A Canadian writer was Tuesday favorite to take the Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for English literature.
Margaret Atwood, author of the novel "The Blind Assassin", has made the shortlist for the fourth time for the prize whose winner was to be announced Tuesday in London.
Previous winner Kazuo Ishiguro and first time novelist Trezza Azzopardi were also fancied for the 21,000 pound (30,450 euro, 30,417 dollars) prize.
A total of 120 books were submitted to the judges for consideration in April and following a grueling six months the panel arrived at a shortlist which was announced in October.
The Booker Prize is awarded to the best full-length novel of the year and is open to authors from Britain, the Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland.
The winning author not only receives the prize money but also gains an all-important boom in sales and worldwide recognition.
When the shortlist was announced last month, chairman of the panel Simon Jenkins said there was no clear favorite among the judges.
"They are all equal. We now commence a month of more reading, listening and discussion before we come up with an eventual winner," he said.
But a spokesman for William Hill bookmakers said Margaret Atwood was the favorite because it was the fourth time one of her novels had made the shortlist -- LONDON (AFP)
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