The American author Philip Roth recently won the Man Booker International Prize for 2011. This was a controversial choice with one of the three judges withdrawing in protest over the choice of his name. Past winners are Ismail Kadare (Albania), Chinua Achebe (Nigeria), and Alice Munro (Canada).
This prize is different from the better-known (and older) Man Booker Prize for several reasons. It is not awarded for a single book, but awarded for an author's achievements in fiction. It is awarded once every two years and not every year.
There is one more significant distinction between the two, with respect to nationality of eligible authors. What?
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The Man Booker Prize is restricted only to authors from Commonwealth countries and Ireland, the International Prize (as its name suggests) is open to any nationality. Which is why the Albanian Kadare could win this prize.