Julian Barnes Wins 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction
Posted on October 24, 2011
Julian Barnes won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel, The Sense of an Ending. Barnes was the bookies' favorite to win the prize. The book is published by Jonathan Cape in the U.K. and by Knopf in the U.S.
The prize includes a cash prize of 50,000 pounds, which is about $ U.S. It also typically results in a boost in book sales. Publishers Weekly reports that Knopf has already gone back to printe for another 40,000 copies.
Barnes' novel tells the story of a seemingly ordinary man who, when revisiting his past in later life, discovers that the memories he holds are less than perfect. Dame Stella Rimington, Chair of the 2011 judges, said in a statement, "Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending has the markings of a classic of English Literature. It is exquisitely written, subtly plotted and reveals new depths with each reading."
