Short story author Alice Munro was announced as the winner of the third Man Booker International Prize today.It's interesting to see that Scotland's James Kelman was on the list - the only British writer who featured. Kelman is a writer I've previously endorsed, but on reading You Have to be Careful in the Land of the Free, I'm having to reassess my opinion. It was that disappointing. Others have raved about his latest novel, Keiron Smith Boy, which I have not read.The award, worth £60,000, is given every two years to a living author for a body of work that has contributed to an achievement in fiction on the world stage.
It is handed out to a living author who can be from any nationality and who has published fiction either originally in English, or whose work is generally available in translation in the English language.
The prize was first awarded to Ismail Kadare, from Albania, in 2005, and then to Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe in 2007.
Munro, 77, who lives in Canada, said: "I am totally amazed and delighted."
Carpingly, I'd note that neither of the two previous winners, Kadare or Achebe, have impressed me. I read one novel of Kadare's - really a squence of short stroies linked to the hsitory of Kosovo - and while it impressed me at first on looking abck at it it seemed very wordy and hollow. Achebe I have multiple problems with. First of all, the one novel of his that I have read, Anthills of the Savanah, I disliked intensely. Secondly, his comments on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness suggest he's either something of a fool, or a knave more interested in establishing his reputation.
So perhaps the Man Booker International is a bit of a booby prize. I'm not very familiar with Munro's work, but I've always been vaguely sure she's a good writer, and probably worthy of winning something or other. So good on her.
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