By: Farah Chandani | OTH News | Posted: October 14, 2019 09:32 pm
Canadian writer Margaret Atwood and British author Bernardino have both won the Booker Prize. The winners received the award on Monday after the judging panel refused to give the prestigious fiction trophy to just one person alone.
Chairman Peter Florence says according to the rules of the Bookers Prize Foundation, there is only allowed to be one winner, but the five judges couldn’t choose between Atwood’s The Testaments and Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other.
"I think laws are inviolable and rules are adaptable to the circumstance” he said.
Literary director of the Foundation Gabby Wood disagrees. Wood said the prize trustees repeatedly told the panelists that it is prohibited to have more than one winner, but they "essentially staged a sit-in in the judging room" as it went on for five hours.
Since both Atwood and Evaristo have received this prize, it means that they will both evenly split the £50,000 reward. This is estimating to a rough $83,000 CDN.
Margaret Atwood, 79, is the eldest Booker winner and Evaristo is the very first black woman to win this prize.
Comments