August 24, 2023

The Sellout: The first American novel to win the Booker Prize

35 minutes

In 2014, the Booker Prize broadened its submission rules to allow books from any nationality, as long as they were written in English and published in the UK. This change in eligibility led to worries around whether American novels would dominate the award's nominations, but it wasn't until 2016 when Paul Beatty scooped the prize with The Sellout that the prize went to an author from the States. The Sellout is a biting satire on race relations told through its protagonist, who is on trial for trying to reinstate slavery and segregation – and this week on the podcast, we're revisiting the story.

In this episode Jo and James:

Consider what the inclusion of American authors and novels has meant for the Booker Prize

Share a brief biography of Paul Beatty

Give a slightly spoiler-y summary of The Sellout

Discuss whether the novel is an on-point laugh-a-minute satire or a relentlessly nihilistic trudge

Try to get to the bottom of what Paul Beatty is trying to say through this novel

Chat about whether the question of who something is for can really be answered authentically

Suggest who should read The Sellout

Reading list:

The White Boy Shuffle

Tuff

Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor

Slumberland

The Sellout

Further resources:

Paul Beatty's 2016 Booker Prize acceptance speech

Dear Britain, please take your Booker Prize back home by Ron Charles for The Washington Post

A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

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