Posted on September 20, 2004

Officials have announced the shortlist for Britain's most prestigious literary award, the Man Booker Prize. The six finalists still in the running for the $89,500 prize are: Bitter Fruit by Achmat Dangor, The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall, The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst, The Master by Colm Toibin, I'll Go to Bed at Noon by Gerard Woodward and Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

One panelist was somewhat less than tactful when discussing the quality of the books in this year's competition. Labour Party lawmaker and chairman of the panel Chris Smith opined: "Of the books submitted, I have to say quite a number were not very good." But he did say that the shortlisted books were all of good quality. Other judges include novelist Tibor Fischer, writer and academic Robert Macfarlane, Erotic Review editor Rowan Pelling.