Rushdie shelved by Booker judges

Just two months after scooping the Best of the Bookers prize, Salman Rushdie was yesterday judged to have written a new novel that was "not enough of a page turner" to even make it on to the award's shortlist.

Rushdie's latest novel, The Enchantress of Florence, had been the bookmakers' early favourite to win this year's Man Booker prize, along with the post-September 11 drama Netherland by Joseph O'Neill.

Among the selected six writers was Linda Grant, 57, a former recipient of the Orange prize who was longlisted for the Booker in 2002. Her book, The Clothes on Their Backs, tells the poignant story of the daughter of timid Hungarian immigrants who is brought up in London.

The Independent columnist Philip Hensher, 43, was also picked for his book, The Northern Clemency, which traces the dramas of two families in Sheffield from the 1970s to Thatcher's Britain to the present day.

The judges, who include the former cabinet minister Michael Portillo, the novelist Louise Doughty, the founder of Ottaker's bookshop, James Heneage, the editor of Granta, Alex Clark, and the broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli, commended the six selected writers for their readability as well as literary excellence.

When asked why Rushdie had failed to make the list, the answer was short and simple. The book was not enough of a page turner, according to Ms Doughty, who added: "If you take the whole of its literary qualities, it is not as good as the six we have chosen."

His oeuvre was pretty "patchy", said Mr Kohli. "There are some good books and some not so good books," he added.

Referring to Rushdie's most acclaimed book, Midnight's Children, which has received three Booker awards, he said: "I have never known a book that has split opinion as much as this one, with some people secretly confessing not to have finished reading it, and some secretly hating it."

Mr Portillo, who is chair of the jury panel, said Rusdie's "Booker hat-trick" had not coloured the panel's judgement when debating the latest novel's prospects.

"I don't want you to think there was particularly passionate debate about this book," he said.

Rushdie won the Booker prize for Midnight's Children in 1981. He then scooped the Booker of Bookers for the prize's 25th anniversary for the novel. In July, he was awarded the Best of the Bookers from a list of 41 previous Booker winners.

Also featuring on this year's list are two debut writers, Indian-born Aravind Adiga, 34, for The White Tiger, and Steve Toltz, 36, for A Fraction of the Whole.

Another Indian author, Amitav Ghosh, 52, was chosen for Sea of Poppies, while Sebastian Barry, 53, is currently the bookmakers' favourite to win the prize for The Secret Scripture.

The prize winner will be announced on 14 October .

Who will win this year's Man Booker prize?

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