Mann Booker Prize Shortlist

The Mann Booker Prize, commonly known as the Booker Prize, aims to reward the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. The Man Booker judges are selected from the country's finest critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent excellence of the prize. The award was established in 1969.

In a lineup with a strong focus on historical fiction, favourite Hilary Mantel also made the final six, alongside Sarah Waters, but perennial Booker bridesmaids Colm Tóibín (who has been shortlisted twice before) and acclaimed Irish novelist William Trevor (shortlisted four times) failed to make the cut. Surprise longlist selection Me Cheeta, James Lever's "memoir" of the chimp who starred in the Tarzan films, was also overlooked.

The shortlisted titles are:
The Children's Book by A S Byatt (Random House, Chatto and Windus)
Summertime by J M Coetzee (Random House, Harvill Secker)
The Quickening Maze by Adam Fould (Random House, Jonathan Cape)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (HarperCollins, Fourth Estate)
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer (Little, Brown)
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Little, Brown, Virago)