Sep 10 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Neel Mukherjee's novel makes it to Booker shortlist
London:
PTI
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Kolkata-born British author Neel Mukherjee's latest novel `The Lives of Others', set in troubled Bengal of the 1960s and centres around a dysfunctional family, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize 2014, in its debut as a global literary award.Mukherjee, who had studied at Oxford and Cambridge, was also the only Indian-origin author to be longlisted earlier this year, the first time that the prestigious literary award opened up for anyone writing in English regardless of their nationality.
“We are delighted to announce our international shortlist. These six books take the reader on journeys around the world, between the UK, New York, Thailand, Italy , Calcutta and times past, present and future,“ said A C Grayling, chair of the 2014 judging panel.
“We had a lengthy and in tensive debate to whittle the list down to these six. It is a strong, thought-provoking shortlist which we believe will demonstrate the wonderful depth and range of contemporary fiction in English,” he added.
Mukherjee, who is now a British citizen, was selected for his second novel which was published in May this year. He reviews fiction for the Times and the Sunday Telegraph and his first novel, ‘ A Life Apart’ was a joint winner of the Vodafone-Crossword Award in India.
The other authors shortlisted include, US authors Joshua Ferris for ‘To Rise Again at a Decent Hour’ and Karen Joy Fowler for ‘We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves’; Australian Richard Flanagan for ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’; and British authors Howard Jacobson for ‘J’ and Ali Smith for ‘How to be Both.’
“We are delighted to announce our international shortlist. These six books take the reader on journeys around the world, between the UK, New York, Thailand, Italy , Calcutta and times past, present and future,“ said A C Grayling, chair of the 2014 judging panel.
“We had a lengthy and in tensive debate to whittle the list down to these six. It is a strong, thought-provoking shortlist which we believe will demonstrate the wonderful depth and range of contemporary fiction in English,” he added.
Mukherjee, who is now a British citizen, was selected for his second novel which was published in May this year. He reviews fiction for the Times and the Sunday Telegraph and his first novel, ‘ A Life Apart’ was a joint winner of the Vodafone-Crossword Award in India.
The other authors shortlisted include, US authors Joshua Ferris for ‘To Rise Again at a Decent Hour’ and Karen Joy Fowler for ‘We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves’; Australian Richard Flanagan for ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’; and British authors Howard Jacobson for ‘J’ and Ali Smith for ‘How to be Both.’
