Jean Baird's Booker Prize Project

Dooneyscafe.com is pleased to provide you with Jean Baird's year-by-year analysis of the Booker Prize jury deliberations.

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1976

Jean Baird posts 1976 in her Booker Prize Analysis

1975

1975 I’ve been at this project now for months, reading the shortlisted and winning books. In order to meet the demands of a prize that requires reading 100 or more books, considering the time allotted, jurors must be reading 5 or more books a week. I’m not convinced that is possible—or desirable. How do judges [...]

1974

Jean Baird continues her analysis of the Booker Prize nominees, winners and juries–and provides an overview of the “Prize Culture” Canadian publishing has created.

1973

1973 It’s the 2008 award season in Canada as I write this—the GGs, Giller and The Writers’ Trust of Canada have been dolling out money for the past few weeks. Nino Ricci won the GG, Miriam Toews The Writers’ Trust Rogers Fiction prize, and Joseph Boyden the Giller. No agreement there. Only one writer appeared [...]

1972

Jean Baird continues her Booker Prize analyses. 1972 was a good year.

Booker Prize, 1971

1971 Jury: John Fowles, Saul Bellow, Lady Antonia Fraser, Philip Toynbee and John Gross. I assume we all know the first three (how did they get rid of Dame West?) Philip Toynbee was a British writer and journalist. He wrote experimental novels, and distinctive verse novels, one of which was an epic called Pantaloon. He [...]

Booker Prize, 1970

1970 Jury: David Holloway, Dame Rebecca West, Lady Antonia Fraser, Ross Higgins, Richard Hoggart. Holloway is not the guy who played in the CFL. I assume he’s the critic. Fraser is Harold Pinter’s second wife and a detective novelist and historian. Higgins? No idea. The Australian actor? Richard Hoggart, best known for  writing The Uses [...]

Reading the Bookers: 1969

Jean Baird begins to read novels shortlisted for the Booker Prize. She begins with 1969…