Banville did it, Roddy Doyle did it, John McGahern, Sebastian Barry and Colm TóibÃn came close, but Anne Enright joins the tiny elite of Irish writers, and is the first Irish woman, to win the Man Booker Prize.
Wonderful.
The Gathering Wins the Man Booker
[photo credit: Joe O'Shaughnessy]
Complete List of Booker Winners
Anne Enright at Irish Writers Online
Interview with Anne Enright by Sinéad Gleeson on The Sigla Blog
Update: I stand corrected. Anne is the second Irish woman to win the Booker. Iris Murdoch was the first. See The Gathering wins Man Booker link above.
Update: RTÉ sound and video clips of Anne Enright, including The View interview
Philip, it’s great isn’t it? I feel really inspired by her win, not that literary prizes should be a motivation for writing, mind. But in era (as I said in the Herald last week) where Jordan’s “novel” outsells the entire Booker shortlist, it’s a very heartening decision.
Yes, Sinéad, I’m chuffed. I’ve always thought her a fine writer, and maybe in some secret way it’s a prize for all her good writing which sold only a miserable amount of copies, like most good literary work. The win is inspiring because so many thousands more will discover her, I imagine. That’s a really nice thought.