Four of the Booker Prize finalists met for the first time in Manchester on Saturday to discuss their books – before the announcement of the winner tomorrow.
The discussion took place at Waterstones Deansgate, and featured four of the finalists: Samantha Harvey (Orbital), Anne Michaels (Held), Yael van de Wouden (The Safekeep) and Charlotte Wood (Stone Yard Devotional). Digital contributions were made by Percival Everett (James) and Rachel Kushner (Creation Lake).
The panel was hosted by award-winning novelist Okechukwu Nzelu (Here Again Now).
It was the first time the finalists had been together in person. Harvey said: “It is so moving to be in the room with these authors.”
The Booker Prize is a highly prestigious award for the best sustained work of fiction written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. The winner will receive £50,000 and a trophy, as well as global acclaim.
The novels span a range of themes, including family and generational turmoil.
Wood’s novel, Stone Yard Devotional is set in a remote Australian town, and delves into the complexity of family dynamics. Wood said: “There’s something in me that’s always been interested in the tensions of the group dynamics of women.”
Michaels’ book – Held – spans four generations in the aftermath of WWII. She said: “I wanted to show that love continues past the span of a life.
“I knew right from the start that the book would look at all of the forces that bring us to the present moment – things we choose, and things we do not.”
The authors discussed the varying settings of their stories.
Harvey’s Orbital follows six astronauts across 24 hours in a day in their lives. Harvey said: ”I didn’t mean to write about space. My inspiration was actually a month in the country.
“Maybe it’s because I’m very unadventurous and not audacious. I’d rather write about space from my desk.”
Van der Wouden’s novel, The Safekeep, explores a woman’s battle with repression in the postwar Netherlands.
“I grew up in a very Calvinist area of the Netherlands,” she said.
“I gave the protagonist a lot of Calvinist influence, from the routines, to the food. Food is something to be eaten to function, anything more than that becomes sinful.”
The Booker Prize has been running for 55 years, and this year marks the most women – five out of six nominees – selected for the shortlist. The novels were chosen from 156 works that were submitted by publishers.
The Booker Prize winner 2024 will be announced on Tuesday at 12 Billingsgate, London. The ceremony will be livestreamed on the Booker Prize’s Instagram and YouTube channel. The winner will receive £50,000 and a trophy, as well as global acclaim.
