Merton don heads Booker

A former drug and gambling addict has been awarded the prestigious Man Booker Prize by a committee chaired by Merton’s Professor of English, John Carey. DBC Pierre scooped arguably the most sought-after prize for English Literature with his first novel, Vernon God Little. The book, which describes a Texan high school massacre, was described by Carey as a “coruscating black comedy reflecting our alarm but also our fascination with America”. The judges voted four to one in favour of Pierre’s book. Carey insisted it was the quality of the novel rather than the author’s private life which captivated the judges. He commented, “The language is extremely vivid, most inventive, it’s extremely exciting and very funny”. DBC Pierre or ‘Dirty But Clean Peter’ is formerly known as Peter Finlay, but took on the pseudonym to hide his colourful past. He recently confessed to betraying his friends to fuel his drug and gambling addictions, running up huge debts in the process.ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003