Mary Beard, a British classicist and chair of the judging panel, dedicated six months to reading 163 works of fiction for this year's Booker Prize, one of the UK's most prestigious literary awards. Beard noted that the experience was more challenging than writing a book, describing it as a revelation and a privilege.
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The panel of five judges reduced the entries to a shortlist of six books, which honors the best long-form fiction in English by authors of any nationality. The winner will receive £50,000 ($67,400) and will be announced in London on Monday. Previous Booker Prize winners, including Douglas Stuart and Marlon James, are among the finalists.
The judges began their process around December of the previous year, receiving batches of about 30 books at a time and maintaining a reading schedule of at least one book per day without discussing their selections. When Beard fell behind, she isolated herself in a seaside hotel in Greece, dedicating up to 12 hours daily to reading. Fellow judge Rebecca Liu mentioned taking a book everywhere, even reading while waiting in lines, while musician Jarvis Cocker read on an iPad while touring.
The judging process involved each judge reading all entries, giving every book multiple chances for consideration. After creating a longlist known as the Booker Dozen, they re-evaluated the titles to finalize their shortlist and select a winner. The panel held lengthy, closed-door discussions at London’s Fortnum & Mason, where they employed a rating system to reach consensus, with judges ranking books as green, amber, or red.
They focused on two primary questions: whether they would read the book again and whether they would recommend it. In response to concerns about artificial intelligence, the judges aimed to spotlight works that embraced human elements and celebrated imperfections.