Lincoln in the Bardo wins 2017 Man Booker Prize
Lincoln
in the Bardo by George Saunders is named winner of the
2017 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Lincoln in the Bardo is
the first full-length novel from George Saunders, internationally renowned
short story writer.
The 58-year-old New York resident, born in Texas, is the second American
author to win the prize in its 49-year history. He was in contention for the
prize with two British, one British-Pakistani and two American writers.
Lola, Baroness Young, 2017 Chair of judges,
comments:
‘The form and style of this utterly original novel, reveals a witty,
intelligent, and deeply moving narrative. This tale of the haunting and haunted
souls in the afterlife of Abraham Lincoln’s young son paradoxically creates a
vivid and lively evocation of the characters that populate this other world. Lincoln
in the Bardo is both rooted in, and plays with history, and
explores the meaning and experience of empathy.’
Lincoln in the Bardo focuses
on a single night in the life of Abraham Lincoln: an actual moment in 1862 when
the body of his 11-year-old son was laid to rest in a Washington cemetery.
Strangely and brilliantly, Saunders activates this graveyard with the spirits
of its dead. The Independent described the novel as ‘completely beguiling’,
praising Saunders for concocting a ‘narrative like no other: a magical, mystery
tour of the bardo – the “intermediate” or transitional state between one’s
death and one’s next birth, according to Tibetan Buddhism.’ Meanwhile, the
Guardian wrote that, ‘the short story master’s first novel is a tale of great
formal daring...[it] stands head and shoulders above most contemporary fiction,
showing a writer who is expanding his universe outwards, and who clearly
has many more pleasures to offer his readers.’
Saunders told TIME magazine that he didn’t really want to write about
Lincoln, ‘but was so captivated by this story I'd heard years ago about him
entering his son's crypt. I thought of the book as a way of trying to instil
the same reaction I'd had all those years ago.’
Lincoln in the Bardo is published by Bloomsbury, making it the third
consecutive year the prize has been won by an independent publisher, following
Oneworld Publications’ success in 2015 with Marlon James and 2016 with Paul
Beatty. Bloomsbury has won the prize three times before, with Howard Jacobson
(2010), Margaret Atwood (2000) and Michael Ondaatje (1992).
Saunders’ win comes in the month that 1989 Booker Prize-winning author
Kazuo Ishiguro was named as this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature recipient.
Ishiguro follows in the footsteps of other Booker Prize-recognised authors who
have gone on to win the award including: V. S. Naipaul, Nadine Gordimer,
William Golding, J. M. Coetzee and Doris Lessing.
Luke Ellis, CEO of Man Group, comments:
‘We are pleased to congratulate George Saunders, along with each of the
shortlisted authors, for his fantastic achievement this year. At Man Group, we
are extremely proud to be sponsoring the world’s foremost literary prize and
celebrating exceptional literary talent for a fifteenth year. We understand the
importance of intellectual capital and creative thought – and indeed, the
ability to view the world from different lenses matters more than ever today,
in this age of rapid and inexorable change. We also believe that businesses
like ours have an important duty to advance progress in education at every
level: from prizes like this, which recognise global talent, to the local
grassroots initiatives championed by the Booker Prize Foundation and the Man
Charitable Trust, which we are honoured to support.’
Lola, Baroness Young was joined on the
2017 judging panel by the literary critic, Lila
Azam Zanganeh; the Man Booker Prize shortlisted novelist, Sarah
Hall; the artist, Tom
Phillips CBE RA; and the travel writer and novelist, Colin
Thubron CBE. The judges considered 144 submissions for this year’s
prize.
George Saunders’ win was announced by Lola Young at a dinner at London’s
Guildhall. He was presented with a trophy from HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and
a £50,000 cheque by Luke Ellis, Chief Executive of Man Group. Saunders also
receives a designer bound edition of his book and a further £2,500 for being
shortlisted.
At the event, which was broadcast live on the BBC News
Channel, actors Maxine Peake, Rhashan Stone and Olivia Williams, read extracts
from the shortlisted books. All the shortlisted authors attended alongside a
number of former winners.
George Saunders will take part in his first official public event as
winner at a New Statesman-partnered event at Foyles Charing Cross Road on
Thursday 19 October 2017.
Tickets can be bought here.
Royal Mail is again issuing a congratulatory postmark featuring the
winner’s name, which will be applied to millions of items of stamped mail
nationwide on Wednesday 18 October and Friday 20 October 2017. It will say
‘Congratulations to George Saunders, winner of the 2017 Man Booker Prize’.
