Vladimir Sorokin makes Man Booker prize shortlist

Russian novelist Vladimir Sorokin has made it to the shortlist of 10 authors competing for the £60,000 Man Booker International Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards. Sorokin, 57, is a postmodern Russian writer best known for Days of the Oprichnik. The novel is set in Moscow in 2028 at a time when the city is walled off from the rest of Europe and ruled by an Ivan the Terrible type figure, who is protected by an army of secret police. Sorokin, whose books were banned during the Soviet period, has had his work translated into roughly 20 languages.

The competition does not accept submissions and nominees are chosen solely at the discretion of its five judges. The other nominees are: UR Ananthamurthy (India), Aharon Appelfeld (Israel), Lydia Davis (USA), Intiza Husain (Pakistan), Yan Lianke (China), Marie NDiaye (France), Josip Novakovich (Canada), Marilynne Robinson (USA) and Peter Stamm (Switzerland). The winner will be announced at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on 22 May.