Oh Booker! Revamped ceremony signals change

It may sound trite, but I once remarked to a senior publishing executive that if you are going to make a change, you do actually need to make a change. As we all know, publishing is full of momentum for doing things differently, but often never quite gets it over the line. The same cannot be said for the Booker Prize, whose radically revamped ceremony took place this week, culminating in an unexpected win for Shehan Karunatilaka’s The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, and his tiny publisher Sort Of Books.

For seasoned Booker attendees, Karunatilaka’s victory was not the only surprise on the night. We had live music, a comedian-compere and a genuine popstar (Dua Lipa). Oddly, the last was not there to sing, but to tell us what books meant to her, remarking that wherever she is touring in the world she carries their words with her. It was all rather affecting. As it was when she led the singing of happy birthday to 88-year-old shortlisted writer Alan Garner. You can be too cynical in this business, and literary wags may be particularly scathing, but while it wasn’t exactly Marilyn Monroe addressing President Kennedy, it was memorable.

Some things did not work. I like The Roundhouse (a theatre and music venue in Camden), but the reception space will need to be re-thought for next year, as on this occasion it was too packed and too dark. The beginning of events such as this can sometimes be guests’ only time to mingle, and this wasn’t possible. The uneasy mix of the celebrity and the literary could do with being refined; here it is less about getting it wrong and more about understanding what the Booker wants to say about its modishness. For all her positive words about reading, Dua Lipa was really signalling to an audience different from that in the room. The DJ-set at the end fell a little flat too, and again I fail to see how this will ever work with this gathered audience, which at that moment wanted to chat, not bop.

What did work, really worked. The pre-recorded readings, using actors such as Anna Friel and David Harewood, were brilliant, and by far the best I’ve seen. Harewood’s reading of Percival Everett’s The Trees was particularly good, and if any passing TV exec is still wondering how to put books on television, here is the answer. "Jackanory" for adults, but with a decent budget and some imagination. I also thought the live link-up with Front Row was deftly handled, and Samira Ahmed is an absolute rock. Personally, I would have liked more of her, and less of the "entertainment". But that’s a personal choice.

I am old enough to remember past Booker ceremonies that made me cringe. In short, not everything needs to work to make it work, but enough did

Despite my reservations about the reception, The Roundhouse is a glorious space, and in its way a more than suitable replacement for the Guildhall, which has hosted previous Booker ceremonies. Dropping black tie (or formal wear) is also to be welcomed, as was the decision to invite reading groups and a more overtly broad audience. I’ve never found the Booker intimidating, but in its new form it is now welcoming.

Not everyone was happy, and I heard of some pretty tense conversations going into the event among the various stakeholders. But I have genuine admiration for the team who put this together. I am old enough to remember past Booker events that made me cringe. In short, not everything needs to work to make it work, but enough did.

The Booker remains one of only a handful of literary prizes that can genuinely make an author (and their publisher), and Karunatilaka was a good example of the judges getting it right from what some felt was an overly eclectic shortlist. That Booker magic is hard to define, difficult to bottle, and easy to spoil. One observer said to me that this year’s ceremony should have been an evolution, not a revolution. I have some sympathy with that. When we looked at revamping the British Book Awards after the hiatus of Covid, we did enough to change the mood without throwing out any of the big stuff. I think the Booker went a step further for its return, and that’s to be admired. This was their chance, and they took it. Good for them.