Man Booker Prize 2011 Longlist Announced

The longlist for the 2011 Man Booker Prize was announced today. I am not ashamed to admit that I do not recognize any of the authors, which means I will learn a great deal as I read through the nominees. Four of the nominees are first-time novelists, according to the news release, so it will be interesting if any of them make it to the shortlist. Three of the thirteen won't be available in the USA by the time the shortlist is announced, and one isn't even listed in Amazon.com yet.

Julian Barnes - The Sense of an Ending (Jonathan Cape - Random House)
This title won't be available stateside until January 2012

Sebastian Barry - On Canaan's Side (Faber)
This title comes out in the states September 8, 2011

Carol Birch - Jamrach's Menagerie (Canongate Books)

Patrick Dewitt - The Sisters Brothers (Granta)

Esi Edugyan - Half Blood Blues (Serpent's Tail - Profile)

Yvvette Edwards - A Cupboard Full of Coats (Oneworld)

Alan Hollinghurst - The Stranger's Child (Picador - Pan Macmillan)
This comes out October 11, 2011

Stephen Kelman - Pigeon English (Bloomsbury)
Just released last week!

Patrick McGuinness - The Last Hundred Days (Seren Books)
Not even listed in Amazon.com yet

A.D. Miller - Snowdrops (Atlantic)

Alison Pick - Far to Go (Headline Review)

Jane Rogers - The Testament of Jessie Lamb (Sandstone Press)

D.J. Taylor- Derby Day (Chatto & Windus - Random House)

I'm starting with The Testament of Jessie Lamb, because it sounded right up my alley based on the descriptions.

Trying to read all the nominees for certain awards is an insanity I started taking on last year. I've also gone back and read a lot of the past winners. My Booker Prize Bookshelf in GoodReads is a mixture of older prize winners and more recent long and shortlisted titles, so feel free to go read my old reviews if you are interested. I can easily say that the two I've enjoyed the most are C by Tom McCarthy and How Late It Was, How Late: A Novel by James Kelman.