The Man Asian Literary Prize 2010

For Immediate Release

Distinguished judging panel announced for Restructured Man Asian Literary Prize

Hong Kong, 12 July 2010 – A panel of distinguished international critics and writers will judge the 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize. The judges are acclaimed novelist Monica Ali, prominent critic and Harvard literary authority Homi Bhabha, and award-winning writer Hsu-Ming Teo.

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Announcing the panel today, the Chair of the Board of the Man Asian Literary Prize, Professor David Parker, said the strong international reputations and experience of the judges emphasised the standing of the prize as the paramount award for Asian literature.

“The Man Asian Literary Prize has a new format for 2010 and, with three eminent judges we begin a new era for the Prize,” Professor Parker said. “At the same time we remain, through the excellence and dedication of our judges, committed to our first goal: to identify for an international readership the best of contemporary Asian fiction.”

For 2010 the Man Asian Literary Prize has been opened to all novels by Asian writers published in English each year. The cash value of the prize increases to USD 30,000. Previously, the prize awarded USD 10,000 to the best Asian novel not yet published in English. The new format allows the literary community, media and general public to be fully involved in reading, discussing and comparing the books which the judges are considering.

The 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize opened for submissions by publishers in May and closes on 31 August 2010. Publishers may submit entries at the prize website (see below.) A long list of titles will be announced in December 2010, and a short list in February 2011. The winner will be announced in March 2011. Publishers have shown strong interest in the restructured prize and entries have already been submitted well ahead of the August deadline.

Previous judges of the Prize included the Rt. Hon Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General of Canada, Irish novelist Colm Tóibín, Indian writer and thinker Pankaj Mishra, Chinese American novelist Gish Gen, Australian novelist and academic Nicholas Jose, and New York-based critic and writer André Aciman.

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Previous winners of the Man Asian Literary Prize were Jiang Rong for his novel Wolf Totem (2007), Miguel Syjuco for Illustrado (2008), and Su Tong for The Boat to Redemption (2009).

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Contact: Ms Marina Ma, Prize Manager
ph +852 9757 4128 marinama@manasianliteraryprize.org

Entries and additional information can be found on the Prize website.

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