Intimate
insights into the lives of Man Booker Prize writers and judges, an
interactive timeline from 1969 to the present and the latest news from
the literary world: just some of the treasures that can be found on the
new-look website for the Man Booker Prizes, launched on Friday 20th July 2012.
Reflecting
the evolution of the Man Booker awards in the digital era, the enhanced
site will continue to focus on the very best in fiction whilst allowing
visitors to experience the prizes in greater depth and across a variety
of new platforms and formats. It’s never been easier to keep up with
prize news online, be it on pocket-sized smartphones, tablets or
widescreen monitors. Live feeds from Twitter and Facebook also mean
up-to-the-minute updates on what people are saying about the prizes and
the wider world of literature.
Regular
features will include video interviews with highly acclaimed writers,
kicking off with Howard Jacobson talking about his experience of winning
the 2010 prize and writing his new novel, Zoo Time, as well as
Kazuo Ishiguro and Sarah Waters, talking about the impact of the Man
Booker Prize on their careers and giving a behind-the-scenes glimpse of
their writing habits and favourite authors. For the next month, visitors
will also have the chance to watch an exclusive interview with 2011 Man
Booker Prize winner, Julian Barnes, as he speaks candidly about his
experience of being shortlisted and, finally, winning the prize.
As
well as hearing about prize-winning authors, two key names behind the
prizes – Ion Trewin, Literary Director of the Booker Prize Foundation,
and Fiammetta Rocco, Administrator of the Man Booker International –
will give an insight into what it is to oversee a leading literary
prize. There will also be podcasts from the prize season, such as Dame
Stella Rimington’s winner announcement at last year’s award ceremony, as
well as interviews with 2011 shortlisted authors.
Additionally,
in the coming months there will be picture galleries from Man Booker
Prize events and an events calendar to help book lovers keep up with
writers and judges throughout the year, from local bookshop signings to
major literary festivals.
Visitors
to the new site can also explore the history of the prizes through an
online archive; over 40 years of fascinating facts from 1969 to the
present day. This timeline allows visitors to filter information by
years, prizes, books, judges and writers.
The Man Booker Prize celebrates its 44th
year in 2012, whilst the Man Booker International Prize will award its
fifth winner in 2013. In the last year alone, the Man Booker Prizes
website has attracted in excess of a million visitors from across the
globe, whilst its Twitter feed has accrued almost 15,000 followers. The
new website is the latest in a series of digital initiatives for the
prize, which include a Man Booker Prize room on Apple's iBookstore and
Kindles for Man Booker Prize judges.
The
2012 Man Booker Prize judges will announce ‘The Booker Dozen’, their
longlist of 12 or 13 titles, on 25th July 2012, followed by a shortlist of
six titles on 11th September. The winner of the 2012 Man Booker Prize
will be announced at London’s Guildhall at an awards ceremony on 16 th
October 2012.
For further details please visit www.themanbookerprize.com
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