Will Self On The Booker Prize
The shortlisted novelist is under no illusions about the benefits of winning...
The Hot Press Newsdesk, 12 Sep 2012
Will Self's Umbrella emerged last night as being shortlisted for the annual Booker Prize – still widely regarded as the most prestigious prize in international publishing.
"Anything that can atract readers to your work is good for an author," Self told Hot Press. "It seems incredibly disproportionate. After all, it's five people judging a novel. But winning sells thousands and thousands. "
In an interview conducted recently, Self was humorous in his assessment of the judging process.
"As far as I'm concerned," he said, "I should have won it many times over. But it is not me – it's the book."
And as for the finished work, Self acknowledges that, far from being meticulously plotted, a lot is left to chance!
"I'll confess something to you," he told Anne Sexton, "and this really is shocking or at least I think it is, but when I wrote the last 1,500 words, I had no idea how the book was going to end.
"And the book was a year late," he added.
Just as well, you might say!
The full interview, in which Self also talks about Nick Cave and Morrissey among other themes, is in the current issue of Hot Press.
©Hot Press 2012. Why be a member? | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | About Us Jobs @ Hot Press