14 October 2015
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Marlon James wins 2015 Man Booker Prize
The winning novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, is a fictional history of the attempted killing of Bob Marley ...
The winning novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, is a fictional history of the attempted killing of Bob Marley
Marlon, who credits Charles Dickens as one of his major influences, is the first Jamaican author to win the £50,000 prize in its 47-year history. He nearly abandoned writing after his first novel, John Crow's Devil, was rejected 78 times.
Michael Wood, chair of judges, comments: ‘This book is startling in its range of voices and registers, running from the patois of the street posse to The Book of Revelation. It is a representation of political times and places, from the CIA intervention in Jamaica to the early years of crack gangs in New York and Miami.
‘It is a crime novel that moves beyond the world of crime and takes us deep into a recent history we know far too little about. It moves at a terrific pace and will come to be seen as a classic of our times.’
Marlon, who credits Charles Dickens as one of his major influences, is the first Jamaican author to win the £50,000 prize in its 47-year history. He nearly abandoned writing after his first novel, John Crow's Devil, was rejected 78 times.
Michael Wood, chair of judges, comments: ‘This book is startling in its range of voices and registers, running from the patois of the street posse to The Book of Revelation. It is a representation of political times and places, from the CIA intervention in Jamaica to the early years of crack gangs in New York and Miami.
‘It is a crime novel that moves beyond the world of crime and takes us deep into a recent history we know far too little about. It moves at a terrific pace and will come to be seen as a classic of our times.’
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