Under New Guidelines, Man Booker Prize to Be Open to Americans

In a break from tradition that has already rankled purists, the Man Booker Prize will be open to all novels originally written in English and published in Britain, the administrators of the prize announced on Wednesday. Previously, the prize had been open to novels written by authors from Britain, the other countries in the Commonwealth, and Ireland. The change is planned to begin in 2014.

In a statement, the Booker Prize Foundation said that its members decided that the award, “which for over 40 years has been the touchstone for high quality literary fiction written in English, would enhance its prestige and reputation through expansion.”

Jonathan Taylor, the chairman of the trustees, said in a statement, “'We are excited by the opportunities that extending the Man Booker Prize will bring for readers and writers worldwide. The expanded prize will recognize, celebrate and embrace authors writing in English, whether from Chicago, Sheffield or Shanghai.”