Golden

It has rained more or less solidly for most of the day, but that is not a problem in this house, as I have lots of reading to get on with, as well as many other things to do, and Gordon is now occupied with exam scripts. So a Book blip it is.

I am not sure how much is known about it, but recently the Booker people decided to celebrate 50 years of the award by finding a Golden Booker Book. So five judges were appointed, one for each decade, and they selected one book from the 10 or so winners from that decade. Now the five books have been selected and it is open to a public vote to find the Golden Book. All rather silly really, as no one book can stand to being ‘the best’ and in the end it will be down to a subjective view. And as for a public vote – well, we all know what trouble public votes cause! But if it gets people reading and thinking about books, then it is probably worthwhile.

Already there is controversy over the ‘top five’ selection and we went to a discussion at Hay on this subject. Three people (not anyone I knew) made up a panel and they gave a fascinating analysis of the books and made their personal choice. 

These are the five books. I have just been round the house collecting them, as I knew I had them somewhere:
 
V.S. Naipaul – In a Free State (1971)
Penelope Lively – Moon Tiger (1987)
Michael Ondaatje – The English Patient (1992)
Hilary Mantel – Wolf Hall (2009)
George Saunders – Lincoln in the Bardo (2017)

I have read the top three in the pile, although in each case it was a while back. I have never been able to read Hilary Mantel, although this copy has been read by Gordon and several of our friends. The one at the bottom is the one that won the prize last year and I cannot read it. I have now met two people who have read it, but that has not encouraged me to have another go. 

The panel’s choice was Moon Tiger, and it was also the choice of the audience at the discussion. But The English Patient was a close second. I will most likely vote for Moon Tiger, a book I loved at the time and one which has been largely forgotten. I hope some people find it and read it. If so this rather pointless event will have had a valuable impact. 

If you want to vote.