Two Irish authors, John Banville and William Trevor, have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize. They were among 20 writers named on the list announced yesterday by judges for the prestigious literary award.
Mr Banville was shortlisted for his novel Shroud and Mr Trevor featured on the list for his novel The Story of Lucy Gault.
Mr Banville - a former literary editor of The Irish Times - has been quoted at odds of 5/1 and Mr Trevor at 12/1 by bookmakers William Hill.
The prize, which is in its 34th year, accepts entries from Britain, the Commonwealth and Ireland.
British author Mr Howard Jacobson was an early favourite - at 4/1 - to win this year's prize. Mr Jacobson, was nominated for his humorous novel Who's Sorry Now?
Other nominees for the £50,000 prize include Whitbread winner Zadie Smith for The Autograph Man, and William Boyd for Any Human Heart.
Also on the long list for the 2002 award - sponsored by financial services group Man - was previous Booker winner Anita Brookner, who won the prize in 1984 for Hotel du Lac.
Canadian Carol Smith, who was shortlisted for the Booker and won the Pulitzer Prize, both in 1993, for The Stone Diaries, was also in the running.
Prof Lisa Jardine, chairwoman, said: "I believe this is a Man Booker long list of real range and depth which truly reflects the energy and conviction the judges have brought to their reading."
Others on the judging panel are writer and comedian David Baddiel, novelist Russell Celyn Jones, novelist and analytical psychologist Salley Vickers and the literary editor of the London Times, Erica Wagner.
This year's long list was chosen from a total of 130 entries.
Of those, 116 were submitted and the remaining 14 were either from the call-in list or were requested by the judges.
The shortlist will be announced on September 24th. Colin Thubron has been nominated also for To The Last City.