The most lucrative writing prize in the English language is the 2009 Impac Dublin prize which awards 100,000 Euros to the winner. In addition to having the most lucrative prize, the award also has the longest longlist: 147 authors are up for the award this year.
The list, drawn from any fiction published in English -- including translations -- is made up of nominations from 157 libraries in 117 cities and 41 countries worldwide. Selected books include most of the literary novels rewarded elsewhere in the last year, as well as titles less familiar to British readers. Perhaps the most unexpected appearance on the list is from Ken Follett, best known for his bestselling techno-thrillers, whose World Without End is the sequel to his medieval epic The Pillars of the Earth.
As for likely winners, any bookmaker would likely zero in on Khalid Hosseini, who received 18 nominations for A Thousand Splendid Suns, five ahead of the next most-popular book. Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje was nominated by 13 libraries, just ahead of Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach, which received 10 nods.
The selected titles now go forward for judging to a panel of five novelists - Gabrielle Alioth, Rachel Billington, Vesna Goldsworthy, James Ryan and Timothy Taylor - chaired by the former US appeals judge Eugene R Sullivan.
The prize, now in its 14th year, has previously gone to authors including Orhan Pamuk, Michel Houellebecq and Javier Marias. Last year's prize was taken by Lebanese novelist Rawi Hage for De Niro's Game.
The longlist will be whittled down to a more manageable size by April 2, 2009. The short list honorees will have to wait only until April 11th to see if they won.
