Man Booker shortlist bypasses Rushdie and Berger

Salman Rushdie and John Berger might have been surprised when the Booker Prize shortlist was announced today and neither of their names was on it.

Earlier this year, Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" was selected as the Best of the Bookers as part of the prize's 40th anniversary — but that wasn't enough to put his most recent novel, "The Enchantress of Florence," into the final six heading for the prize this year.

Berger, who has a colorful history with the Booker — when he won in 1972 for "G.", he objected to the source of the Booker's prize money and gave half his award to the Black Panther Party of England. The conflict brought increased attention to the prize, but the British were about as happy at the politicizing move as Americans were when Marlon Brando sent Sacheen Littlefeather to the stage in 1973 when he won an Oscar for "The Godfather." But the past is the past, as the 81-year-old Berger made the Booker longlist for his novel "From A to X." When it came to the shortlist, being an octogenarian made no difference.

Seniority, in fact, might have been working against both authors. Two of the final six — Steve Toltz with  "A Fraction of the Whole" and Aravind Adiga with "The White Tiger" — are first-time novelists.

Two were longlisted once before, both in 2002. This year, Linda Grant (the only female author still in the running) is up for her book "The Clothes on Their Backs," while Philip Hensher is up for "The Northern Clemency" (which won't be available in the U.S. until early 2009).

Of this year's six, Sebastian Barry ("The Secret Scripture") has gotten the closest to the elusive Booker; he made the shortlist in 2005. Amitav Ghosh — nominated for "Sea of Poppies" — is new to the Booker race. And it is a race — in England, the Booker is handicapped by bookies.

— Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Liz O. Baylen, Los Angeles Times