Will it be a barnstorming performance?...

The king of all literature prizes is upon us once again. With the winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize to be announced later this evening, it seems an appropriate time to remind ourselves of the contenders. The 'odds on favourite' position lies with Julian Barnes, a four time previous nominee, for his work 'The Sense of an Ending'. Yet he faces fierce competition from Carol Birch, Patrick deWitt, Esi Edugyan, Stephen Kelman and AD Miller, the other five authors to make the shortlist. Here, you can watch the nominees reading extracts from their own novels. Make sure you tune in to catch the winner.

UPDATE: Julian Barnes has been announced as the 2011 Man Booker Prize winner

Comic Booker Prize...

Last week saw author Howard Jacobson shoot to the top of the literary pile as he became the winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize. The oldest winner at 68, since William Golding in 1980, Jacobson was honoured for his comic novel 'The Finkler Question', deemed by Andrew Motion a 'completely worthy winner'. In this video, Jacobson gives his reaction to receiving the prestigious award.

Man Booker explained...

In the aftermath of the Booker Prize shortlist announcement, critics have raised numerous questions about the suitability of several of the choices. Chair of the judges Andrew Motion, has already stated that they 'didn't set out to be popular', but in this podcast, two of the nominated authors reveal what they believe makes their novels contenders.

The heir to Mantel's throne...

It's that time of year again, and the shortlist for this year's Man Booker Prize has been announced. Hoping to win the award for the third time, is Australian Peter Carey, who was compared by former Poet Laureate, and chair of the judging panel Andrew Motion, to Charles Dickens. Those aiming to follow in the footsteps of last year's winner Hilary Mantel, are:

• Peter Carey - 'Parrot and Oliver in America'
• Emma Donoghue - 'Room'
• Damon Galgut - 'In a Strange Room'
• Howard Jacobson - 'The Finkler Question'
  
• Andrea Levy - 'The Long Song'
• Tom McCarthy - 'C'

Donoghue is the current favourite at 9-4, closely follwed by Carey at 5-2, with Jacobson the outside bet at 6-1.

Lost prize awarded to lost soul....

The winner of the 'Lost Booker Prize' has been announced. JG Farrell has been honoured for 'Troubles', a novel set in the 1919 Irish War of Independence, cited as having 'lasting quality'. Indeed it is this 'lasting quality' which makes the award all the more special, as the novel was originally published in 1970. Due to changes in the rules of the award, no book published in that year was ever elegible to win a Booker Prize, and it was following this discovery that the 'Lost Booker Prize' was launched. Farrell's work beat off opposition from Nina Bawden and Dame Muriel Sparkes to scoop the coveretd award with 38% of the public vote. Yet sadly, Farrell died in his early 40s in 1979, never able to see the achievement which he deservedly won.

Better late than never...

Authors whose books were published in the year of 1970 are set to gain the recognition they deserve. One of the most illustrious literary awards, the Man Booker Prize, has come to the realisation that a change in their rules forty years ago, denied the likes of Iris Murdoch and Melvyn Bragg from ever becoming recipients. The award traditonally honoured books published in the previous year, yet in 1971, it was decided that instead it would be given to the best novel published in that year, rendering 1970 to be lost in statisitcs. Now organisers will redress the balance with a special award; 'The Lost Man Booker Prize'. The director of the initiative has described 1970 as a 'remarkable year for fiction written in English', saying that 'recognition for these novels and the eventual winner is long overdue'. The longlist includes names such as Muriel Spark, Iris Murdoch, David Lodge, Melvyn Bragg and Nina Bawden. After the shortlist announcment in March, public voting through the Man Booker website will determine the overall winner to be revealed in May.

2010 in books...

2010 is set to see the arrival of highly anticipated works, spanning the literary genres. Among the novels ready to soar to the bestselling list are;

• 'Solar' - Ian McEwan - author of 'Atonement' and CBE
• 'The Pregnant Widow' - Martin Amis - author of 'Money' and Somerset Maugham Award Winner
  
• 'Beatrice and Virgil' - Yann Martel - author of 'The Life of Pi' and Man Booker Prize Winner
  

McCarthy rules the naughties...

The Times, has published a list of the '100 Greatest Books of the Decade'. Including works from all genres, Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage and Seamus Heaney are the ambassadors for poetry, with 'Rapture', 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' and 'District and Circle' respectively. Non- fiction works also feature; Obama's autobiography leads the list at number 2, and Dawkins, Bryson and grammatical work 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' occupy a place in the top 100. Naturally the list is dominated by fiction novels, with household names, such as Ian McEwan and J.K. Rowling, as well as Man Booker Prize winners Yann Martel and Aravind Adiga. Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road', was voted as the greatest book of the decade. Running in conjunction, was the '5 Worst Books of the Decade'; a list including 'Being Jordan' by Katie Price. Author Dan Brown has the unusual accolade of being cited on both lists; perhaps testament to the success of his novels in both polarising opinion and raising publicity.

Motion heads Man Booker...

It has been announced that Andrew Motion is to be the chair of judges for next year's Man Booker Prize. The former Poet Laureate, who was involved in accusations of plagiarism earlier this month, said it was an 'exciting challenge' and that he was looking forward 'to a year of reading voraciously'. Following on from Hilary Mantel's victory ealier this year, the longlist of her potential successors will be announced in July; the shortlist of six is published in September, and the winner will be named in October. Previous recipients of the £50,000 award include William Golding, Salman Rushdie, and Ian McEwan.