Posted by Steven on 15/2/2012, 9:03:22, in reply to "Re: Sense of and Ending - Julian Barnes"
76.186.47.15
One of my friends on LibraryThing just finished reading The Sense of an Ending, and while he said it was a good book of its kind, he couldn't believe that there weren't other, meatier books deserving of the Booker Prize. (Of course, the entire shortlist was heavily criticized for being too influenced by readability=marketability.) This is, in part, what he said:
Just what was the selection criteria used by the Man Booker panel? I can only suppose it was something like this:
1) A well respected previously nominated author with at least ten published novels
2) A novel that can be read at one sitting, is not too heavy to read in bed and is under 150 pages long
3) Subject matter that would appeal to an over 60 reading group that is well represented on the judging panel - J B's novel is perfect with its reflections on the passing of time and its nostalgia for times past
4) A final twist and a satisfactory tying up of loose ends so that the reader gets a sense of fulfilment when finishing.
5) It must be witty at all times with a couple of good jokes and any aphorisms should be repeated to ensure they hit the mark
6) There must be a time shift in the novel as its well known that most novels today have at least two parts.
7) There ought to be some cultural references - J B scores highly here with his naming of Donovan's A gift from a flower to a garden. This shows good taste and some 60's street cred.
8) Any difficult words or Latin phrases should be fully explained in the text, the reader should not be troubled with the chore of looking things up.
9) The novel must be well written with no annoying intertextuality or stylistic unevenness.
10) There should be no hint of experimentation, literary cleverness or any of that post modernism crap.
11) Unwritten criteria - A white male author over 60 would be acceptable to all panel members.
