Despite rules created to prevent a tie, both 'The Testaments' author and the 'Girl, Woman, Other' writer secure the top literary honor as the oldest as well as the first black woman winners.
- Oct 15, 2019
AceShowbiz - Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo have shared the 2019 Booker Prize for Fiction, despite rules created to prevent a tie.
Atwood's "The Testaments" and Evaristo's novel "Girl, Woman, Other" earned each author a share of the $63,000 (£50,000) prize.
Both women made history with the win - at 79, Canadian Atwood becomes the oldest Booker winner, while Evaristo is the first black woman to win the top literary honour.
The other nominees were Lucy Ellmann, Chigozie Obioma, Sir Salman Rushdie and Elif Shafak.
The two winners were announced at the Guildhall in London after five hours of deliberations by the judges, who threatened to stage a "sit-in" if both authors didn't share the award.
Jury chairman Peter Florence says, "The more we talked about them (Atwood and Evaristo), the more we treasured them and wanted them both as winners. Laws are invaluable. Rules are adapted to the circumstance. The only result that we were happy with was to award the prize this year to both."
Atwood previously took home the Booker Prize in 2000 for her novel "The Blind Assassin", and now becomes the fourth person to win the honour twice.
