Congratulations to the authors shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize!

This is the first year that this prestigious literary award has been open to any author writing in English, as long as their work is published in the United Kingdom (previously, the prize was only open to authors from the UK & Commonwealth, Republic of Ireland or Zimbabwe.) The shortlist includes books from two Americans. It also includes Australian author Richard Flanagan!

Here is the shortlist in full:

• To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris (Read our review)
• The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (Read our review)
• We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (Read our review)
• J by Howard Jacobson
• The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee
• How to be Both by Ali Smith (Read our review)

The winning author and novel will be announced on Tuesday 14 October, 2014.

You can read more about the Man Booker Prize here.