Warwick Professor longlisted for Man Booker Prize

A.L. Kennedy, an Associate Professor in Warwick’s Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies, has been longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.

The work, Serious Sweet, is Kennedy’s eighth novel, with three of her past works also having won prestigious awards. She has also written six short story collections and three works of non-fiction. Her work has been translated into a number of languages.

Serious Sweet takes place over a single day and tells the story of the unconventional romance between Jonathan, a recently-divorced civil servant, and Meg, a recovering alcoholic, as they both overcome their own difficulties to meet for a date. As well as an close examination of the couple over the span of 24 hours, the novel also offers insight into the difficulties and pitfalls of modern British life.

Kennedy studied as an undergraduate at Warwick, and now has a career as an Associate Professor at the same university. Alongside her fiction writing, Kennedy is also a regular contributor to The Guardian, The Observer, and the BBC.

On her being included on the Man Booker longlist, Kennedy commented: “At the moment literature finds it hard to be visible in mass culture and anything that makes it a little more visible is helpful.”

She stated her pleasure at her work having a positive impact, stating: “I’m always happy and honoured to be part of that world of literature, which can play a key role in illuminating people’s lives.”

She added: “I know that my life is immeasurably richer because I am a reader.”