The Man Asian Literary Prize

The Man Asian Literary Prize was established in 2007 by Man Group plc, sponsors of the Booker Prize, to broaden knowledge of contemporary Asian literature both across the continent and globally. It is awarded to the best novel by an Asian author either written in or translated into English and published in the previous calendar year.

The winner receives $25,000, with a further $5000 going to the translator if applicable. A longlist of 20-25 titles is announced each December, a shortlist in February and the winner in March.

For the first three years, unpublished novels submitted by their authors were considered, but the entry criteria have now been changed as the delay between the award and publication of the winner meant that eventual interest in the winner was far lower than had been hoped.

The name of the inaugural winner, Jian Rong, is a pseudonym adopted in an attempt to avoid revealing the real name of the author, Lu Jiamin, to the Chinese authorities who were unhappy with his oustpoken criticism of the Government. But his photograph and real name were printed worldwide when he was awarded the Prize and Lu's application for a passport was then turned down, preventing his attendance at the awards ceremony. Wolf Totem has, however, achieved huge popularity in China, leading to a number of writers trying to take advantage of its author's anonymity by claiming to be him and publishing supposed sequels.

In 2012, a rule change acknowledged the issue of censorship in a number of eligible nations: writers whose citizenship has been revoked may now have their works considered, at the discretion of the judges. The 2012 winner was The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng.

Previous Winners

2011: Please Look After Mother by Kyong-Sook Shin

2010: Three Sisters by Bi Feiyu

2009: The Boat to Redemption by Su Tong

2008: Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco

2007: Wolf Totem by Jian Rong