Los Angeles – Hollywood icon Sarah Jessica Parker will take her place among the judges for the esteemed 2025 Booker Prize. Best known for her role in the television series “Sex and the City,” Parker is no stranger to the storytelling world, though her admiration for written prose has grown in recent years, extending her influence into literary circles.
Irish author Roddy Doyle, a Booker Prize recipient himself for his 1993 novel “Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha,” will chair the 2025 panel. Joining Parker and Doyle are Nigerian author Ayobami Adebayo, known for her impactful narratives; British author and critic Chris Power; and American novelist Kiley Reid, bringing diverse voices and perspectives to the evaluation process.
At 59, Parker has not only garnered awards like an Emmy and four Golden Globes for her acting prowess but has also ventured into the publishing world. Having formerly held a role as the editorial director of Penguin’s subsidiary, she launched her own literary imprint, SJP Lit, in collaboration with an independent publisher in 2023. This recent engagement with the publishing industry highlights her expanding role within the domain.
In her statement to The New York Times, Parker conveyed both excitement and humility about her new appointment as a Booker judge, citing the responsibility as daunting but thrilling, and acknowledged her non-academic background in an industry often dominated by the highly educated.
Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, praised Parker for her longstanding and passionate promotion of contemporary fiction, noting that the composition of the 2025 panel is exceptionally notable for its collective creative prowess.
The submission window for the 2025 Booker Prize is now open, with authors and publishers eager to make their mark. A preliminary long list of 12 or 13 books will be announced in July, narrowing down to finalists by September, and culminating with the grand announcement of the winner in November 2025.
Since its inception in 1969, the Booker Prize has been revered as a significant literary award, celebrating the best in sustained fiction written in English. It has served as a launchpad for numerous authors who have risen to international acclaim, such as Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, and 2016 winner Han Kang, who later clinched the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature for her novel “The Vegetarian.”
The recent 2024 Booker Prize saw a women-dominated finalist pool, with British author Samantha Harvey clinching the award for her novel “Orbital,” underlining the evolving dynamics and diversity of voices in contemporary literature.
The Booker Prize remains a milestone achievement for authors and an indicator of exceptional literary talent, often spotlighting those whose works have the potential to resonate deeply on a global scale.
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