DHAKA: Britain’s Man Booker Prize announced on Wednesday that it was expanding to cover all novels written in the English language, saying it would welcome authors whether they come from ‘Chicago, Sheffield or Shanghai’.

The 50,000 pound Booker has until now been awarded annually for the best work of fiction by an author from Britain, the Commonwealth or Ireland, but had notably excluded American writers.

Previous multiple winners include English novelist Hilary Mantel, Australian author Peter Carey and the South African JM Coetzee.

‘The Man Booker Prize is to expand eligibility for future prizes to include novels originally written in English and published in the UK, regardless of the nationality of the author,’ said Jonathan Taylor, chairman of the Booker Prize Foundation.

‘The expanded prize will recognise, celebrate and embrace authors writing in English, whether from Chicago, Sheffield or Shanghai.’

Taylor said the prize’s trustees ‘have not made this decision quickly or lightly’ and it followed 18 months of consultation with the publishing world, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 2031 HRS, SEPT 18, 2013
RoR/GCP