Anna Burns Wins the 2018 Man Booker Prize
Finally, a Non-American
Anna Burns has won the 2018 Man Booker Prize for her novel, Milkman.
As of this afternoon, 27-year-old Daisy Johnson, the youngest author ever to make the Booker Prize shortlist, was also the favorite to win, with Ladbrokes giving the book 9/2 odds. (Richard Powers was given 5/2—and was the favorite until today—Esi Edugyan 7/2, Robin Robertson 5/1, Anna Burns 6/1 and Rachel Kushner 7/1.)
Burns has beaten those odds, and will be awarded £50,000. Each of the shortlisted authors will receive £2,500 and a special edition of their book.
The judging panel this year was chaired by philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah, and otherwise consisted of crime writer Val McDermid; cultural critic Leo Robson; feminist writer and critic Jacqueline Rose; and artist and graphic novelist Leanne Shapton.
The other books on the shortlist were:
Esi Edugyan, Washington Black (Canada)
Daisy Johnson, Everything Under (UK)
Rachel Kushner, The Mars Room (USA)
Richard Powers, The Overstory (USA)
Robin Robertson, The Long Take (UK)
Read our breakdown of the Man Booker Prize by the numbers for a fun afternoon activity, and then head over to Book Marks to see what the critics wrote about every Man Booker Prize winner of the 21st century.
Emily Temple
Emily Temple is the managing editor at Lit Hub. Her first novel, The Lightness, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins in June 2020. You can buy it here.
