The Booker Prize Podcast The Booker Prize

Last week we crowned the best Booker shortlist ever and this week, we're going even deeper into that list. In 2005, the odds were on Julian Barnes to win the Booker Prize with Arthur & George but the judges chose The Sea by John Banville. Arthur & George traces the intersecting lives of an obscure solicitor and the world-famous creator of Sherlock Holmes, while The Sea follows a man attempting to escape a recent loss while confronting a past trauma. So, we're taking a closer look at both books and asking: who was right – the Booker judges or the bookies?

In this episode Jo and James:

Give plot summaries of Arthur & George and The Sea

Share a short biography of Julian Barnes and John Banville

Discuss the merits of each novel

Consider whether the bookies' favourite should have won the Booker Prize in 2005


Reading list:

The Sea by John Banville

Arthur & George by Julian Barnes

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

The Accidental by Ali Smith

A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie

In the Fold by Rachel Cusk

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel

Saturday by Ian McEwan


Further resources:
How do you place a winning bet on the Booker Prize? via The Atlantic


A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

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Following the Booker Prize 2023 shortlist announcement, Jo and James share a hot off the press reaction to this year's six finalists before heading onto the topic at hand: which year saw the best ever Booker Prize shortlist? To help Jo and James along the way, they're joined by Bob Jackson – a man who has read every single book ever shortlisted for the award. That's over 300 books, spanning from the Booker's inception in 1969 up to the present day. So, listen in and find out which shortlist gets crowned as the best one ever.

In this episode Jo and James:

Ask Bob to reveal his favourite (and least favourite) books from the Booker archive

Hear how Bob approached his quest to reading every Booker-shortlisted book

Discuss their contenders for which year's shortlist is best

Argue it out until just one shortlist is crowned the winner


Reading list:

Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein

If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

How late it was, how late by James Kelman

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

The Good Terrorist by Doris Lessing

Last Letters from Hav by Jan Morris

The Good Apprentice by Iris Murdoch

The Battle of Pollocks Crossing by J.L. Carr

Illywhacker by Peter Carey

A Disaffection by James Kelman

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood

Restoration by Rose Tremain

The Book of Evidence by John Banville

Jigsaw by Sybille Bedford

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes

Small World by David Lodge

Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

In Custody by Anita Desai

According to Mark by Penelope Lively

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi

The Keepers of Truth by Michael Collins

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

English Passengers by Matthew Kneale

The Deposition of Father McGreevy by Brian O'Doherty

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

Hot Milk by Deborah Levy

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

All That Man Is by David Szalay

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The Sea by John Banville

Arthur & George by Julian Barnes

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry

The Accidental by Ali Smith


Join the Booker Prize Book Club to connect with readers from across the world about all things Booker Prize 2023 and beyond.

A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. 
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His Bloody Project tells the story of a fictional 19th-century triple murder in a remote crofting community, through the memoir of the accused and documents such as court transcripts, medical reports, police statements and newspaper articles. The book was shortlisted for the 2016 Booker Prize – and while Paul Beatty's The Sellout took home the award that year, His Bloody Project remained the bestseller of the bunch until the winner was announced. This week, its author Graeme Macrae Burnet joins us in the studio to tell us about the inspirations behind His Bloody Project, what it was like to be nominated for the prize again with Case Study in 2022 and what we can expect from him next.

In this episode Jo and James speak to Graeme about:

The plot of His Bloody Project and the real-life inspiration behind it

How the Booker Prize transformed his writing career

The power of ambiguity and allowing readers to make up their own minds

Why thinking about readers' reactions while writing can undermine the authenticity of a story

Why he doesn't plan his novels, so the process of writing remains somewhat of a mystery

His lifelong fascination with the idea of madness and how views of mental health have changed over the centuries

What we can expect from him next


Reading list:

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Hot Milk by Deborah Levy

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

All That Man Is by David Szalay

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

I, Pierre Riviére, Having Slaughtered My Mother, My Sister, and My Brother edited by Michel Foucault

Madness and Civilization by Michel Foucault

Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet


A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes.
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🚨 An advance warning that this episode features spoilers for Atonement.

September is here, which means it's the start of another academic year. So get out your brand new stationery and settle down as we head back to school... no polyester uniforms or exams though, don't worry. This week, we're taking a look at Booker-nominated books that feature on school syllabuses in the UK and, particularly, we're diving into Ian McEwan's Atonement. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2001, the novel explores how a young girl’s imagination runs riot with far-reaching and devastating consequences.

In this episode Jo and James discuss:

Their favourite Booker-nominated books that feature on school syllabuses

A brief history of Ian McEwan's writing career

The plot of Atonement

The characters and themes of the novel

How Joe Wright's film adaptation of Atonement compares to the books

The Booker Clinic: books to help quell homesickness


Reading list:

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding

A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh

A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Saturday by Ian McEwan

Spies by Michael Frayn

Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Waterland by Graham Swift

Love and Summer by William Trevor

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey

Oxygen by Andrew Miller

number9dream by David Mitchell

Hotel World by Ali Smith

Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller

The Dark Room by Rachel Seiffert

Black Dogs by Ian McEwan

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

Enduring Love by Ian McEwan


Further Resources:

Ian McEwan on BBC Radio 4's This Cultural Life

Ian McEwan on his novels as A-Level set texts via The Guardian


A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes. 
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In 1970, when the Booker Prize was still in its infancy (its second year running, in fact), the prize was awarded to Bernice Rubens. Rubens was the first woman to win the award and is still the only Welsh person to ever win the prize. 2023 marks the centenary of Rubens' birth so, this week, we're taking a closer look at The Elected Member – a piercing novel that explores what happens to a respectable, close-knit Jewish family when their prodigious son becomes a middle-aged drug addict.

In this episode Jo and James:

Ponder the weight of being the eldest child

Share a brief biography of Bernice Rubens

Give a slightly spoiler-y summary of The Elected Member

Discuss whether parental expectation can turn from encouragement to abuse

Consider how love can be damaging

Wonder why Bernice Rubens has fallen off the radar

Decide who should read The Elected Member


Reading list:

The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens

Bruno's Dream by Iris Murdoch

Mrs Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel by William Trevor

Eva Trout by Elizabeth Bowen

The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

When I Grow Up by Bernice Rubens

The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis

In Transit by Brigid Brophy

The Fire-Dwellers by Margaret Laurence

The Hungry Grass by Richard Power

Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark


A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes.
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In 2014, the Booker Prize broadened its submission rules to allow books from any nationality, as long as they were written in English and published in the UK. This change in eligibility led to worries around whether American novels would dominate the award's nominations, but it wasn't until 2016 when Paul Beatty scooped the prize with The Sellout that the prize went to an author from the States. The Sellout is a biting satire on race relations told through its protagonist, who is on trial for trying to reinstate slavery and segregation – and this week on the podcast, we're revisiting the story.

In this episode Jo and James:

Consider what the inclusion of American authors and novels has meant for the Booker Prize

Share a brief biography of Paul Beatty

Give a slightly spoiler-y summary of The Sellout

Discuss whether the novel is an on-point laugh-a-minute satire or a relentlessly nihilistic trudge

Try to get to the bottom of what Paul Beatty is trying to say through this novel

Chat about whether the question of who something is for can really be answered authentically

Suggest who should read The Sellout


Reading list:

The White Boy Shuffle

Tuff

Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor

Slumberland

The Sellout


Further resources:

Paul Beatty's 2016 Booker Prize acceptance speech

Dear Britain, please take your Booker Prize back home by Ron Charles for The Washington Post


A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

Follow The Booker Prize Podcast so you never miss an episode. Visit http://thebookerprizes.com/podcast to find out more about us, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok @thebookerprizes.
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