Lydia Davis Wins Man Booker International Prize 2013

Posted on May 27, 2013

American author Lydia Davis has won the Man Booker International Prize. Some of her stories are as short as two sentences. Her longer stories run two to three pages. She has published nine collections of stories and one novel, The End of the Story. Lydia Davis is also known for her work as a translator of French literature and philosophy.

Sir Christopher Ricks, chairman of the judges, said in a statement, "[Her] writings fling their lithe arms wide to embrace many a kind. Just how to categorise them? They have been called stories but could equally be miniatures, anecdotes, essays, jokes, parables, fables, texts, aphorisms or even apophthegms, prayers or simply observations."

The Man Booker International Prize recognizes one writer each year for his or her achievement in fiction. It carries a prize of 60,000 pounds, which about $90,624 U.S.