Hilary Mantel's sequel "Bring up the Bodies" is the second book of a trilogy that charts the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, powerful minister in the court of King Henry VIII. Mantel won the Booker and became the third author to win the award twice. Photo: AP
Man Booker Prize, Britain’s most prestigious literary trophy, was established in 1969. It is open to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth of former British colonies. Photo Courtesy: Man Booker Prizes
Jeet Thayil, the Indian contender, in his debut novel brings alive the opium dens of Mumbai during the 1970s. Thayil dons several hats - journalist, musician, poet and now a novelist. Photo: AP
Authors (From L) Tan Twan Eng, Deborah Levy, Hilary Mantel, Will Self, Alison Moore and Jeet Thayil, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, hold copies of their books during a photo call at the Royal Festival Hall, in London. Photo: AP
South Africa—born Deborah Levy for “Swimming Home,” a portrait of the devastation wreaked by depression. Levy has written a book after 15 years. Photo: AP
Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng's “The Garden of Evening Mists” traces the life of a survivor in a World War II Japanese prison camp. This is Tan's second novel. His previous novel too was long-listed for Booker in 2007. Photo: AP
“Umbrella,” written by Britain’s Will Self is an experimental fiction about a woman with encephalitis. Will is a journalist who writes a column on psychology for "Independent." Photo: AP
The Lighthouse, Alison Moore’s first novel, tells the tense, gripping story of a man trying to find himself, but becoming lost. Photo: AP