Booker goes global, invites furious debate
The literary world is abuzz with the decision of the Man Booker Prize management to open up the award to writers from across the world from 2014. While the move has been both welcomed and criticised, what remains a reality is that the jury will have a harder task in not just short-listing the writers but even long-listing the names. Until now, writers from the Commonwealth — and of course Britain — were eligible for consideration. With the opening up of the award, several American authors who have dominated the field of literature globally will get to have a slice of the Man Booker cake.
It is this possibility which has rattled many observers and writers in particular. They believe that the Americans, with their dominant money power and extensive contacts, could hijack the prize. Even more important for the critics is what they see as a dilution of the focus of the prize, which has allowed new talent to flower in the Commonwealth. They fear that, once the bigger names push into the scene, the smaller but equally accomplished writers will be edged out. The critics have another grudge: While the Americans had been lobbying for an entry into the Man Booker Prize, their own awards, such as the Pulitzer, remain out of bounds for non-Americans.
This is a valid complaint. If American writers want to gate-crash elsewhere, they must allow non-Americans a shot at their awards too. Whether the opening up of the Man Booker Prize will dent its niche image, remains to be seen. What appears certain is that the much-sought after prize will gain traction and reshape the world of literature — for better or worse, time will tell. Those who have advocated for and welcomed the entry of Americans and others have claimed that ‘the more the merrier' axiom applies appropriately to the situation. After all, what grouse can writers have with increased competitionIJ It will enhance the quality of literature and compel authors who have been regulars at the Booker to get out of their comfort zones. The supporters of the decision point to the Nobel Prize for literature, which has promoted otherwise little-known authors from across the world and helped them gain global recognition.
Such recognition is not limited to letters alone. The Man Booker winner — even the short-listed candidate for that matter — is suddenly flush with lucrative deals from publishers who otherwise would have ignored him (or her). International recognition opens up other money-making avenues for the author, such as deals for a film-adaptation. It also makes the author's task that much simpler to find a publisher at the right price for the next book. This is one significant reason why the critics of the new decision are fighting hard to preserve their turf. Will the move to open up impact Indian writers, given that the Man Booker has been their window to glory in recent decadesIJ That depends on the resilience of the writers.