Jeet Thayil on 2012 Man Booker long-list

Noted Indian poet and writer Jeet Thayil is among 12 authors long-listed for the 2012 Man Booker Prize for Fiction worth 50,000 pounds and an assured spurt in the sales of the prize-winning book.

Kerala-born Thayil, a former India Abroad/rediff.com staffer, is the only Indian writer in this year's long-list that includes known writers such as Will Self and Hilary Mantel.

Thayil's book selected for the long-list is titled Narcopolis.

The 12 books in the long-list released on Wednesday were chosen by a panel of judges chaired by Sir Peter Stothard, Editor of the Times Literary Supplement.

The long-listed books were selected from a total of 145 titles.

Others on the long-list are: 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) and Sam Thompson (Communion Town).

Peter Stothard, chair of judges, said: "Goodness, madness and bewildering urban change are among the themes of this year's longlist. In an extraordinary year for fiction the 'Man Booker Dozen' proves the grip that the novel has on our world.

We did not set out to reject the old guard but, after a year of sustained critical argument by a demanding panel of judges, the new has come powering through."

The long-list includes four debut novels, three small independent publishers and one previous winner.

Of the 12 writers, seven are men and five women; nine are British, one Indian, one South African and one Malaysian.

The eldest on the list is Andre Brink at 77 and the youngest is Ned Beauman at 27.

The shortlist of six authors will be announced on September 11, and the winner on October 16.

Each of the six shortlisted writers is awarded 2,500 pounds and a specially commissioned hand-bound edition of his/her book. The winner receives a further 50,000 pounds.

Peter Stothard is joined on the 2012 Man Booker Prize for Fiction judging panel by: Dinah Birch, academic and literary critic; Amanda Foreman, historian, writer and broadcaster; Dan Stevens, actor and Bharat Tandon, academic, writer and reviewer.