John le Carré turns down Man Booker International Prize 2011 nomination

John le Carré

In a twist to the announcement of the shortlisted authors for the coveted Man Booker International Prize, the celebrated UK author, John le Carré (famous for his mastery over espionage fiction), has asked for his name to be removed from the list. In the true spirit of writing he declared that he didn’t write to compete for literary awards. Having written more than 20 books, Le Carré is the author, who takes the credit of defining the spy genre both in the field of films and fiction. Among his most famous creations are: ‘The Spy who came in from the Cold’ and ‘The Constant Gardener’.

John le Carré was among the 13 authors shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2011, an award that is presented to an author for his lifetime achievements and not just for one book. The Man Booker International Prize (presented after every two years) is different from the Man Booker for Fiction that is awarded every year to one particular book.

This is what Le Carré had to say, “I am enormously flattered to be named as a finalist of the 2011 Man Booker International Prize. However, I do not compete for literary prizes and have therefore asked for my name to be withdrawn.” But Le  Carré’s request was with due respect politely rejected by the chairman of the judging panel, Rick Gekoski.