The Booker Prize, first awarded in 1969, recognizes the best novel written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. The 2023 prize considers books published between October 1st 2022 and September 30th 2023. They have just announced their 13-book longlist. The 6-book shortlist will come out September 21st, with the winner announced November 26th. The winner will receive a £50,000 prize.
This year’s judges are Mary Jean Chan, James Shapiro, Esi Edugyan, Robert Webb and Adjoa Andoh. They considered 163 books before narrowing it down to these 13. Esi Edugyan, chair of the Booker Prize 2023 judges, said,
“The list is defined by its freshness – by the irreverence of new voices, by the iconoclasm of established ones. All 13 novels cast new light on what it means to exist in our time, and they do so in original and thrilling ways. Their range is vast, both in subject and form: they shocked us, made us laugh, filled us with anguish, but above all they stayed with us. This is a list to excite, challenge, delight, a list to bring wonder. The novels are small revolutions, each seeking to energise and awaken the language. Together – whether historical or contemporary – they offer startling portraits of the current.”