Booker Prize winning titles you must read

Since its establishment in 1969 the Booker Prize is awarded each year to the best fictional English novel To complement the reputed literary award the International Booker Prize was introduced in 2005 to recognise works published in English and English translations from authors across the globe As the International Booker Prize long list for 2021 has been announced we have rounded up a list of diverse Booker Prize winning titles for you to indulge inThe English Patient by Michael OndaatjeWinner of the Booker Prize in 1992 and the Golden Man Booker in 2018 lsquoThe English Patientrsquo by Michael Ondaatje is the most critically acclaimed book on this list The historiographic metafiction is set in the times of the Italian campaigns of World War II and follows four distinctive people who find themselves together in an Italian villa The story focuses on four principal characters a Canadian army nurse an unrecognisably burned man presumed to be English a Sikh British soldier and a Canadian thief and their emotional state of being and attempts to come to terms with the past The book was adapted into an Academy Award winning movie with the same title starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche in 1996The God of Small Things by Arundhati RoyThe debut novel ofArundhati Roy lsquoTheGod of Small Thingsrsquo is set in a village in Kerala and takes place in 1969 The story followsthe childhood experiences oftwins Rahel and Esthappen Winner of the Booker Prize in 1997 the book is acommentary on Indian history and politics with insights into casteismwhile it exploresthemes of cultural tension forbidden love and social discriminationThe Line of Beauty by Alan HollinghurstlsquoThe Line of Beautyrsquo by Alan Hollinghurst is set in Britain in 1980s Winner of the Booker Prize in 2004 the historical novel follows Nick Guest its young gay protagonist and explores the tension between his intimate relationships and the realities of his sexuality and lifestyle The story explores themes of homosexuality privilege and hypocrisy with the emerging AIDS crisis as a backdropThe Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai lsquoThe Inheritance of Lossrsquo by Kiran Desai is set in the times of the Gorkhaland movement and follows the lives of Biju and Sai Colonialism and the effects of postcolonialism are a major theme running through the story as it highlights the sense of loss that comes from the loss of identity through generations Winner of the Booker Prize in 2006 the novel also explores with intimacy and insight important contemporary issues of immigrationmulticulturalism economic inequality globalization and fundamentalismThe Sense of an Ending by Julian BarneslsquoThe Sense of an Endingrsquo by Julian Barnes follows Tony Webster a retired man who recollects how he and his bunch of friends met Adrian Finn in school and promised to be friends for life Set in the 1960s the relatively short novelonly 163 pages won the Booker Prize in 2011 The book is a compelling read which raises questions in the minds of the readers as Tony reflects upon the varied paths he and his friends ended up takingThe Luminaries by Eleanor CattonlsquoThe Luminariesrsquo by Eleanor Catton is set in New Zealand in 1866 Winner of the Booker Prize in 2013 the story follows protagonist Walter Moody a prospector who travels to the settlement of Hokitika to earn a fortune However a meeting between twelve local men representing the twelve signs of the zodiac leads him to be drawn into a tangled web of mystery involving unsolved crimesCelestial Bodies by Jokha AlharthiWinner of the International Booker Prize in 2019lsquoCelestial Bodiesrsquo byJokha Alharthiis set in a village in Oman and was originally published in Arabic The story follows three sisters and their families as they witness their native country evolve from a conservative slaveowning society to the intersection of its complicated present The novelrsquos nonlinear narrative draws readers in and tells the tale of Omanrsquos comingofage through the lens of one familyrsquos loves and losses