Britain’s Booker Prize has released its 2022 shortlist of six candidates – including the oldest writer to be nominated and the shortest ever novel.
Alan Garner, who will turn 88 on the day the winner is announced, is marking two milestones after his nomination for Treacle Water.
The novel comes in at 116 pages – making it the shortest in length and word count to ever make the list of candidates.
After being whittled down from an original longlist of 13 in July, the shortlist also features Zimbabwean-born novelist NoViolet Bulawayo, 40, for a second time in her writing career with her novel Glory.
Sri Lankan-born writer Shehan Karunatilaka, 47, is the second of the two international authors in the list, nominated for his book The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.
American writer and professor Percival Everett, 65, continues the list with his work Trees, which is the independent publisher Influx Press’s first time appearing in the Booker Prize.
American novelist Elizabeth Strout, 66, features for Oh William! whilst Irish writer Claire Keegan, 54, rounds off the list with Small Things Like These.
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The prestigious literary award was formerly recognised as the Booker Prize for fiction and the Man Booker Prize, spanning a 53-year history with its first recipient in 1969.
Neil MacGregor, chair of the 2022 judges, has said: “These are, above all, books that we have enjoyed. They’re books that we want to recommend to others.
“They’re not too long and that’s maybe evidence that we’re looking at not just great writing, but also some great editing.”
He added: “They’re not easy books, even though they may be short. But like many great pleasures, some require hard work and we found them well worth the effort.”
The winner of the literary award, of which Margaret Atwood is a former recipient, will receive a cash prize of £50,000.
The ceremony will take place on 17 October.
