The 2006 Man Booker Prize for Fiction Shortlist Announced

Kiran Desai, Kate Grenville, M.J. Hyland, Hisham Matar, Edward St Aubyn, and Sarah Waters are the six authors shortlisted for the U.K.'s 2006 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The shortlist was announced by the chair of judges, Hermione Lee, at a press conference in London on Thursday, September 14. The winner will be announced on October 10 at an awards ceremony at the Guildhall, London.

The six shortlisted books are:

• The Inheritance of Loss (Kiran Desai, Grove/Atlantic)
• The Secret River (Kate Grenville, Canongate)
• Carry Me Down (M.J. Hyland, Canongate)
• In the Country of Men (Hisham Matar, coming in January '07, The Dial Press)
• Mother's Milk (Edward St Aubyn, Grove Press, Open City Books)
• The Night Watch (Sarah Waters, Riverhead)

Grove/Atlantic and its imprints, Canongate U.S. and Open City, published four of the six titles shortlisted for the Booker Prize. "We were excited to have four titles on the longlist, but I never dreamed that all four would become finalists," said Grove/Atlantic Publisher Morgan Entrekin in a press release. "These are all wonderful, worthy books."