The Hindu : Front Page : Anti-imperialist writer wins the ‘lost' Booker

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 21, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Anti-imperialist writer wins the ‘lost' Booker

Hasan Suroor

Award was created to recognise books of 1970
Troubles is the first book in Farrell's “empire” trilogy

LONDON: More than 30 years after his death, the anti-imperialist Anglo-Irish writer, J.G. Farrell, was on Wednesday posthumously awarded a special one-off “lost” Booker prize for his novel Troubles, published in 1970.

The prize, which carries no cash award, was created to recognise books of 1970 which missed out because of a change in rules that meant that the 1971 Booker was given to novels published that year, rather than retrospectively, as had been the practice until then.

Troubles, first in Mr. Farrell's “empire” trilogy, was selected in an international readers' poll winning more than double the votes cast for any other contender on the six-strong shortlist, which included Nina Bawden's The Birds on the Trees, Muriel Spark's The Driver's Seat, and Patrick White's The Vivisector.

Mr. Farrell's second book in the trilogy, The Siege of Krishnapur, won a Booker in 1973. The third, The Singapore Grip, was published in 1978.

The writer died in a mysterious fishing accident in 1979, prompting speculation that he might have committed suicide.

Had this been the winning novel in 1970, J.G. Farrell would have gone on to become the first author to win the Booker Prize twice.”

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page