JM Coetzee up for third Man Booker Prize

London, July 29 (ANI): Former winner J.M. Coetzee is again in the run to take home this year's Man Booker prize for his fictionalised autobiography "Summertime".

The reclusive South African author was dubbed as a hot favourite to bag an unprecedented third 50,000-pound prize after his previous achievements with "Life and Times of Michael K" (1983) and "Disgrace" (1999).

James Naughtie, the broadcaster and chairman of the judging panel, said that this year's shortlist was the strongest in years, with "an outstandingly rich fictional mix".

"We believe it to be one of the strongest lists in recent memory," The Telegraph quoted Naughtie as saying.

"Our fiction is in the hands of original and dedicated writers with fresh and appealing voices.

"This is an eclectic list, taking us from the court of Henry VIII to the Hollywood jungle, with stops along the way in a nineteenth century Essex asylum, an African war zone and a futuristic Brazilian city among other places," he added.

The winner from the thirteen authors will be announced in a ceremony at London's Guildhall on October 6.

The List for 2009 Man Booker prize:

AS Byatt - The Children's Book

JM Coetzee - Summertime

Adam Foulds - The Quickening Maze

Sarah Hall - How to Paint a Dead Man

Samantha Harvey - The Wilderness

James Lever - Me Cheeta

Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall

Simon Mawer - The Glass Room

Ed O'Loughlin - Not Untrue and Not Unkind

James Scudamore - Heliopolis

Colm Toibin - Brooklyn

William Trevor - Love and Summer

Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger (ANI)