The “leftovers of empire”: Commonwealth writers and the Booker Prize

ABSTRACT

“International” novel prizes in English not only exclude the majority of Commonwealth writers: they perpetuate a colonial narrative of cultural superiority and authority. Local and regional book prizes are devalued in favour of “international” recognition, but too little is understood of the politics and business of the English-speaking book world, of the continued market domination of publishing in London and New York, and the cultural implications of valuing non-Indigenous narratives and diasporic literature over local anglophone publishing. Barriers to entry for Commonwealth writers – particularly Indigenous writers – include rights sales to the UK and therefore eligibility for “international” prizes. The recent backlash against admitting US writers to the Booker reveals the perception of Commonwealth writers – both by British publishers and by writers – as a distant third in anglophone writing, easily forgotten and excluded from publishing lists, prize contention, and judging panels.

KEYWORDS:

• Commonwealth writers
• the Booker Prize
• Commonwealth Foundation
• literary prizes
• Maori writing
• indigenous literature

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. This is a rare example of a novel released by an independent press in New Zealand, Spiral collective, and being published by an international house – Picador, an imprint of Pan Macmillan – in the UK.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paula Morris

Paula Morris (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Whatua) is an award-winning fiction writer, essayist, and editor. Since 2015 she has convened the Master of Creative Writing programme at the University of Auckland, where she is an associate professor. She is the founder of the Academy of New Zealand Literature (www.anzliterature.com), and sits on the Māori Literature Trust, New Zealand Book Awards Trust, the Mātātuhi Foundation, and the board of the Coalition for Books. In 2019 she was the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellow and was appointed an MZNM (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit) in the New Year Honours.