Booker judges try to have it both ways
over 4 years in The guardian
Awarding joint prize to Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo feels like a fudge
With the hindsight of history, the Booker misses plenty of tricks. In 1986, The Handmaid’s Tale, one of the most vital and prescient works of modern fiction, was pipped to the prize by Kingsley Amis’s The Old Devils. With Margaret Atwood now elevated to the status of a contemporary prophet, 2019 may have seemed like an opportunity to redress that mistake. Published with all the fanfare of a new Harry Potter and accounting for 86% of shortlist sales, her sequel has dominated this year’s award, sprinkling some much-needed publishing glitz.
Related: Booker prize judges break the rules and insist on joint winners Continue reading...
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