Alex Massie Alex Massie

Tales of the Booker

The Guardian, bless it, has a super feature asking a judge from each of the Booker Prize’s 40(!) years to recall their experiences as a member of the panel. It’s a terrific read and well worth your time. (One surprise, to me at least, the amount of love shown JG Farrell’s The Siege of Krishnapur). Anyway, some highlights to encourage you to read the whole thing:

1969, Frank Kermode:
Getting through the 60 was made easier by our not daring to take on Dame Rebecca [West]. “Miss Murdoch writes good and bad novels in alternate years,” she said. “This is a bad year.” Muriel Spark: “clever but too playful.” And out they went.

1974, Ion Trewin:
We were three judges – AS Byatt, Elizabeth Jane Howard and me. At the shortlist meeting, Jane remarked that she thought Ending Up by Kingsley Amis (then her husband) was his best book and should go on the shortlist. I looked first at Antonia, and then at Martyn Goff, the prize’s administrator – both remained impassive. We broke for a breather. Martyn said that as chairman it was up to me. Antonia liked the novel (as did I). On literary grounds neither of us had problems about shortlisting it, but what would the press say?

1982, Paul Bailey:
There are many things I regret doing, and being a judge for the Booker prize is one of them. For some years after I was associated with two novels I absolutely loathed and would not have even started reading in other circumstances.

1983, Fay Weldon:
As a fervent feminist (25 years back), and taking time to make up my mind, I made a joke: “I haven’t got my husband here to help me decide.” But one should never make jokes in the presence of the police, security or at a Booker prize judging, and word got round that I meant it.









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