Booker Prize awarded jointly to Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo

Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo jointly won 2019 Booker Prize on Monday after judges "flout" rules by declaring a tie. British Indian velist Salman Rushdie's tragicomic 'Quichotte' was among six books shortlisted for prize. Booker rules say prize must t be divided, but judges insisted y "couldn't separate" Atwood's ' Testament' and 'Girl, Woman, Or' by Evaristo, who is first black woman to win prestigious award since its creation in 1969.

'It was our decision to flout rules': Jury on awarding two people Booker Prize

rules were changed after last tie in 1992, and organisers told this year's judges that y were t allowed to pick two winners. But after five hours of deliberations, Peter Florence, chair of five-member judging panel, said: "It was our decision to flout rules." judges said y strongly wanted both authors to split GBP 50,000 award at a gala ceremony at Guildhall here.

" more we talked about m, more we found we loved m both so much we wanted m both to win," Florence said. Seventy-nine-year-old Canian author Atwood expressed her joy at sharing award with a younger writer.

Atwood joked to her co-winner: "I would have thought I would have been too elderly, and I kind of don't need attention, so I'm very gl that you're getting some." "It would have been quite embarrassing for me if I h been alone here, so I'm very pleased that you're here too," she said.

Evaristo said, "We black British women kw that if we don't write ourselves into literature one else will." "It's so incredible to share this with Margaret Atwood, who's such a legend and so generous," 60-year-old said, after shock joint win was anunced.

Ors shortlisted included Lucy Ellmann for 'Ducks, Newburyport', Chigozie Obioma for 'An Orchestra of Mirities', and Elif Shafak for '10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World'.

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Atwood shortlisted in 1986

Atwood's ' Testaments' h been bookmakers' favourite to scoop award. She h also me shortlist with ' Handmaid's Tale' in 1986, with her latest book set 15 years after end of that vel. 2019 shortlist h been selected from 151 submitted books published in UK or Ireland between October 2018 and September 2019. On Rushdie's 'Quichotte' judging panel commented, 

"A picaresque tour-de-force of contemporary America, with all its alarms and craziness. Rushdie conjures a celebration of storytelling and langu that will delight lovers of Cervantes, lovers of daytime television and lovers of life."

This was fifth time that Mumbai-born velist was shortlisted, including 1981 win where he bagged award for "Midnight's Children". Rushdie's latest work is inspired by classic 'Don Quixote' by 16th-century Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. judging panel said this year's shortlist offered an insight into different worlds from dystopian setting of Gile, mologue of an Ohio housewife and tragicomic tale of a travelling salesman in America; to mostly female, mostly Black, British lives across generations, trials of a young Nigerian man on a quest to improve his prospects and true allegiances within brols of Istanbul.

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'Extraordinary ambition of each of se books'

Florence, founder and director of Hay Festival and Chair of Booker Prize judging panel this year, said: " common thre is our miration for extraordinary ambition of each of se books." "re is an abundance of humour, of political and cultural engment, of stylistic daring and astonishing beauty of langu, " he said. "Anyone who res all six of se books would be enriched and delighted, would be awe-struck by power of story, and encourd by what literature can do to set our imaginations free." Each of shortlisted authors received GBP 2,500 and a specially bound edition of ir book. Last year's winner was rrn Irish writer Anna Burns for 'Milkman', which has sold around 546,500 copies in all formats since award. Booker Prize for Fiction, first awarded in 1969, is open to writers of any nationality, writing in English and published in UK or Ireland. prize is supported for first time this year by venture capitalist Michael Moritz and velist wife Harriet Heyman's charitable foundation Crankstart, rar than Man Group.

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