Bringing The Booker To Book

Who will judge the judges of the Man Booker, asks Boyd Tonkin in The Independent:

"...an eccentrically (perhaps shambolically) run award had raced so far down the road of seeking gossip, scandal and controversy that it wanted, above all, to reward judges who caused a stir. That would be terrible news for the long-term reputation of the prize."

The article is primarily a criticism of the actions of John Sutherland, appointed chairman of the judging panel one more time. (The Guardian's report on the longlist is here.)

John Sutherland himself says: "This has been an exceptional year, and in the judges' opinion may rank as one of the strongest ever since the prize was founded in 1969. It is also a nicely balanced longlist with four previous Booker winners, three first novels and a satisfying range of styles. The judges have enjoyed their judging experience enormously - so far."

So far. Heh.

Also see a nice, albeit brief, analysis of the longlist by Neel Mukherjee of The Times (UK) here.