DBC Pierre wins the Booker Prize

Samson

Having read Vernon God Little recently (for the second time), I'm personally delighted.

First time novelist DBC Pierre wins £50,000 with a satirical tale of contemporary America.

Australian-born author DBC Pierre was tonight (Tuesday 14 October) named the winner of the 2003 Man Booker Prize for Fiction with Vernon God Little, published by Faber & Faber.

Vernon God Little tells the story of a fifteen year old boy, who stands accused of a high school massacre. An unforgettable innocent, Vernon is surrounded by a cast of grotesque adults, all of whom are determined to see him as a scapegoat for their own failings. DBC Pierre's unique novel has been described as like Flannery O'Connor on an overdose of amphetamines and cable television.' DBC Pierre is an internationally published cartoonist, who was born in Australia, grew up in Mexico and now resides in Ireland.

Chair of the judges, Professor John Carey, made the announcement at the awards dinner at the Great Court of the British Museum, which was broadcast live on BBC TWO and BBC FOUR. Harvey McGrath, Chairman of Man Group plc, presented DBC Pierre with a cheque for £50,000.

Professor John Carey describes Vernon God Little A coruscating black comedy reflecting our alarm but also our facination with modern America.

Over and above his prize of £50,000, DBC Pierre is guaranteed an increase in sales and recognition worldwide. Each of the six shortlisted authors, including the winner, receives £2,500 and a designer-bound edition of their book.

The judging panel for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2003 is: writer, academic and broadcaster Professor John Carey (Chair); writer, academic and critic A.C. Grayling; record-breaking mountaineer and journalist Rebecca Stephens, MBE; novelist, broadcaster and presenter Francine Stock; and novelist, biographer and literary critic D.J. Taylor.

The other novels shortlisted for the 2003 Man Booker Prize were:

Monica Ali
Brick Lane
Doubleday
£12.99

Margaret Atwood
Oryx and Crake
Bloomsbury
£16.99

Zoë Heller
Notes on a Scandal
Viking Penguin
£14.99

Clare Morrall
Astonishing Splashes of Colour
Tindal Street Press
£7.99

Damon Galgut
The Good Doctor
Atlantic Books
£10.99

THE WINNER

VERNON GOD LITTLE by DBC Pierre
Faber & Faber, £12.99

Vernon Gregory Little has secrets _ but none of them, or so he assumes, has anything to do with the recent massacre of sixteen students at his high school. What he cannot see is that the quirky Texan backwater of Martirio is unable to face its role in the tragedy, and has become a deadly crucible as all eyes turn on Vernon. The media, his mother's social circle, and the increasingly prosperous townsfolk lead Vernon a merry dance of self-incrimination, as he flees to Mexico and is captured and put on trial as Texas' most notorious serial killer. Then on the afternoon of his execution, Vernon conceives a wholly modern solution to his dilemma _ one that calls for the greatest crime of all.

D B C Pierre was born in June 1961 in Australia, brought up in Mexico, and has lived on both sides of the border. He has worked as a designer and is internationally published as a cartoonist. Vernon God Little won the 2003 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for comic writing. He currently lives in Ireland.

Miguel_Sanchez

I read it recently and enjoyed it. I was halfway through it when I heard it had won the Booker and I was slightly surprised. Not that it's not a good book, cause it is, but I somehow felt that it wasn't a brilliant book.

Although at the same time I haven't read any of the others on the shortlist so I can't judge the competition.

Krusty_Clown

I hear that DBC Pierre's life could be the subject of a fairly decent book too.. Lining in Leitrim now, for the artistic tax breaks, right?

Dying to read the book.. Loved the booker award show.. Really interesting to look at the effort that the judges had to go through (Reading a novel a day for 5 months)..

Man I'd love that job!

Krusty_Clown

Just finished the book...
I must say, I really enjoyed it..
For me it kind of captures small town America, like no other novel or film I have read/seen recently..

It's also extremely funny, and a real page turner.. At times it resembled Jack Kerouac's on the road, at other times, it's like Donny Darko in novel form..

I really want to go visit the Barbeque sauce captal of Texas now!

I'm currently reading Yann Martel's Life of Pi (working my way back through the bookers!), which is an extraordinary read.. Unlike anything I've read in years..
Heartily recommended as well...