National staff
One of the books long-listed for the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction has a story set in Dubai.
Joseph O'Neill's The Dog, which is due out in September, is described as a dark comedy about a New York lawyer who attempts to rebound from a failed relationship by moving to Dubai for a job. This marks the second time the Irish-American writer has been nominated for a Booker; the first was for 2008's Netherland.
This is the first year writers of all nationalities have been eligible for the Booker, previously open only to authors from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth of former British colonies – and the Americans have arrived in force.
Five U S-based writers are on the 13-book long list for the prestigious fiction award: O’Neill as well as Americans Joshua Ferris, Karen Joy Fowler, Siri Hustvedt and Richard Powers.
Also on the list are Britain’s Howard Jacobson, Neel Mukherjee, Paul Kingsnorth, David Mitchell, David Nicholls and Ali Smith, Ireland’s Niall Williams and Australia’s Richard Flanagan. Some British writers fear the change may lead to U S dominance of the award.
The short list for the £50,000 (Dh312,927) prize will be revealed on September 9, while the winner will be announced on October 14.
*With files from Associated Press
