Empire of the Sun or Hotel du Lac: The Booker vs the Bookies The Booker Prize Podcast

In 1984, many assumed that J.G. Ballard's Empire of the Sun had the Booker Prize in the bag. But actually, it was Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac that clinched the prize in the end. This week, we're exploring the bookies' favourite vs the Booker winner to ask which book should have won: Brookner's short, quiet novel set in a genteel Swiss hotel or Ballard's long and action-packed autobiographical epic set in wartime Shanghai.

In this episode Jo and James:

Discuss the Booker Prize 1984 shortlist

Share a brief biography of Anita Brookner

Summarise the plot of Anita Brookner's Hotel du Lac

Explore the characters in Brookner's novel

Share a brief biography of J.G. Ballard

Summarise the plot of Empire of the Sun

Who should read these books

Discuss their thoughts on both novels and which they think should have won the Booker Prize 1984


Reading list:

Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/empire-of-the-sun


Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/hotel-du-lac


Small World by David Lodge: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/small-world


Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/flauberts-parrot


In Custody by Anita Desai: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/in-custody


According to Mark by Penelope Lively: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/according-to-mark



A full transcript of the episode is available at our website: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/the-booker-prize-podcast-episode-37-empire-of-the-sun-or-hotel-du-lac

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