Man Booker Prize 2014: Donna Tartt left off new international longlist as Howard Jacobson nominated

The Independent columnist has made the new international Booker longlist that now includes novels from international writers

British author Howard Jacobson has been long-listed for the Man Booker Prize (Rex)

The Man Booker Prize marked the first year of opening up to international writers in its 46-year history, with almost a third of the authors on the longlist coming from America.

The eligibility rules of the most prestigious prize of the UK literary calendar were changed after last year’s awards in response to competition from the newly established Folio Prize. The move sparked fears it would be dominated by authors from the US.

Previously it was open to writers from the UK and Commonwealth, Zimbabwe and the Republic Ireland.

Of the 13 longlisted authors announced today Joshua Ferris, Karen Joy Fowler, Siri Hustvedt and Richard Powers would not have been eligible under the old rules.

Some commentators were surprised there were not more books from American writers on the shortlist. The shock omission from across the Atlantic was The Goldfinch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Donna Tartt.

There were six British authors to make the list including David Mitchell, the author of Cloud Atlas, for The Bone Clocks, and Independent columnist and previous Booker winner Howard Jacobson with J.

There was no place for authors including Martin Amis, Will Self, Philip Hensher and Ian McEwan.

This marks the first time in the 46-year history of the £50,000 prize that it has been opened to writers of any nationality, writing originally in English and published in the UK.

The judges, chaired by AC Grayling, whittled down the longlist from 154 books submitted by UK publishers. Of those, 44 titles were by authors eligible under the new rule changes.

Mr Grayling said: “This is a diverse list of ambition, experiment, humour and artistry. The novels selected are full of wonderful stories and fascinating characters.”

The shortlist of six will be announced on Tuesday 9 September and the prize will be awarded at London’s Guildhall the following month.

The Man Booker 'dozen'

Joshua Ferris (American) - To Rise Again at a Decent Hour (Viking)

Richard Flanagan (Australian) - The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Chatto & Windus)

Karen Joy Fowler (American) - We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (Serpent's Tail)

Siri Hustvedt (American) - The Blazing World (Sceptre)

Howard Jacobson (British) - J (Jonathan Cape)

Paul Kingsnorth (British) - The Wake (Unbound)

David Mitchell (British) - The Bone Clocks (Sceptre)

Neel Mukherjee (British) - The Lives of Others (Chatto & Windus)

David Nicholls (British) - Us (Hodder & Stoughton)

Joseph O'Neill (Irish/American) - The Dog (Fourth Estate)

Richard Powers (American) - Orfeo (Atlantic Books)

Ali Smith (British) - How to be Both (Hamish Hamilton)

Niall Williams (Irish) - History of the Rain (Bloomsbury)