The Winner is announcedpublished at 19:54 GMT 19 November 2020
Congratulations to Douglas Stuart who has won the 2020 Booker Prize for his novel Shuggie Bain.
This year's Booker Prize winner
Summary
The Booker Prize Ceremony 2020, brought to you live from the Roundhouse, London by Front Row and BBC Arts on 19 November.
Six novels were shortlisted for the £50,000 prize for fiction, in this extraordinary year in which reading has taken on a renewed importance.
Taking part in the socially distanced proceedings were Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, last year's winners Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo, chair of judges Margaret Busby, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, and former President of the United States Barack Obama.
The evening was hosted by Front Row's John Wilson and broadcast simultaneously on Radio 4 and BBC iPlayer.
Use #2020BookerPrize on social media.
The Winner is announcedpublished at 19:54 GMT 19 November 2020
Image caption, More from our shortlisted authorspublished at 19:46 GMT 19 November 2020
You can hear more from each of the shortlisted authors - and hear them read from their own books - on the BBC Arts website.
Image caption, The shortlisted authors (clockwise from top left): Tsitsi Dangarembga, Avni Doshi, Maaza Mengiste, Douglas Stuart, Diane Cook and Brandon Taylor.
When Obama met Olusogapublished at 19:45 GMT 19 November 2020
The former American president spoke to the BBC this week:
Quote MessageIf you are somebody who exclusively watches right-wing media, I am unrecognisable.
President Barack Obama
You can see more from Obama's interview with David Olusoga here.
Image caption, Barack Obama speaks to the BBC
Overheard on socialpublished at 19:41 GMT 19 November 2020
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End of X post 2Chair of judges Margaret Busby speakspublished at 19:38 GMT 19 November 2020
Margaret explains how the panel ended up with an incredibly diverse shortist:
Quote MessageWe didn't set out to tick boxes... we were having to say goodbye to a lot of books we admired.
Bernardine Evaristo on womanhood and 'othering'published at 19:30 GMT 19 November 2020
Bernardine was joint Booker Prize-winner in 2019
Following her win last year, Bernardine spoke to BBC News about how the number of Black British women in the literary world can be increased.
Quote MessageWe need to look at who the publishers are, and who get to become publishers... It's a very white industry.
You can hear the whole interview here:
Image caption, Booker Prize 2019: Bernardine Evaristo talks womanhood and 'othering'
Seven life lessons from Margaret Atwoodpublished at 19:28 GMT 19 November 2020
If anyone is entitled to share their life lessons then surely it's the two-times Booker Prize winner:
Quote MessageI’m not a prophet because there is no ‘the future’… There are an infinite number of possible futures, and the one that we get is going to depend on… how we behave now.
Margaret Atwood
You can read all seven of Margaret Atwood's life lessons here.
Image caption, Two-times Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood
Bernardine Evaristo speakspublished at 19:27 GMT 19 November 2020
Bernardine describes her first Booker win:
Quote MessageIt gave people a lot of hope... You can be in this game for a very long time and then break through at a later age.
Margaret Atwood speakspublished at 19:24 GMT 19 November 2020
Margaret reflects on winning the Booker for the first time:
Quote MessageThere was this long-standing tradition of me not winning the Booker. What I was mostly thinking was I'd worn the wrong shoes.
Overheard on socialpublished at 19:18 GMT 19 November 2020
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End of X postWhat's that Tune?published at 19:16 GMT 19 November 2020
The musical entertainment in tonight's ceremony is provided by Chineke!, the UK’s first majority BME orchestra.If you'd like to hear more from them, watch this magnificent three-minute highlights reel from their 2017 BBC Prom featuring music by Handel, Dvorak and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Media caption, The UK’s first majority BME orchestra, Chineke!, makes its Proms debut.
A lockdown reading listpublished at 19:16 GMT 19 November 2020
The Booker judges generally have to read a hundred books or more as part of their duties. However, they haven't been the only ones with long reading lists this year.
In July, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall congratulated a boy from Bolton who read 50 books during lockdown, including biographies of Nelson Mandela and Albert Einstein.
You can read the full story here:
Image source, Daxa KumarImage caption, Eight-year-old Milan Kumar read fifty books during lockdown.
The Duchess is Patron of several organisations that promote and support literacy, including the National Literacy Trust, Book Trust, First Story, the Wicked Young Writer Awards and Beanstalk. In April she shared a reading list for those isolating at home, external.
A message from Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwallpublished at 19:15 GMT 19 November 2020
The Duchess of Cornwall gives her thoughts on reading in 2020:
Quote MessageWe have at least been able to read. As long as we can read, we can travel, we can escape, we can explore... This year's Booker prize is even more important than usual
More From Sir Kazuo Ishiguro: Readings from The Unconsoled and The Buried Giantpublished at 19:11 GMT 19 November 2020
Here is Kazuo reading from two of his novels, The Unconsoled and The Buried Giant:
Media caption, Kazuo Ishiguro reads from his 2015 novel The Buried Giant
Media caption, Kazuo Ishiguro reads from his 1995 novel, The Unconsoled
More from Sir Kazuopublished at 19:10 GMT 19 November 2020
Quote MessageThis isn't the final round. The really important round that comes after this is with the readers. Will the public take the Booker Winner to heart?
Sir Kazuo Ishiguro is speakingpublished at 19:07 GMT 19 November 2020
Quote MessageThe Booker Prize has been much the same until this year, but in a funny sort of way, this year's version might reflect what we are celebrating. Writing is all about spending years and years sometimes writing on your own.
Sir Kazuo Ishiguro
Starting Now: Booker Prize Ceremony: A Front Row Specialpublished at 19:00 GMT 19 November 2020
You can watch tonight's ceremony live from the Roundhouse in London by clicking on the play button at the top of the page.
Image caption, Booker Prize Ceremony 2020: A Front Row Special
Welcome to The Roundhousepublished at 18:54 GMT 19 November 2020
Our live broadcast begins shortly
The Roundhouse in London is one of the capital's most exciting performance venues. A former railway engine repair shed, the Grade II listed building was transformed 50 years ago, and today hosts musicians and performers from all over the world.
The Roundhouse is also the venue for tonight's ceremony. Of course, things are a little different this year with England currently in lockdown. The event will be run according to strict Covid protocols, and many of the guests will be joining via video link. However, you can enjoy the full experience with us.
Image source, John WilliamsImage caption, The Roundhouse, London
Not long now...published at 18:51 GMT 19 November 2020
You'll be able to watch tonight's ceremony right here. Don't go anywhere!
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End of X postInterview with Brandon Taylorpublished at 18:49 GMT 19 November 2020
- You can read an interview with Brandon Taylor, external on the Booker Prize Website.
Quote MessageI think close observation is just how I make sense of the world. I don’t know how to be any other way.
Image source, Bill AdamsImage caption, Author Brandon Taylor