Booker List discussion

Hey everyone,
This year I am undertaking my final year of studies at school. For My SACE research project, I am undertaking a study on the impact of The Man Booker Prize on todays society. If you please spare a few moments of your time to answer the following questions I would be so thankful!

If there is anything you wish to clarify, or would prefer not to have your username published, please don't hesitate to send me a message :)

1: Are you an avid reader?

2:To what extent are you aware of The Man Booker Prize?

3:Would you be encouraged to read a book if it held a Man Booker Prize label on its cover?

4:Have you read a Man Booker Prize nominee or winner, and if so, do you think it was worthy of the award?

5:In what ways do you think The Man Booker Prize is important to society?

6: In your opinion, in what ways does The Man Booker Prize reflect the quality that the literary world has to offer?

Thank you so much for assisting me, its greatly appreciated x

1) Yes.
2) I am very familiar with the Man Booker Prize. I have read over a dozen of the winners and a few of the short-listed books.
3) Yes. I am actually trying to read each of the winners.
4)Yes. I have been satisfied with most of the Booker Winners.
5) The Man Booker Prize is important to society because it allows those of us with limited time to read some of the finest books of the preceding year without having to read each new release.
6) The Man Booker Prize is an award that is given after an extensive review process by a panel of literary heavy-weights. The award reflects the time and expertise of this panel.

hi jess, will try to get back to you asap :) nice plan using this site as a resource :)

1. Yes.
2. 100% aware as I run a book club at work for which we read the Man Booker Shortlist plus 6-18 other books (either members choice or other prize winners). The number depends of the variation each year. We are in our fourth year.
3. Yes.
4. Yes, and sometimes they are worthy reads but not always.
5. It (and other literary prizes) encourages people to write books, and strive for improvement.
6. It represents a subset as I believe that the entries are restricted to one novel per publisher, so there is already a filter before they reach the Man Booker panel. Also, as the panel changes each year, there is a different perspective taken each year.

Jess, I am 44 yrs old (as old as The Booker). My personal goal is to read all The Booker winners. I love the idea of your project and your initiative in using social media as a tool. Here are my answers.

1. yes
2. very familiar
3. yes (see above)
4. yes, I have read a number of the winners and short listed books. All have been worthy of the tile (except perhaps The Life of Pi - a really hard read for me).
5. By highlighting modern lit that is considered important and significant by the authors peers.
6. see answer 5.

Good luck in your final year, keep asking the hard questions, they are the ones worth persuing.

1) yes
2) very familiar
3) yes. between two books picked up at random, say at a bookstore, one having the Man Booker label, and the other without, i'd take the Booker one.
4) i have read many Booker winners and finalists - some were very good, some were disappointing, some you wonder why it won or got nominated.
5) prestige for the authors, a form of book recommendation for readers. i say the more recognition for good writing, the better. heaven knows there are so many awards out there for acting, singing, film. books have their place in society, and a book award is a good thing.
6) the booker prize is only a subset of what the literary world has to offer, since it is awarded only to English language novels written by a citizen of the commonwealth nations, ireland and Zimbabwe. there is a whole world out there of non-English literature, not to mention English novels written by those outside of the Booker geographical areas. since I only read English, it would be hard to conclude if the booker reflects the "quality that the literary world has to offer."

1: yes
2: very familiar - I keep a printed list in my Filofax so that I can plan my next read
3: definitely
4: I have read quite a number of the winners and finalists, and found most to be particularly good. Only a tiny number have disappointed.
5:It produces consistently high-quality fiction, which is good for everyone - it encourages people to read and write the best fiction.
6: It is one of a number of book awards which together award the very best literature in the world