Another award shortlist today, this one for the Man Asian Literary Prize:

  • Between Clay and Dust by Musharraf Ali Farooqi (Pakistan)
  • The Briefcase by Hiromi Kawakami (Japan)
  • Silent House by Orhan Pamuk (Turkey)
  • The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng (Malaysia)
  • Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil (India)

The two books that immediately jump out at me there are the Tan and the Thayil, because of course they were also shortlisted for last year’s Booker. I’ve read The Garden of Evening Mists, but haven’t felt inclined to try Narcopolis. There’s a readalong taking place of Kawakami’s The Briefcase as part of January in Japan, so you can expect a review of that on here by the end of the month.

Of the other two nominees, Orhan Pamuk falls into the category of well-known authors I’ve never got around to reading. I don’t know the historical background of Silent House, so it could be an interesting read. Farooqi, I knew nothing about at all – but Between Clay and Dust sounds like something that would chime with my sensibilities, so count me intrigued by that one.

The winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize will be announced in Hong Kong on 14 March.