Salman Rushdie' s Midnight's Children Wins Best of the Booker Award
Salman Rushdie's book Midnight's Children has won
the "Best of the Booker" prize. The prize was to mark the 40th anniversary of the prestigious book prize.
"Midnight's Children" won the Booker Prize in 1981, and the Indian-born writer was hot favorite to take the award decided by the public from a shortlist of six in an online poll.
The 61-year-old, whose 1988 novel "The Satanic Verses" outraged many Muslims and prompted death threats against him, also won the 25th anniversary Booker prize in 1993.
"I think it was an extraordinary shortlist and it was an honor to be on it," Rushdie said in a recorded message from the United States, where he is on a book tour.
His sons, Zafar and Milan, accepted a trophy in London on his behalf, and the author said it was apt that "my real children (are) accepting a prize for my imaginary children."
Milan, the youngest, added: "I'm really looking forward to reading it when I'm older. Well done Dad."
Victoria Glendinning, chair of the panel who drew up a shortlist, said the entries were dominated by themes of the end of empire and two world wars.
"These are the nettles we have been compelled to try and grasp," she told reporters.
But there was some criticism of the award, partly because the choice was narrowed to just six nominees.
"It's an artificial exercise, simply because the general public only got to pick from six of the previous winners," said Jonathan Ruppin, promotions manager at Foyles bookshop.
Readers were able to vote on a short list, which consisted of Rushdie's book,
The Ghost Road by Pat Barker, Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey, Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell and The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer. 8,000 people from all over the world voted: Rushdie received 36% of the vote.
