Man Booker International Prize Winner Accepts Award at Trinity College

Posted on: 26 June 2009

Alice Munro, Canadian short story writer and winner of the third Man Booker International Prize, was presented with a trophy and a cheque for £60,000 at an award ceremony in Trinity College Dublin on June 25th last.  At a panel discussion held in the Public Theatre in Trinity College, and chaired by Colm Tóibín, Irish writer and judge for the 2007 Man Booker International Prize, the judges for the 2009 award discussed, before members of the public, how they reached their decision. 

The judging panel for the Man Booker International Prize 2009 included Jane Smiley, writer; Amit Chaudhuri, writer, academic and musician; and Andrey Kurkov, writer, film script writer and essayist.  Commenting on the winner, Peter Clarke, Chief Executive, Man Group plc commented: “Since her first collection of stories was published in 1968, Alice Munro has been highly acclaimed as the contemporary master of the short fiction genre.  We are delighted to honour her as the recipient of the third Man Booker International Prize.”

The Man Booker International Prize is awarded once every two years to a living author for a body of work that has contributed to an achievement in fiction on the world stage. It was first awarded to Ismail Kadaré in 2005 and then to Chinua Achebe in 2007.  Munro, who is best known for her short stories, is one of Canada’s most celebrated writers.  On receiving the news of her win, she said: “I am totally amazed and delighted”.  Munro’s latest collection of short stories, Too Much Happiness, will be published in October 2009.