It was a Man Booker shrouded in controversy amid accusations of the dumbing down of the award in order to promote readability and accessibility. But once the dust had settled, and the merits of the shortlisted authors pored over, the literary fiction of Julian Barnes and his The Sense of an Ending triumphed.
One of the most acclaimed and prolific of British authors, it was the fourth time Barnes had been shortlisted for one of the world’s most prestigious of literary prizes. His first, for Flaubert’s Parrot, was back in 1984; the last, in 2005, for Arthur & George.
Julian Barnes
Born in the East Midlands city of Leicester, Barnes was raised in the outer suburbs of London. Both parents were teachers of French, a key influence on Barnes who became a strong Francophile with many of his books and short stories exploring French characters (Flaubert’s Parrot) or subjects (Cross Channel, Something to Declare). As a result, he is one of the most popular British writers in France itself. He is an officer of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
It was his third novel, Flaubert’s Parrot, which launched the literary career of The Observer’s television critic. A Booker Prize shortlist was followed by the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and huge acclaim in France. Julian Barnes had quickly become one of the pre-eminent writers of his generation, a position supported over the next 20 years by the publication of a further eight novels and seven collections.
The Man Booker Prize
First presented in 1969 to P H Newby and Something to Answer For, the Booker Prize was initially worth £21,000. Prestigious from the start, it became one of the foremost literary awards with the sponsorship of the Man Group in 2002 and the increase of prize money to £50,000.
A longlist of books published in the given year of the award is announced as determined by a panel of judges, followed by a shortlist of five, with the winner announced at a ceremony at the Guildhall in London. The book must be written in English and by a citizen of the Commonwealth, Ireland or Zimbabwe.
Only two authors – Peter Carey and J M Coetzee – have won the award more than once, with Salman Rushdie’s Midnight Children the winner of the Best of the Booker presented in celebration of the prize’s 40th anniversary in 2008. Iris Murdoch gained six shortlisted positions including one win in 1978 for The Sea, The Sea whilst Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood and Beryl Bainbridge have all been shortlisted on five separate occasions.
Man Booker Prize 2011
The exclusion of Sebastian Barry and Alan Hollinghurst from the shortlist of five upset a number of critics, resulting in accusations of commercialism and political correctness above quality. The two shortlisted Canadian novels – Patrick deWitt’s The Sisters Brothers and Esi Edugyan’s Half Blood Blues – were particularly targeted for bad press.
Whilst all shortlisted novels had their champions, The Sense of an Ending was the clear favourite, with debut novelist A D Miller and his Snowdrops a relatively distant second.
Almost 100,000 of the shortlisted books were sold in the UK in the month leading up to the announcement – more than 90 per cent up on the same period last year. Leading the way was Snowdrops, followed by Carol Birch and Jamrach’s Menagerie and Barnes.
Keith Lawrence - Published writer of articles in magazines, newspapers and websites, predominantly on culture, alongside ghostwriter/editor/copywriter.
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