Eleanor Catton, 28 year-old New Zealand author, wins the 2013 Booker Prize for her novel The Luminaries. Catton, the youngest writer and second New Zealander to win the prize, may also have the longest book to be awarded. An 832-page experimental narrative centered on a gold rush murder mystery set in the 19^th century, the book has twelve sections, each half the length of the last, beginning with a 360-page chapter and winding down with a single page chapter ending. Robert MacFarlane, chair to the judging panel, described The Luminaries as “dazzling, luminous and vast without being sprawling. It is beautifully intricate without being fussy. It is experimental ... but does not by any means neglect the traditional virtues of storytelling." Catton was presented with the prize and a £50,000 check by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during a ceremony at London’s medieval Guildhall.

The Booker Prize, founded in 1969, was until recently only open to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth of former British colonies. Americans and authors writing in the English language will be eligible for next year’s prize. Others nominated this year for this year’s prize included Colm Toibin, Jhumpa Lahiri, NoViolet Bulawayo, and Ruth Ozeki. Previous winners include V.S. Naipaul, Margaret Atwood, Julian Barnes, and Hilary Mantel.

Source: Huffington Post