Tales of Libya, London make Booker shortlist

Novels that chronicle the secret lives of four Londoners, a childhood in Libya and different generations in the Himalayas are among six works named Thursday to the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize.

"Each of these novels has what we as judges were most looking for, a distinctive original voice, an audacious imagination that takes readers to undiscovered countries of the mind, a strong power of storytelling and a historical truthfulness," said a statement posted Thursday on the website for Britain's top book prize.

'It tears the underwear off London' -Booker judge Fiona Shaw in reference to 'The Night Watch' by Sarah Waters

The prize, created in 1969, is open to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth of former British colonies.

Six authors have been culled from a longer list of 19:

• The Inheritance Of Loss, by Kiran Desai, is about a bitter old judge whose peaceful retirement in the Himalayas is up-ended by the arrival of his granddaughter and the son of his cook.
• The Secret River by Kate Grenville isset in 19th-century Australia and centres on loss, love and redemption.
• Carry Me Down by M. J. Hyland is about a man's obsession with uncovering the truth.
• In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar concerns a nine-year-old boy living in Tripoli.
• Mother's Milk by Edward St. Aubyn is about a family's unravelling.
• The Night Watch by Sarah Waters revolves around four Londoners whose lives intersect in strange ways.

Literary experts were surprised that several heavyweights, such as previous winners Peter Carey and Barry Unsworth, were left off the list.

But Hermoine Lee, chair of the judges panel, preferred to point out the shortlist represented the diversity of the Commonwealth realm.

"There are four women and two men. They include an Indian writer [Desai] who has lived in America and England, an Australian [Grenville], an Irish woman [Hyland] and a Libyan-born Egyptian [Matar] now living in England."

Bookmakers in Britain have already made Waters the top dog as the2-to-1 favourite to land the prize.

"It tears the underwear off London," said one of the judges, actress Fiona Shaw, of The Night Watch.

The second favourite, at 3-to-1, was St. Aubyn's Mother's Milk.

The winner receives 50,000 ($105,400 Cdn)with a guaranteed increase in sales, while all six on the shortlist have won 2,500.

Last year's winner was John Banville for his novel, The Sea.

The only Canadian on the long list, Mary Lawson, was nominated for her second novel, The Other Side of the Bridge.The Ontario-born author has lived in England since 1968.

This year's judges include poet Simon Armitage andcritic Anthony Quinn.

The winner will be announced Oct. 10 in London.