Nigerian author, Obioma, shortlisted for Man Booker Prize

Nigeria’s Chigozie Obioma has been shortlisted for the 2015 edition of the Man Booker Prize.

Also shortlisted are Pulitzer winner Anne Tyler and four others.

Obioma, who is the only African on the shortlist, was named for his debut novel, The Fishermen. His stiffest competitor will be Tyler, who was shortlisted for her 20th novel, Spool of Blue Thread, and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1989 for Breathing Lessons.

The 28-year-old Nigerian is the youngest nominee, while Marlon James is the first Jamaican-born author to be nominated for the prize.

Others on the shortlist are American writer Jasnya Yanagihara and two British authors, Tom McCarthy and Sunjeev Sahota, who were nominated for A Little Life, Satin Island and The Year of the Runaways, respectively.

Of all the 156 books considered for the 2015 Booker prize, Jamaica’s James A Brief History of Seven Killings was the only book from the Caribbean.

The winner will be announced on October 13, 2015 to replace Australian author, Richard Flanagan, who won the 2014 prize for his wartime novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

From 1969 to 2013, the prize was only open to authors from the UK and the Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland and Zimbabwe, but it was reviewed in 2014 to accommodate all English writers regardless of nationality.

Michael Wood, chairman of the judges, expressed delight in the diversity of the competition.

Jonathan Ruppin, one of the judges said: “It’s very interesting to see that four of the six authors are non-white, beating 2013’s record of three.”

“It vindicates the opening up of the prize to all Anglophone writers, rather than just the antiquated category of the Commonwealth.

“English-language writing is a global phenomenon, blending a huge range of cultures, and the world’s biggest literary award now reflects this far better.”

The shortlisted authors each receive £2,500 (N753,500) and a specially-bound edition of their book. The winner will receive a further cheque of £50,000 (N15,050,000).