Northern Irish writer Anna Burns wins 2018 Booker Prize for 'Milkman'

October 17, 2018 09:17

Author Anna Burns has won the Man Booker Prize for her novel Milkman, becoming the first author from Northern Ireland to win the most prestigious English-language literary award.

Burns, 56, who was born in Belfast, is the 17th woman to bag the award in its 49-year history and the first woman since 2013. It was her third novel.

Milkman, a coming of age story of a young woman's affair with a married man set in the political troubles of Northern Ireland, was named the winner at a lavish awards ceremony in London on Tuesday night.

"None of us has ever read anything like this before. Anna Burns' utterly distinctive voice challenges conventional thinking and form in surprising and immersive prose," said Kwame Anthony Appiah, the chair of the 2018 judging panel.

"It is a story of brutality, sexual encroachment and resistance threaded with mordant humour. Set in a society divided against itself, Milkman explores the insidious forms oppression can take in everyday life," he said.

The recipient of the Man Booker Prize gets 52,500 pounds (USD 69,223 or Rs 50.85 lakh).

Burns, who lives in East Sussex in England, saw off competition from two British writers, two American writers and one Canadian writer.

Set in an unnamed city, Milkman focuses on a "middle sister" as she navigates her way through rumour, social pressures and politics in a tight-knit community.

Burns shows the dangerous and complex impact on a woman coming of age in a city at war.

Unusually, in the book, the characters have designations rather than names.

Burns explains: "The book didn't work with names. It lost power and atmosphere and turned into a lesser or perhaps just a different book.

"In the early days I tried out names a few times, but the book wouldn't stand for it. The narrative would become heavy and lifeless and refuse to move on until I took them out again. Sometimes the book threw them out itself".

Her novel beat competition from Everything Under by Daisy Johnson, who, at 27, was the youngest nominee in the Man Booker prize history.

The other nominees were The Long Take by Robin Robertson, Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner, and The Overstory by Richard Powers.

Milkman is published by Faber & Faber, making it the fourth consecutive year the prize has been won by an independent publisher. -- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Fleming hails Dhoni's batting: 'It's inspirational!'

His brilliant form notwithstanding, Mahendra Singh Dhoni cannot be promoted in the batting order as his recovery from a knee injury has restricted his ability to wield the willow for long periods, said Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen...

Explosions rock pro-Iran military base in Iraq

However, the reason behind the explosions is not known as yet.

CSK Vs LSG: Who Bowled Best? Vote!

Krunal Pandya emerged as the wrecker-in-chief on Friday night.

'It was world-class batsmanship from Rahul and de Kock'

Lucknow Super Giants pacer Matt Henry was in awe of the "world-class batsmanship" of skipper KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, saying the century-plus opening stand between the duo helped them outclass a "very good" Chennai Super Kings...

IRDAI removes age limits on health insurance, huge relief for seniors

The move by the insurance regulatory body aims to create a more inclusive healthcare ecosystem in India and to encourage insurance provider companies to diversify their product offerings.