Image via Wikipedia

The count down has already begun for the announcement of the much coveted literary award of international reputation, the Booker Prize, 2009, on October, 6, 2009.

The Booker Prize, an award with a cash prize of 50,000 Pound sterling is meant for the best novel written in English by a writer in the previous year; the Booker prize was instituted in the year 1969; while the Nobel Prize for literature is meant for the life time achievement of a writer in the literary field, the Booker prize is meant for a single novel written by an author.

As per the rules of the award, an author of a novel cannot submit or nominate himself for the Booker prize.The publisher of the novel has to submit his nomination for a book along with two copies of the novel.A panel of five judges of international reputation will choose the Booker prize award winner from the short listed authors.

The Booker prize has always been friendly with the Indian authors; in the 40 years history of the Booker prize award, umpteen number of awards have gone to the Indian authors; the list of Indian authors who won the Booker price include: Salman Rushdie (1981), again as a Booker of Booker price winner in the year 1993 and 2008, Naipaul, Arunthathi Roy, Kiran Desai, Anitha Desai and most recently Aravind Adhika in the year 2008 for his novel ‘White Tiger.

For the year 2009, the Booker prize will be announced on October,6,2009, to the writer of a novel published in the previous year, from one amongst the six short listed novels.

The six short listed novels under consideration for Booker Prize are:-

1)The Children’s Book by A.S .Byatt, 2)Summertime by J.M.Coetze. 3)The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds, 4)Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, 5)The Glass Room by Simon Mawer, 6)The Little Stranger by Sarah Walters.

Amongst the six short listed authors, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is considered as favourite to win the coveted prize.

Rather than the monetary gain associated with the prize which is only 50,000 Pound sterling, it is the international recognition, prestige and reputation enjoyed by the book as well as by the author, helps the author to skyrocket the sales of the prize winning novel, besides enhancing his fame and prestige; The Booker Prize winner also becomes the much acclaimed author that enhances his future writing career and makes him the much sought after author among the book publishers. There is also every possibility of selling the rights of the novel for the production of a Hollywood movie.Thus the Booker prize winner is virtually driven  towards a treasure house of avenues and opportunities.

The entire writing world is eagerly awaiting the dawn of October, 6, 2009, to greet the lucky Booker prize winner.