The Booker Prizes in 2019 consisted of two prestigious literary awards: the Booker Prize for Fiction and the Booker Prize for International Fiction. Here are the winners and shortlisted books for both categories:
- Booker Prize for Fiction 2019:
- Winner: “The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood: The highly anticipated sequel to Atwood’s dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Testaments” continues the story of the Republic of Gilead through the perspectives of three female narrators.
- Shortlisted books:
- “Ducks, Newburyport” by Lucy Ellmann: A mammoth novel told in a single sentence, it explores the inner monologue of an Ohio housewife.
- “Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernardine Evaristo: This novel follows the lives of twelve characters, predominantly black women, living in the UK.
- “An Orchestra of Minorities” by Chigozie Obioma: Set in Nigeria, the book tells the story of a young poultry farmer who sacrifices everything for the woman he loves.
- “Quichotte” by Salman Rushdie: Inspired by Cervantes’ “Don Quixote,” Rushdie’s novel is a modern-day tale of a traveling salesman’s quest for love and redemption.
- “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World” by Elif Shafak: The book follows the final thoughts of a sex worker in Istanbul after her murder.
- Booker Prize for International Fiction 2019:
- Winner: “Celestial Bodies” by Jokha Alharthi (translated by Marilyn Booth): The first novel by an Omani woman to be translated into English, it explores the lives of three sisters and their experiences in a rapidly changing society.
- Shortlisted books:
- “The Years” by Annie Ernaux (translated by Alison L. Strayer): A collective autobiography that reflects on French society and politics from the 1940s to the 2000s.
- “The Pine Islands” by Marion Poschmann (translated by Jen Calleja): A German novel that follows a man’s journey to Japan after his life falls apart.
- “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” by Olga Tokarczuk (translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones): A darkly comedic novel centered around an eccentric woman living in a remote Polish village.
- “The Shape of the Ruins” by Juan Gabriel Vásquez (translated by Anne McLean): A historical novel that blends fact and fiction, exploring the assassination of a Colombian politician and its impact on society.
These were the notable books that received recognition and acclaim in the 2019 Booker Prizes, highlighting diverse storytelling and literary excellence.