BELFAST author Anna Burns has been shortlisted for this year's Man Booker Prize for her novel Milkman.
Milkman tells the story of a young woman who is forced into a relationship with an older man during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The Belfast writer’s fourth novel was listed back in July alongside Donal Ryan’s From A Low and Quiet Sea and Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
Unfortunately, both Irish authors failed to make the shortlist.
Tipperary native Donal Ryan was previously nominated in 2013 for The Spinning Heart.
Although Mayo writer Rooney failed to make the shortlist, Normal People, despite being published less than three weeks ago, has already sold 15,843 copies in Britain and 5,389 copies in Ireland.
Burn’s Milkman is among six novels published this year that have qualified for the final shortlist as voted for by a six person panel.
The other authors who made the shortlist include Daisy Johnson, Esi Edugyan, Rachel Kushner, Richard Powers and Robin Robertson.
The winner of the £50,000 prize will be announced in a ceremony on Tuesday, 16th October.
This is the first year that novels published in Ireland are eligible for the prize.
A record 171 books were submitted this year.
Only two Irish authors have ever won the prize.
The first was Roddy Doyle for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha in 1991 and the second was Anne Enright in 2007 for The Gathering.
