Irish writer among Booker favourites

Critics have hailed his third novel – after 'This Is The Life' and 'The Breezes' - as a post-9/11 masterpiece.

Irish author Sebastian Barry has also been included in the 13-strong long list for his book, 'The Secret Scripture'.

Rushdie, who won the award in 1981 with 'Midnight’s Children', has been nominated again for 'The Enchantress of Florence'.

Bookmakers immediately named O’Neill and Rushdie as favourites for the shortlist, to be announced in September ahead of the winner a month later at a ceremony in London.

Bookmakers William Hill said that although Rushdie was a recognised heavyweight, O’Neill was attracting a lot of attention on his first time being nominated.

“Although Salman Rushdie is the man in form having won the Booker of Bookers, that book is now over 20 years old and his recent work has not been winning literary awards,” said Graham Sharpe, a spokesman for the bookmakers.

“However, Joseph O’Neill’s novel, Netherland, has been creating a real buzz”.

The Man Booker Prize was won last year by Anne Enright for 'The Gathering' and three years ago by John Banville for 'The Sea'.

Among the books longlisted this year, two are by former Booker winners and five by debut novelists.

Six of the authors are British and the others hail from Australia, Ireland, India and Pakistan.

At 81, John Berger is the oldest author on the list and nominated for his latest work 'From A to X'.

The British novelist, painter, art historian and author of 'Ways of Seeing' last won the prize 36 years ago for the novel cryptically entitled 'G'.

The youngest writer on this year’s longlist is Tom Rob Smith, 29, who is longlisted for his first novel, 'Child 44'.

'Gladiator' director Ridley Scott snapped up the film rights to the crime novel, set in Stalin’s Russia, by the British author, who lives in London.

Other first-time novelists include Aravind Adiga, from India, longlisted for 'The White Tiger'; Australian writer Steve Toltz, for a 'Fraction of the Whole'; Pakistan-born Londoner Mohammed Hanif for 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes'; and Cardiff-born Gaynor Arnold for 'Girl in a Blue Dress'.

Established authors include British novelist Linda Grant, nominated for 'The Clothes on Their Backs'.

Philip Hensher is longlisted for his latest work, 'The Northern Clemency', which follows two families’ fortunes from 1974 through to the mid-1990s.

Rushdie was shortlisted for the Man Booker in 1983, 1988, and 1995 for the novels 'Shame', 'The Satanic Verses', and 'The Moor’s Last Sigh' respectively.

Judges’ chair Michael Portillo said: “With a notable degree of consensus, the five Man Booker judges decided on their longlist of 13 books.

“The judges are pleased with the geographical balance of the longlist with writers from Pakistan, India, Australia, Ireland and UK.

We also are happy with the interesting mix of books, five first novels and two novels by former winners. The list covers an extraordinary variety of writing. Still two qualities emerge this year: large scale narrative and the striking use of humour.“

:: The longlist:

Aravind Adiga: The White Tiger

Gaynor Arnold: Girl in a Blue Dress

Sebastian Barry: The Secret Scripture

John Berger: From A to X

Michellede Kretser: The Lost Dog

Amitav Ghosh: Sea of Poppies

Linda Grant: The Clothes on Their Backs

Mohammed Hanif: A Case of Exploding Mangoes

Philip Hensher: The Northern Clemency

Joseph O’Neill: Netherland

Sir Salman Rushdie: The Enchantress of Florence

Tom Rob Smith: Child 44

Steve Toltz: A Fraction of the Whole