Man Booker shortlist gets mixed response; Mozley calls for more regional diversity

Man Booker-shortlisted author Fiona Mozley has challenged publishers to move offices outside of London in the interests of regional diversity. 

Part-time bookseller Mozley, 29, credited her grounding in her local community in Yorkshire for making her rural noir debut Elmet (John Murray) what it is. The book was conceived on a homesick journey back to the south from York where she was raised and subsequently returned to live.

Mozley called its shortlisting for the prestigious prize on Wednesday (13th September) "a dream come true" and something she "hadn't even dared think about". 

"[My parents] responded a little bit differently than last month after the longlist; a bit quieter in an overwhelmed sort of way, like 'oh my god'," she told The Bookseller. "After the longlist announcement, I remember they said, 'when will it end?', because it was all just too much. But it turns out it’s not over yet!"

Reflecting on the issue of regional diversity in publishing, Mozley said it was "a shame" many creative professionals are displaced from their communities by necessity and shared her hope that "more efforts" would be made by publishers to find new ways of bringing regional voices to the fore.

Mozley's calls for action follow the frank assessment of New Writing North chief Claire Malcolm that London-based publishing houses are “struggling” to work out how to address the problem of regional diversity. Malcolm said in August the organisation had been “overwhelmed” by requests for help and revealed her scepticism whether current dialogue would translate into "actual action".

"I’m not only from the North of England but I still live here," said Mozley. "When people get involved in literature or theatre or music or film or anything, they have to move down to London because that is where the opportunities are. And that’s a shame because it means they can’t continue to interact with their local communities. I think it’s good to be able to remain in different parts of the UK, if you can. The different voices in Elmet are the voices all around me. If I wasn’t here, and if I didn’t experience those, it wouldn’t have been the same kind of book at all.

"I hope there are more efforts made by publishers to find new ways of bringing in regional voices. I think it would really help if some publishers considered moving offices outside of London, like the BBC has moved up to Manchester partially. I think that would be really good idea."

Elmet was joined on the Man Booker shortlist by two other debuts, both authored by US writers - Emily Fridlund's History of Wolves (W&N) and George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo (Bloomsbury) - with the shortlist completed by Paul Auster's 4321 (Faber & Faber), and two Hamish Hamilton titles, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid and Autumn by Ali Smith, the latter who makes the shortlist for the fourth time.

Reactions to the shortlist have been mixed, with many remarking on the notable absence of Colson Whitehead's serial prize-winner The Underground Railroad (Fleet). Waterstones buyer Chris White said it "ranks among the biggest shocks I've witnessed", adding, "we may see this as the one which got away". Meanwhile Ladbrokes' Matthew Shadwick called it "quite a surprising list from the bookies' point of view, especially as the favourite and best-backed runner (Colson Whitehead) failed to make the final cut". "As a result it's a completely wide open race," he said.

The surprise was echoed by Blackwells' senior bookseller Ray Mattinson, calling it "startling", as well as by The Bookseller's Alice O'Keeffe who said Whitehead's was "the most shocking omission" and independent Stockton bookseller Richard Drake who passed along one customer's warning: "Don't get me started on why The Underground Railroad isn't on! Totally unfathomable".

Other omissions to fox booksellers included that of Sebastian Barry's Days Without End . A "surprised" Frances Gertler, web editor for Foyles, said it was "such a powerful, well-crafted book which has received both popular and critical acclaim". Meanwhile WH Smith Travel fiction buyer, Matthew Bates, said he was "sorry" to see it knocked out of the running. 

However, the shortlist has also been welcomed for its "balance" and emphasis on fresh talent. Many have said they will be rooting for Mozley. Foyles' Gertler said the inclusion of Elmet would "bring cheer to all would-be writers" while bookseller Drake said "as all good Yorkshire folk should, our voices will be crying from the rooftops about Elmet" . Fellow debut novelist Saunders is meanwhile a favourite to win in both senses at currently 2/1 odds with Ladbrokes to win.

Blackwells' Mattinson said: "It is great to see the panel were not afraid to include several debut novelists in place of the usual supects. Word is that Ali Smiths' Autumn is a strong contender, while Auster's 4321 although gargantuan and clever has totallly divided opinion. George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo is both unconventional and a great favourite for many this year, but having been made the Bookies' favourite is often a Booker listed novel's death knell as far as winning."

Gertler added: "The appealing story behind the writing of the debut novel by Fiona Mozley will bring cheer to all would-be writers. But for me it comes down to the Saunders, which is an imaginative tour de force and Ali Smith, my personal favourite. I hope her time has come at last."

Alice O'Keeffe, books editor for The Bookseller, added: "I’m delighted that George Saunders’ astonishing debut novel has a place on the shortlist. With Lincoln in the Bardo he reinvents the form of the novel but asks an age-old question; how do we continue to love in a world where we know that everything we love will die? For me, it’s the clear front runner.

"But I wouldn’t disregard Moshin Hamid’s powerful tale about the refugee crisis Exit West," she continued. "For the author is not only telling the story of young lovers Saeed and Nadia fleeing a war-torn country, he is asking what sort of a world we want to live in.

"Ali Smith is a terrific writer, always sparklingly original and so her place is well-deserved. It’s her fourth novel to make the running for the Man Booker prize. Her last novel How to be Both scooped both the Bailey’s Prize and the Costa Novel of the Year so a Man Booker win would complete the trio of prestigious literary prizes."

WH Smith Travel fiction buyer, Matthew Bates, concluded the judges had chosen "a fine and very interesting list".

"Today’s announcement had given us an excellent shortlist and one that is very balanced and representative," he said. "There’s something rather grounding and 'earthy' in the selections that feels in tune with the world-mood right now. I haven’t read them all yet but I feel that a number of the short-listed titles complement each other.

"I’m delighted and not at all surprised to see George Saunders make the shortlist and my heart is swelling for Fiona Mozley and her emerging story - I’m dying to read Elmet!

"I was sorry not to see Sebastian Barry’s epic Days Without End make the shortlist cut, and Zadie Smith, but the longlist was full of gems and I think the judges have chosen a fine and very interesting list that I’m longing to explore further."

Mattinson added: "What is great about this years shorlist is that it has engaged fervent interest and the winner is in no way a foregone conclusion by any stretch."