October 10, 2005 - John Banville was named the winner of the £50,000 Man Booker Prize for Fiction for his novel, The Sea.

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The Man Booker Prize for Fiction represents the very best in contemporary fiction.  One of the world’s most prestigious awards, and one of incomparable influence, it continues to be the pinnacle of ambition for every fiction writer.

The prize aims to reward the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. The Man Booker judges are selected from the country’s finest critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent excellence of the prize.  The winner of the Man Booker Prize receives £50,000 and both the winner and the shortlisted authors are guaranteed a worldwide readership plus a dramatic increase in book sales.

For more information, visit The Man Booker Prize website.

The 2005 MAN BOOKER WINNER:

• The Sea by John Banville

THE 2005 MAN BOOKER SHORTLIST:

• Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
• A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Accidental by Ali Smith
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith

The remaining 2005 MAN BOOKER LONG LIST:

• The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw
• Slow Man by J. M. Coetzee
• In the Fold by Rachel Cusk
• All for Love by Dan Jacobson
• A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
• Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
• Saturday by Ian McEwan
• The People's Act of Love by James Meek
• Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie
• This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson
• This Is the Country by William Wall