MAN Booker Prize winners will become the hot topic in Marlborough during the town’s literature festival as book lovers gather for a round table discussion on which is the ultimate prize winner.

Audience members can have their say on the short list of nominations chosen by members of the community.

The award stretches across all fiction genres and has produced a range of winners over its 50 years in existence.

This year, for the first time, Marlborough Lit Fest has decided to put its own original spin on the prize by debating and picking a book to beat all others. Five books have been picked for the shortlist, all of which have won the prize in the past. From there, audience members will be able to debate which book they believe should be crowned the Marlborough Booker Prize.

The Man Booker Prize is probably the most prestigious prize in English literature and the panel have picked what they see as the most deserving of writers.

Each person on the panel of literature-loving locals will pick their favourite Booker-winning novel from the past 50 years and propose it as the most-deserving overall winner. Each panel member has ten minutes to define, debate and defend their choice before the audience votes on the ultimate winner of The Marlborough Booker. Jan Williamson,

Chair of Marlborough LitFest, will marshall the event, which is hoped to be a rousing finale to this year’s ninth LitFest.

Among the panel includes Debby Guest of The White Horse Bookshop who has chosen Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively.

Philip Cayford QC, a longtime supporter of the LitFest, has selected Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

David Roth-Ey, Editor at Fourth Estate has decided on a book from his own stable, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

Hugo Tinley, English master at Marlborough College who has chosen Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

The final book, Staying On, written by Paul Scott is set in post-independence India and is both a melancholy and funny book about endings.

Moon Tiger has been described as one of the best Booker winners ever and while superficially a love story it is loved for its inventive and emotive narrative.

Life of Pi follows the strange and mystical story of a boy who has to make his way across the ocean in a small boat with a large tiger after being shipwrecked.

Fourth on the list is Wolf Hall, a novel that is underpinned by a huge amount of scholarly research, about the rise of Thomas Cromwell at the court of Henry VIII.

Remains of the Day is the final choice and is told from the point of view of Stephen, an ageing butler with thwarted ambitions of love.

For the full 2018 programme and ticket information visit www.marlboroughlitfest.org. The debate takes place on September 30 at 6.30pm in the Town Hall, where each audience member can even enjoy a free glass of wine.

The Marlborough LitFest committee would like to thank its lead sponsor Brewin Dolphin and events sponsors Hiscox Insurance, the William Golding Estate, Marlborough College and St Francis School for their continued support as well as Marlborough.news and the Hamilton Trust.

Whether you’ve read them all or not, join us on Sunday 30th at 6.30pm in the Town Hall and enjoy a free glass of wine during what is bound to be a fascinating and entertaining debate - let’s see what ‘The Marlborough Booker’ will be!

Jan Williamson, Chair of LitFest (who’s in charge of the Booker event) on: 01672 539284 or 07798 688079.

will there be a debate?

how is plans?

how did you shoose the poeple who chose the books?

do you think it will enocurage poeple to look at new books or genre?

how is the big read going?