man booker prize

[lobelia321]

I'm so disappointed.

Two of our good friends were in the running for the Booker Prize this year. (I know!! Isn't that amazing??!) They are Amitav Ghosh and Phil Hensher, and both of their novels are absolutely astounding and fantastic.

But just now on the BBC they showed the prize ceremony (for all of 3 seconds! the bloody Academy Awards get hours and hours, and what do literary prizes get? humph) and neither of them has won. Instead, Aravind Adiga's book won and I read that (I have a signed copy! I got it at the Wordfest!) and I thought it was o-kay but not fantastic.

*sigh*

Comments

[ia-ne.livejournal.com]

You're good friends with Amitav Ghosh?! That's so surreal. It's probably surreal that you know Phil Hensher, too, but I have never heard of him before :)

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Heh, why is it so surreal? I am just amazed that we know people who became famous. Hm. What have I done with my life instead...?

[ia-ne.livejournal.com]

It's surreal that you personally know someone who wrote a book which I read :) The Glass Palace, not the booker one, but I will try that one, too!

And well, you are writing a book right now, aren't you!

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

The Sea of Poppies is ten times better than Glass Palace. Really, it is fantastic.

It's true, I am writing a book right now. Except it doesn't feel very glamorous at all...

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Ah, commiserations (cool that they got nominated though). All the Booker stuff passed me by this year, but both your friends' novels look interesting - I shall put them on my incredibly long list!

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Booker gets less and less advertised in bookshops. Except our Waterstone's; they even had a pamphlet with excerpts! You can put them on your long list and wait until they come out in paperback. I nearly broke my wrist, shlepping the Hensher around with me. But I was so rivetted I had to read it walking along the street, there was nothing for it.

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

bloody hell, i think i'd crumble under the pressure of knowing Famous Novelists. both books sound really cool.

i didn't even know it was booker prize night - that shows how poor the coverage was.

b.x :)

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

When we got to know them, they weren't yet famous! So it just goes to show... something. Not sure what. Possibly that sum people got famous in the past 20 years, and sum (liek me) not. The Booker was on the BBC at ten for all of about 1.3 seconds, and half of that was without sound because they weren't getting their act together. *tuts*