Jeet Thayil’s ‘Narcopolis’ makes it to Booker shortlist

NEW DELHI: Jeet Thayil’s ‘Narcopolis’ was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize for fiction on Tuesday. Thayil, 52, is primarily known as a poet and ‘Narcopolis’, set in the opium-hazed Mumbai of the 1970s, is his debut novel.
The other five shortlisted books are Tan Twan Eng’s ‘The Garden of Evening Mists’, Deborah Levy’s ‘Swimming Home’, Hilary Mantel’s ‘Bring up the Bodies’, Alison Moore’s ‘The Lighthouse’ and Will Self’s ‘Umbrella’.
The six books were chosen by a panel of judges chaired by Sir Peter Stothard, editor, Times Literary Supplement. The shortlisted books were selected from a longlist of 12 announced in July.
Indian writers or those of Indian origin have traditionally fared well at the Booker.
The last Indian to win the coveted prize was Aravind Adiga for ‘White Tiger’ in 2008. Before him, Kiran Desai won it for ‘The Inheritance of Loss’ (2006).
The 2012 winner will be announced on October 16. Each shortlisted writer is awarded £2,500 and a specially commissioned handbound edition of his/her book. The winner receives a further £50,000.