Man Booker Prize winner: George Saunders wins top award for 'Lincoln in the Bardo'
George Saunders has won the prestigious Man Booker Prize, for his work Lincoln in the Bardo.
The acclaimed short story author is the second American writer to win the award in its 49-year history.
It is his first full length work, and was given the highest possible rating in a review by The Independent.
Lincoln in the Bardo tells the story of a single night in the life of Abraham Lincoln – an evening in in 1862 when the body of his 11-year-old son was laid to rest in a Washington cemetery.
William ‘Willie’ Lincoln died of typhoid fever as his fahter struggled to lead the Union through the Civil War.
The novel tells the imagined experiences of Lincoln, one of most revered US Presidents, as he visits the crypt where his dead son lies, and enters a world of spirits.
“The form and style of this utterly original novel, reveals a witty, intelligent, and deeply moving narrative,” said Chair of judges Lola, Baroness Young.
“This tale of the haunting and haunted souls in the afterlife of Abraham Lincoln’s young son paradoxically creates a vivid and lively evocation of the characters that populate this other world.
“Lincoln in the Bardo is both rooted in, and plays with history, and explores the meaning and experience of empathy.”
Mr Saunders’ novel was chosen over five other shortlisted works: 4 3 2 1, by Paul Auster; History of Wolves, by Emily Fridlund; Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid; Elmet, by Fiona Mozley, and Autumn, by Ali Smith.
Luke Ellis, CEO of the Man Group, said: “We are pleased to congratulate George Saunders, along with each of the shortlisted authors, for his fantastic achievement this year.
“At Man Group, we are extremely proud to be sponsoring the world’s foremost literary prize and celebrating exceptional literary talent for a fifteenth year.
“We understand the importance of intellectual capital and creative thought – and indeed, the ability to view the world from different lenses matters more than ever today, in this age of rapid and inexorable change.
“We also believe that businesses like ours have an important duty to advance progress in education at every level: from prizes like this, which recognise global talent, to the local grassroots initiatives championed by the Booker Prize Foundation and the Man Charitable Trust, which we are honoured to support.”
