The 2017 Man Booker Prize for Fiction has been won by George Saunders for his debut novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. The judging panel of critic, Lila Azam Zanganeh; novelist, Sarah Hall, artist, Tom Phillips and travel writer Colin Thubron had to consider a total of 144 submissions to make their final choice. American author Saunders was honoured at a ceremony at the Guildhall, London, receiving a cheque for £50,000 from Man Group Chief Executive Luke Ellis, a further £2,500 for being shortlisted, a trophy presented by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and a unique designer edition of his novel.
Chair of Judges, Lola, Baroness Young, said, ‘The form and style of this utterly original novel reveals a witty, intelligent, and deeply moving narrative. This tale of the haunting and haunted souls in the afterlife of Abraham Lincoln’s young son paradoxically creates a vivid and lively evocation of the characters that populate this other world. Lincoln in the Bardo is both rooted in, and plays with history, and explores the meaning and experience of empathy.’