LONDON - Salman Rushdieâs novel âShalimar the Clownâ, about a Kashmiri boy who becomes an Islamic terrorist, has made the 2005 longlist for the prestigious Booker Prize.
| I'm sure it's a real snoozer. I tried reading The Satanic Verses and thought it was one of the most boring, put-up books I've ever started. I don't think I got to page 60. |
The yet-to-be-released book was named Wednesday alongside 16 others in the running for the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The prize is awarded every October for the best work of fiction by a British, Irish or Commonwealth author.
âShalimar the Clownâ details how a radical mullah transforms a teenage Muslim boy into an Islamic terrorist.
The book could cause fresh controversy for Rushdie.
| He's already got one death sentence. What's another one? |
Former Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict, on Rushdie in 1989, calling for his execution because of alleged apostasy and blasphemy in his novel âThe Satanic Versesâ.
Three debut novels are also in the running: âThis Thing of Darknessâ by Harry Thompson, âThe Harmony Silk Factoryâ by Tash Aw and âA Short History of Tractors in Ukrainianâ by Marina Lewycka.
| Oh, how I love a good tractor story! |
The prize winner receives 50,000 pounds (72,500 euros, 90,000 dollars) and five other shortlisted authors get 2,500 pounds plus an almost guaranteed worldwide readership and an upsurge in book sales. âThis has been an exceptional year, and in the judgesâ opinion may rank as one of the strongest ever since the prize was founded in 1969,â said judges chairman John Sutherland. âIt is also a nicely balanced longlist with four previous Booker winners, three first novels and a satisfying range of styles. The judges have enjoyed their judging experience enormously â so far.â
| "And we have a tractor story this year, how exciting!" he bubbled. |
The shortlist will be revealed on September 8 and the winner announced on October 10. |