Past winner Hilary Mantel and three former shortlisted authors found themselves among the 12 writers on the Man Booker Prize longlist today.
There are no Irish novels on the list, which includes four debut novels.
There is a 50-year age gap between the oldest novelist to make the grade - Andre Brink, 77 - and the youngest, Ned Beauman.
Mantel, who won the fiction prize in 2009 with Wolf Hall, is listed for Bring Up The Bodies.
Leading writers who make the dozen and who have previously featured on the shortlist are Michael Frayn, Nicola Barker and Brink.
The judging panel considered 145 titles. They will whittle the books down to a shortlist of six on September 11th.
The longlist is:
- Nicola Barker - The Yips
- Ned Beauman - The Teleportation Accident
- Andre Brink - Philida
- Tan Twan Eng - The Garden Of Evening Mists
- Michael Frayn - Skios
- Rachel Joyce -The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry
- Deborah Levy - Swimming Home
- Hilary Mantel - Bring Up The Bodies
- Alison Moore - The Lighthouse
- Will Self - Umbrella
- Jeet Thayil -Narcopolis
- Sam Thompson - Communion Town