Booker Prize Shortlist: Four writers of colour among the six authors: absence of British authors: Watch announcement here by Chair of Judges Margaret Busby

With four writers out of it’s six authors the shortlisted this years Booker Prize, announced on Tuesday, has to the be most diverse line-up since the prize’ began. Diane Cook, Avni Doshi, Douglas Stuart and Brandon Taylor are the four debut novelist who are up against acclaimed Zimbabwean writer  Tsitsi Dangarembga, and the Ethiopian-American Maaza Mengiste for the £50,000 award. This year no British writers were selected for the shortlist.

The 2020 shortlist is:

• The New Wilderness by Diane Cook (Oneworld Publications)
• This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga (Faber & Faber)
• Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi (Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House)
• The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste (Canongate Books)
• Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Picador, Pan Macmillan)
• Real Life by Brandon Taylor (Originals, Daunt Books Publishing)