10 Booker Prize-winning books that can be read in Russian

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

One of the most prestigious awards in the field of literature is the British Booker, which is a kind of quality mark. For the first time this prize was awarded in 1969, since then several dozen authors writing in English and those whose works have been translated into English have become its owners. Our today's roundup presents the best books awarded by Booker over the years.

On the High Seas by Penelope Fitzgerald, 1979

The English writer was included in the list of the 50 best writers of the post-war period by The Times, but Penelope Fitzgerald herself had a much more modest opinion of her talent, and therefore, until the last moment, she did not believe that it was she who won the Booker Prize in 1979. Perhaps the secret of the writer's success lies in what she writes about people, their problems and the oddities of the intertwining of destinies.

Schindler's List, Thomas Keneally, 1982

The story of the creation of the legendary work began with a meeting of the writer Thomas Keneally with one of those people whom Oskar Schindler saved his life during the Second World War. Leopold Pfefferberg dreamed of telling the whole world the story of a man who saved people completely strangers to him, risking his own life. Kenilli wrote the book for a year and a half, and she simply could not help but become a laureate of the prestigious award.

The Rest of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro, 1989

The novel of the writer, of Japanese origin, deserved, together with the Booker Prize in 1989, the title of "one of the most English novels of the 20th century." The events of "Remains of the Day" develop during the Second World War, and the main character is a simple butler who knows how to be loyal and loyal, no matter what.

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje 1992

This novel was named Best Book of the 50th Anniversary, earning a Golden Booker and becoming a modern classic. Memories of a burned pilot who found himself in an abandoned villa will make three more heroes of The English Patient recall the bitter events of the past.

Amsterdam, Ian McEwan, 1998

The author calls his work a novel, but critics insist that it is, rather, a long story. However, the volume of Ian McEwan's book does not detract from the merits of the work. "Amsterdam" makes the reader think about human values and offers several answers to the age-old question about the meaning of life.

The Blind Killer, Margaret Atwood, 2000

This novel made Atwood the Booker Prize winner for the second time (the first prize brought the book "Testaments"). The jury members could not ignore both the deep meaning of the work and the unusual interweaving of several genres. "The Blind Killer" is both a love story, a detective story and a thriller, supplemented by extracts from a fantastic story.

The Narrow Road to the Far North by Richard Flanagan, 2014

The writer dedicated the novel to his father, who went through Japanese concentration camps and ironically left the world on the day Richard Flanagan completed his 12-year work on the work. But the book, which won the Booker Prize, tells not only about the suffering of people who were prisoners, but also about courage and honor, love and hope that helped to survive in inhuman conditions.

The Selling Thing, Paul Baity, 2016

Publishers did not believe in the success of Paul Baity's novel and refused to print it as many as 18 times. However, they can be understood, since the work turned out to be too provocative, and the author's reasoning on exciting topics of racism, political correctness and corruption could not hide behind Beyty's sparkling humor.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, 2017

The work of the writer turned out to be very unusual. In addition to the fact that the author until this moment was famous for short forms, this time he decided to describe the stay in the other world of the youngest son of the 16th President of the United States. At the same time, the reader has to go through the entire difficult path of the heroes of the novel and almost physically feel their torment and torment.

The Milkman, Anna Burns, 2018

This work is able to surprise readers with its uniqueness. In it, the author does not give names to his heroes and does not mention settlements. Even the main character, on whose behalf the story is told, calls herself exclusively "the middle sister." She talks about the persecution by a stranger in such an emotional and confusing way that it seems as if the author, along with the stream of consciousness of his heroine, is trying to convey to the readers something very important, which cannot be talked about openly.

Forbes, summing up the book results of 2020, identified works of fiction that were the leaders in sales. This took into account sales of paper, electronic and audio books.