The 2015 Man Booker Prize longlist is in, and this year’s selection is roughly half men (six) and half women (seven). The prize was historically limited to authors from the U.K., the Commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe; this is only the second year that it has been open to anyone writing in the English language and published in the U.K. The longlist includes five American authors, up from four last year.
One author on the list, Anne Enright, has already won a Man Booker Prize for her 2007 novel The Gathering. Tom McCarthy, Andrew O’Hagan and Marilynne Robinson have all previously been shortlisted, though Robinson was then in the Man Booker International Prize category, which has been reenvisioned to award a book in translation now that the general award is open to all Anglophone writers.
This year’s roundup also includes three debut novels, from Bill Clegg, Chigozie Obioma and Anna Smaill.
Bill Clegg (U.S.) — Did You Ever Have a Family
Anne Enright (Ireland) — The Green Road
Marlon James (Jamaica) — A Brief History of Seven Killings
Laila Lalami (U.S.) — The Moor’s Account
Tom McCarthy (U.K.) — Satin Island
Chigozie Obioma (Nigeria) — The Fishermen
Andrew O’Hagan (U.K.) — The Illuminations
Marilynne Robinson (U.S.) — Lila
Anuradha Roy (India) — Sleeping on Jupiter
Sunjeev Sahota (U.K.) — The Year of the Runaways
Anna Smaill (New Zealand) — The Chimes
Anne Tyler (U.S.) — A Spool of Blue Thread
Hanya Yanagihara (U.S.) — A Little Life
The shortlist will be announced on Sept. 15, and the winner on Oct. 13. Shortlisters will be awarded with £2,500 ($3,918) and the winner will receive an additional £50,000 ($78,358).
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Your Vote Is Safe
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- How the Electoral College Actually Works
- Robert Zemeckis Just Wants to Move You
- Column: Fear and Hoping in Ohio
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com