The longlist for the 2006 Man booker prize has been announced. The list is:
Theft: A Love Story, Peter Carey
The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai
Gathering the Water, Robert Edric
Get a Life, Nadine Gordimer
The Secret River, Kate Grenville
Carry Me Down, M.J. Hyland
Kalooki Nights, Howard Jacobson
Seven Lies, James Lasdun
The Other Side of the Bridge, Mary Lawson
So Many Ways to Begin, Jon McGregor
In the Country of Men, Hisham Matar
The Emperor's Children, Claire Messud
Black Swan Green, David Mitchell
The Perfect Man, Naeem Murr
Be Near Me, Andrew O'Hagan
The Testament of Gideon Mack, James Robertson
Mother's Milk, Edward St Aubyn
The Ruby in Her Navel, Barry Unsworth
The Night Watch, Sarah Waters
As usual there are a number of books that might have been expected to make the list but didn't. There are three past winners of the prize on the list in Carey, Gordimer and Unsworth, but there are also a lot of new names.
Three Australian authors have made this year's list: Carey, Grenville and Hyland. The last two of these are both published by Canongate in the UK - continuing that publisher's recent run of success with this award.
My guess is that it will be out of Carey, Mitchell and Waters, with Mitchell the favourite.
The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 14th September, and the winner on Tuesday 10th October.
