The Man Booker Prize 2009 Shortlist for Fiction

Do you remember the name of the second man on the moon? Yes, that guy, whatever his name was …

When I read the short list for the Man Booker Prize 2009, announced a few days ago, of course I wondered who the winner will be but I also thought - what happens to the runners-up? Will they be read and remembered?  In the case of the Miles Franklin Award in Australia, even some of the winners are long forgotten and their books out of print.

When doing an editing course I remember a session presented by two authors explaining what it’s really like to write and re-write a novel, often many times, over a period of years. And that’s before making it to the editor’s desk and the arduous process towards final publication.

The books on the Man Booker Prize 2009 list represent such inspiration, dedication and determination to tell a story, as well as being deemed worthy to be shortlisted for this prestigious award. Just to make the longlist must be a dream come true for an author. To make the shortlist - amazing!

So, when five on the list don’t win THE prize what happens to them? We know that the winner takes home 50,0000 Pounds and has book sales that go through the roof. Everyone loves a winner. But who reads the runners-up?

I’ve set myself a little something to do. There are 6 books on the list - I’m going to read them all.

The Man Booker Prize 2009 winner will be announced on 6 October.

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