The Man Booker Prize

[★ Jess]

Hey everyone,
This year I am undertaking my final year of studies at school. For My SACE research project, I am undertaking a study on the impact of The Man Booker Prize on todays society. If you please spare a few moments of your time to answer the following questions I would be so thankful!
Even if you don't know a great amount about the topic, any responses would still be very much appreciated :)

If there is anything you wish to clarify, or would prefer not to have your username published, please don't hesitate to send me a message :)

1: Are you an avid reader?

2:To what extent are you aware of The Man Booker Prize?

3:Would you be encouraged to read a book if it held a Man Booker Prize label on its cover?

4:Have you read a Man Booker Prize nominee or winner, and if so, do you think it was worthy of the award?

5:In what ways do you think The Man Booker Prize is important to society?

6: In your opinion, in what ways does The Man Booker Prize reflect the quality that the literary world has to offer?

Thank you so much for assisting me, its greatly appreciated x

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Hello Jess. Good luck with your research. I have tried to answer your questions:-
1. Yes
2. It is a fairly well known prize - I tend to have a look and see what is shortlisted and what wins.
3. Sometimes but only if I like the sound of the book anyway.
4. Yes I have read quite a few of the nominees and the winners. They are usually well written books which appeal to a wide audience.
5. I suppose it represents a level of literary achievement - something for authors to aspire to.
6. I think the Man Booker prizewinners are usually well written books which can be appreciated by everyone. They are less "high brow"than some other of the literary prizes.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

1. Yes

2. Until about 12 months ago I hadn't heard of it, but now (after the National Year of Reading, and more awareness) I enjoy checking the lists to see nominations.

3. Only if I liked the sound of it.

4. I have read a few, some were good and some not so good IMO.

5. I think it's an award that is very important to authors, the prestige of being put on the list, then the possibility of winning. It's an important list for readers too, as it often leads to a reader finding a new author, which the reader wouldn't have done without the list.

6. That's a hard one...there is obviously quality there, or the books wouldn't be chosen for the list. But it's all in the eye of the reader, so it depends on the person/s who reads the book to approve nomination, as to whether it's a literary classic or not.

I hope this helps Jess, and good luck with it all:)

[[deleted user]]

1. most certainly
2. I have heard a bit about it here and there, but still rather ignorant of it all.
3. I honestly don't think it would make any difference to me.
4. I tried to read Life of Pie not sure if that counts, other then that no.
5.I guess if it was coming from my perspective as a reader, not a whole lots, as it holds no huge sway over my views towards its winners and nominees, however I can see its appeal to writers as a huge honor to stand out and be recognised with among other authors.
6. I dont think I really have an answer the this one, the only book I tried to read from its winners list I disliked greatly.

good luck with this Jess, my answers may be totally useless but just in case you wanted some answer from people who didnt really pay attention to the award I thought I would give some help :)

Hope your killing it in Yr 12!

[Cathy]

★ Jess wrote: "Hey everyone,
This year I am undertaking my final year of studies at school. For My SACE research project, I am undertaking a study on the impact of The Man Booker Prize on todays society. If you ..."

Hi Jess,

1. Yes I would describe myself as an avid reader.
2. Yes, I am usually interested in the shortlist and books from the lists tend to be discussed in bookgroups I belong to.
3. Yes - have read some books I hadn't heard of because they were winners or shortlisted.
4. Yes I've read many shortlisted and winners - some I've really enjoyed some not so much, but there's usually plenty to discuss in them and the standard of writing is high.
5. I think it is important to recognise excellence in any area of endeavour and literature is a favourite area of mine so I love to see authors recognised and rewarded.
6. I wonder about choice by committee sometimes and would love to know more about how the decisions are made. Having a large prize is a great recognition for authors and must surely be something to aspire to? (I know many authors say they write almost vecause they are compelled to though). I do hope that it isn't based to much on "known names".

Good luck with the year Jess!

[Tracey]

Hi Jess,
Here's my responses, hope I'm not too late. Good luck :)

1: Are you an avid reader? Very much so, I read both fiction and non-fiction and read every day.

2:To what extent are you aware of The Man Booker Prize? I've heard of it but know little beyond the name.

3:Would you be encouraged to read a book if it held a Man Booker Prize label on its cover? Up to a point I am encouraged to read certain books if they are award winners but only if I'm also attracted to the blurb and cover etc.

4:Have you read a Man Booker Prize nominee or winner, and if so, do you think it was worthy of the award? I cannot remember ever having read a Man Booker prize nominee or winner.

5:In what ways do you think The Man Booker Prize is important to society? I believe literary prizes serve much the same function as movie or music awards. They can bring awareness to otherwise little or unknown works and serve to show recognition of quality work to the authors who win these prizes.

6: In your opinion, in what ways does The Man Booker Prize reflect the quality that the literary world has to offer? I'm afraid I don't know enough about the Prize itself to comment specifically but I do believe prizes of this type can often set the tone for what is considered quality writing, whether that is fully deserved or not is not always easy to say.

Hope I've helped a little Jess :)

[Dale]

1. Avid reader yes.
2. Aware of it and some past winners
3. No, not unless the book appealed to me anyway.
4. Read Life of Pi and found it a pointless exercise.
5. Literary prizes are more important to the writer than the reader I suspect.Helpful if it sells more copies.
6. I'm more inclined to have read Pulitzer Prize winners than Man Booker.

[Michael]

1: I like to think I am

2: Been very aware of it for a few years, but only last year I’ve started to pay a lot more attention to it.

3: No, I will read it if it sounds interesting.

4: I’ve read 5 winners and loved all bar one (Life of Pi) and many books from both the shortlist and longlist. Overall I think they are worth reading.

5: I’m all for celebrating fine literary achievements and the Man Booker is probably one of the most recognisable literary award; possible the most trusted of them all as well.

6: it doesn’t, the way these prizes are judged the best book often doesn’t end up winning but the book that everyone can agree on. So it’s more of a popularity competition more than a quest to find the best literature has to offer.

[Amanda]

1. Yes
2. Very aware
3. Definitely
4. Yes, several. Not sure of the criteria (exactly). I felt most of those I've read were certainly of a high literary standard and others may have been a little abstract for my tastes. That's not to say they weren't worthy of the prize. Mostly I think they have been worthy.
5. I think that 'awards' or 'prizes' for literature are important to the community for several reasons; publicity for any literature stresses how important it is for our society's function (to communicate, to tell stories- as part of our rich culture etc.), also gives authors something to aim for; encourages them to produce quality works. Just a couple of points.
6. As mentioned above; I think the Man Booker Prize represents a small cross section of works, but certainly quality ones.

[Geoff]

1: Yes - always carry a book with me just in case I have a spare minute.

2:Aware of it, but that is all.

3:Not really, it all depends on the genre, regardless of it being a prize winner or not

4:Not that I know of, I might have done, but I can not be sure.

5:I suppose it sets a standard for authors, but if the reading public don't buy the book, have the judges wasted their time?

6: George Orwell strongly reflected his time in history (1984, Animal Farm, Coming up for Air), but he never won an award.
I wonder if he would have won a Booker prize for Animal Farm. Do the public buy a book because they have been told it is good 'literature' or because they have been told it is a good 'yarn'. How many of the Booker prize winners' books would be known to most people if they hadn't been made in to a film? :-o)

Good luck with your project.

[Leonie]

1: Yes! LOVE reading.

2: I am aware that it exists, but that's about all.

3: Not really. I tend to pick books on the back cover blurb.

4: I just checked the list of winners for the last six years, and although I'd heard of two, perhaps three of the books, I've never read any of them.

5: I would expect that, as others have said, that it helps to set a standard for authors, and to acknowledge excellence in the field. Its stated aims include increasing book sales for the winner and finalists - I'm not sure that this has happened, but that may just be my own ignorance.

6: Obviously my knowledge of the Man Booker Prize is limited. Having said that, and acknowledging my skimming of winners lists, I would suspect that the Prize showcases only a small sprinkling of quality writers, due to its apparently narrow genre spectrum.

[Amber]

1: Are you an avid reader? I read as much as a can when I have the time, so yes :-)

2:To what extent are you aware of The Man Booker Prize? I've heard of it through searching for lists of "the best books to read".

3:Would you be encouraged to read a book if it held a Man Booker Prize label on its cover? Yes, if the reviews were good and it sounded like something I would enjoy.

4:Have you read a Man Booker Prize nominee or winner, and if so, do you think it was worthy of the award? I've read 15 nominees and 9 winners (I just checked the list on Wikipedia to count them). I enjoyed many of them, some, not so much. There were a few I found very tedious.

5:In what ways do you think The Man Booker Prize is important to society? Hopefully it will encourage more people to read good literature and not just popular fiction. Not that there's anything wrong with that ;-)

6: In your opinion, in what ways does The Man Booker Prize reflect the quality that the literary world has to offer? I can't really give a useful answer to this one, sorry!

[Sharon]

I'm not sure that I will be very much help but I'll try.
1: Are you an avid reader?
Yes I carry a book with me always in case there is a chance to read.

2:To what extent are you aware of The Man Booker Prize? I know that it exists but I couldn't tell you any winners.

3:Would you be encouraged to read a book if it held a Man Booker Prize label on its cover?
To be honest no. I might pick it up and read the blurb because it held the label but would only read the book if it sounded interesting.

4:Have you read a Man Booker Prize nominee or winner, and if so, do you think it was worthy of the award?
I can only think of one that I have read and it was okay, not sure whether it was worthy of the award.

5:In what ways do you think The Man Booker Prize is important to society?
Sorry Jess I'm not good at questions like this.

6: In your opinion, in what ways does The Man Booker Prize reflect the quality that the literary world has to offer?
Sorry Jess I'm not good at questions like this.

[★ Jess]

Thank you to everyone who has already answered, if anyone else could chip in that would be great :)

[Pete]

I hope that this helps.
1. Yes an avid reader. Have been for 67 yrs(started at five)
2.Yes, I am aware of the Man Booker Prize, but am unaware of any winners.
3.Not really, the blurb and the cover get me, after that awards make a small difference in my selection.
4.Yes, but was not overly impressed.
5.Possibly the only benefit is to reward some authors, but overlooks many more.
6.Often the literary quality of prizewinning books escapes me.

[[deleted user]]

I hope it's not too late! And good luck for SACE (I assume that's a Society & Culture thing?)

------------------

1: Are you an avid reader?

Yes, I love reading, but I've come back to it after a long hiatus/period of only reading my old favourites. Right now, though, I'd say it's halfway between a chore & an enjoyment for me. :)

2:To what extent are you aware of The Man Booker Prize?

Um. I'm aware that it's a literary prize, I assume a prestigious one, that's only really awarded to fiction for adults. I'm not sure if it's exclusive to literary fiction, but I know that's the category books are mostly chosen from. No idea if it's only awarded to books written in English.

3:Would you be encouraged to read a book if it held a Man Booker Prize label on its cover?

It would depend on what book it was. It would definitely factor into my choice to read the book, but given I loved both Sea of Poppies and Life of Pi I hope to read more Booker winners/shortlisted/longlisted books. However, it wouldn't be a major factor in my decision; I'd have to be interested in the book itself first, and the prize would just intrigue me and make me want to find out why the book won.

4:Have you read a Man Booker Prize nominee or winner, and if so, do you think it was worthy of the award?

Sea of Poppies, Life of Pi & The White Tiger are the only ones I've read recently. I loved the second one - yes, it was worthy IMO. The first one was also great, but since it was the first part of a vast trilogy, probably not. I wasn't keen on The White Tiger, but I do think it deserved its place.

5:In what ways do you think The Man Booker Prize is important to society?

I don't think it's important other than spreading the word about certain books that a certain panel considers worthy. I mean... there are great books out there that *haven't* won any prize, and a panel of judges' verdict doesn't exclude other books from being as good. So not much other than acknowledging someone's idea of worthwhile fiction, I guess.

6: In your opinion, in what ways does The Man Booker Prize reflect the quality that the literary world has to offer?

Although the books that win this prize are worthy, it doesn't give much of an idea about genre fiction: fantasy, crime etc. Just taking literary fiction, however, I think the quality of the nominated and winning works is worth spreading to a wider audience. I have no idea if it tends to pigeonhole the writers who are nominated, or if they let themselves be pigeonholed.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Thanks Tanvi...hopefully a few more can put some responses here too:)

[Judy]

1. Yes, I am. I read at least 100 books every year.
2. Very aware. I follow it each year.
3. My ambition is to read all the longlisted books each year. But I'm not usually successful!
4. I have read many. Generally, yes, they are deserving, but of course personal taste plays a big part. Eg, I didn't like the Hilary Mantell books.
5. It is important to those in the business, and provides readers with a guide to what is currently considered "good" literature.
6. Difficult question. I think it reflects the quality of works that are out there. It is limited to what is known as literature and not popular fiction, but there are other prizes out there for popular books. Every book nominated is a worthy piece of literature, but naturally, will not appeal to everyone.

[Donna R]

- Yes.
- Pay attention to short list.
- No.
- I have, and while I enjoyed the book without reading any others listed I'd not comment further.
- Of foremost importance to society of authors, next perhaps to the country where author from (esp if outside UK).
- Speculate that 'literati' may not consider MB lists to be literature. I think the prize is for the best in 'fiction', the shortlist and winner are chosen by a diverse group of folk, therefore I'd say the books are 'best' in that they'll appeal to a wide range of readers.

[Lit Bug (Foram)]

1. Yes
2. Keep a tab on the short-list and winners
3. Yes - even if it is unappealing at first sight - might be better inside
4. Yes, (Rushdie, and 3 others) and they were definitely worth it.
5. It can bring to notice good works that went unnoticed before.
6. I haven't read enough of them to compare, so sadly, do not have a well-considered observation to make.

Best luck :)

[Maria Magdalena]

Sorry for the late reply - haven't been on here for a while (to busy reading all the shortlisted Booker Prize candidates of the last 5 years)
1.Yes
2.Keep list of short-list and winner
3.Always
4.Read all winners of the last 20 odd years. 75% worth it.
5.Like any other 'Best', gets ppl's attention.
6.'Quality' is very subjective in literature.

[Tango]

1. Yes
2. Fairly aware, probably more in recent years.
3. Yes, I like to know what they saw in it. But if it didn't appeal I probably wouldn't read it.
4. Loved Bring up the Bodies ( but read it before it was awarded) it definitely deserved the award. Have read a few others and generally enjoyed them.
5. Recognition of great literature is really important, as is recognition in any field.
6. This is hard to answer. A book like Bring up the Bodies certainly reflects the best of literature. Some others like The Life of Pi are a bit more gimicky, entertaining but more light weight.

[Deb]

1: Yes

2:Reasonably aware of The Man Booker Prize, probably became more aware of it once I joined a book club (2005).

3:Would you be encouraged to read a book if it held a Man Booker Prize label on its cover? - no

4:Have you read a Man Booker Prize nominee or winner, and if so, do you think it was worthy of the award? - I have read about eight winners. No, I couple of the books were very disappointing. Certainly not what I would have expected from an award winning book.

5:In what ways do you think The Man Booker Prize is important to society? It creates conversation about books and ideas, and that is always good.

6: In your opinion, in what ways does The Man Booker Prize reflect the quality that the literary world has to offer? It might encourage people to read a bit wider than they normally do. Different ideas and helps readers see something from a different angle.

[★ Jess]

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed, every single answer has been a great help! I'm about to start collecting and analysing the results in order to wrap the project up (hopefully by mid-June). Thank you once more to everyone! x

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

I'll close this topic now as Jess is moving forward with the next step. Good luck Jess:)