American author George Saunders wins 2017 Man Booker Prize

TIL Desk/World/London/ American author George Saunders won Britain’s renowned Man Booker Prize for his first full-length novel Lincoln in the Bardo. Saunders became only the second writer from to win the prestigious English-language literary award.

The judges praised the book as ‘utterly original’ that chronicles the death of Abraham Lincoln’s 11-year-old son Willie using the accounts of hundreds of narrators.

‘The form and style of this utterly original novel reveals a witty, intelligent, and deeply moving narrative,’ said Lola Young, chair of the judging panel, while announcing the prize in London. Saunders, 58, said the award is a ‘great honour’.

“I hope to live up to the honour with the rest of my work, for the rest of my life,” he said. He also made several thinly-veiled references to the controversial policies of United States President Donald Trump.

“We live in a strange time,” he told the audience. “In the US now we’re hearing a lot about the need to protect culture. Well, this tonight is culture.” This year’s Man Booker Prize shortlist pitted three US and three British writers against one another.