The Booker Prize longlist has arrived and this year’s shows a broader range than ever, as it features its youngest and oldest-ever authors, along with debut novels as well as the shortest book ever to be nominated for the prize.
Five judges read 169 books to determine the longlist, and of the 13 books longlisted, three are debut novels, including After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz, Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley, and Maps of our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer.
At 20 years old, Leila Mottley is now the youngest-ever author to be long-listed, while Alan Garner, 87, is the oldest. At 116 pages, Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These is the shortest book to ever appear on the longlist.
Previously shortlisted authors NoViolet Bulawayo, Karen Joy Fowler and Graeme Macrae Burnet, and previously longlisted Elizabeth Strout are recognised, and the majority of writers have been published by independent publishers, including first-time appearances from Influx Press and Sort of Books.
In a statement, Neil MacGregor, chair of the Booker Prize 2022 judges, said: “Exceptionally well written and carefully crafted, in whatever genre, they seem to us to exploit and expand what the language can do.”
He added: “The list offers story, fable and parable, fantasy, mystery, meditation and thriller.”
The shortlist comes out on September 6, and the winner will be announced on October 17.
The Booker prize 2022 longlist
Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo
Trust by Hernan Diaz
The Trees by Percival Everett
Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
Treacle Walker by Alan Garner
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shahan Karunatilaka
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Case Study by Graeme Macrae Burnet
The Colony by Audrey Magee
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
After Sappho by Selby Lynn Schwartz
Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
