Irish author Emma Donoghue on Booker shortlist
Emma Donoghue, author of Room, is among the six writers shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The shortlist, which also includes Peter Carey, Damon Galgut, Howard Jacobson, Andrea Levy and Tom McCarthy, was announced this morning by Chair of Judges, Sir Andrew Motion, at a press conference held at Man's London headquarters.
Donoghue's tenth work of fiction, Room was only published a month ago by Picador (Pan Macmillan) and has already entered the Irish and UK bestseller lists. Written in the unique voice of Jack, it tells the story of his and Ma's life together in Room, where he sleeps in Wardrobe and Old Nick visits at night. When Jack turns five, he begins to ask questions and Ma reveals that there is a world outside of Room. While drawing on recent incidents of child abduction and imprisonment in Belgium and Austria, it is less of a horror story than a childhood adventure and 'a celebration of resilience and the love between parent and child'.
Emma Donoghue's entry in the ILE Online Database is available here. She is also the author of short stories, literary history and drama. Her 1995 novel, Hood, was translated into Swedish and Hebrew with support from ILE. Emma lives in London, Ontario.
The winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize for Fiction will be announced on Tuesday, 12 October.