None shall win prizes ....

(c) Jonathan Player/Rex

Interesting story in The Guardian this week concerning John Le Carré.

He has been nominated for the Man Booker International Prize for contribution for fiction (as distinct from the Man Booker Prize for an individual work of fiction). But ... to the disguised consternation of the organisers, he has turned down the nomination.

On declining it, the author's quoted as saying:

"I am enormously flattered to be named as a finalist of the 2011 Man Booker International prize. However, I do not compete for literary prizes and have therefore asked for my name to be withdrawn."

Le Carré, a resolutely private man, is not a great exploiter of the media (aside from what one would expect as a minimum to support the marketing of his latest titles) and not a over-regular visitor to our screens and newspaper pages; his renown as an author and the sales of his books clearly are tribute enough to his talent as a leading light of UK spy and popular fiction since the sixties.

One does have to admire, in a way, his steadfast refusal to be swayed by the baubles which the publishing industry particularly enjoys hosting (but then, is it any different from any other industry?) As readers of this blog and the Deighton Dossier website will know, Len Deighton too is apparently bereft of literary awards .... and also happy for things to remain that way.

However, is there another author in the spy fiction and thriller genre - who may be more willing to stand up on stage in London's West End in front of the world's media - who has yet, unjustifiably, to pick up a major literary award. Any nominations in the posts below.....