There will be no Irish contenders for the Man Booker prize next month after Colm Tóibin, William Trevor and Ed O’Loughlin all failed to make the cut when the shortlist was announced this morning.
Hilary Mantel's historical novel
Wolf Hallabout Henry VIII's adviser Thomas Cromwell did make it onto the shortlist and is considered to be the clear favourite to win the prestigious award.
The book tells the story of Cromwell's rise to prominence in the Tudor court, has attracted 95 per cent of bets with bookmaker William Hill.
Sarah Waters - who has been shortlisted twice before without winning - is hoping to make it third time lucky after her novelist
The Little Strangermade the cut.
South African writer JM Coetzee is hoping to make history this year by becoming the only person to win the Booker three times, with his fictionalised memoir
Summertime.
A S Byatt's
The Children's Book, Adam Foulds novel
The Quickening Mazeand Simon Mawer's
The Glass Roomcomplete the shortlist.
The prize is worth £50,000 to the winner, but inevitably leads to a huge jump in sales, as well as international acclaim.
Last year's Man Booker was won by Aravind Adiga for
The White Tiger, which has sold over half a million copies and been translated into 39 different languages.
This year's winner will be announced on October 6th at London's Guildhall.
Below is the 2009 Man Booker Prize for Fiction shortlist:
AS Byatt —
The Children's Book
JM Coetzee —
Summertime
Adam Foulds —
The Quickening Maze
Hilary Mantel —
Wolf Hall
Simon Mawer —
The Glass Room
Sarah Waters — The Little Stranger