Atwood, Evaristo share Man Booker Prize

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Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo jointly won the 2019 Booker Prize after judges decided it was a tie. British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie's tragicomic 'Quichotte' was among the six books shortlisted for the prize. The Booker rules say the prize must not be divided, but the judges insisted they "couldn't separate" Atwood's 'The Testament' and 'Girl, Woman, Other' by Evaristo, who was the first black woman to win the prestigious award since its creation in 1969. Atwood is the oldest woman to win the award. The judges said they strongly wanted both the authors to split the £50,000 award at a gala ceremony at Guildhall in London. Atwood's 'The Testaments' had been the bookmakers' favourite to scoop the award. She had also made the shortlist with 'The Handmaid's Tale' in 1986, with her latest book set 15 years after the end of that novel. The others shortlisted included Lucy Ellmann for 'Ducks, Newburyport', Chigozie Obioma for 'An Orchestra of Minorities', and Elif Shafak for '10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World'.

Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo jointly won the 2019 Booker Prize after judges decided it was a tie. 

British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie’s tragicomic ‘Quichotte’ was among the six books shortlisted for the prize.

The Booker rules say the prize must not be divided, but the judges insisted they “couldn’t separate” Atwood’s ‘The Testament’ and ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Evaristo, who was the first black woman to win the prestigious award since its creation in 1969. Atwood is the oldest woman to win the award. 

The judges said they strongly wanted both the authors to split the £50,000 award at a gala ceremony at Guildhall in London.

Atwood’s ‘The Testaments’ had been the bookmakers’ favourite to scoop the award. She had also made the shortlist with ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ in 1986, with her latest book set 15 years after the end of that novel.

The others shortlisted included Lucy Ellmann for ‘Ducks, Newburyport’, Chigozie Obioma for ‘An Orchestra of Minorities’, and Elif Shafak for ’10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World’.

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