Man Booker Prize finalists announced

Finalists have been announced for Britain’s most prestigious literary award, the Man Booker Prize.

The six books in the running for the $89,500 prize are “Bitter Fruit,” by Achmat Dangor; “The Electric Michelangelo,” by Sarah Hall; “The Line of Beauty,” by Alan Hollinghurst; “The Master,” by Colm Toibin; “I’ll Go to Bed at Noon,” by Gerard Woodward; and “Cloud Atlas,” by David Mitchell. The winner will be named Oct. 19.

Although full of praise for the six shortlisted books, the judging panel criticized the general standard of the 132 novels that were entered.

“Of the books submitted, I have to say quite a number were not very good,” said Labour Party lawmaker Chris Smith, chairman of the panel.

All the shortlisted authors are British apart from Irishman Toibin and South African Dangor. The Man Booker Prize is open to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth of former British colonies.