LIFE OF REILLY?:

Daft mistake sees Booker Prize 'winner' named (Australian Broadcasting Corp)

Organisers of Britain's prestigious Booker Prize for literature have been left red-faced after they accidentally named one of the short-listed candidates as the winner.

An announcement on the prize's official website said Canadian writer Yann Martel had won for his book Life of Pi, even though the judges have not met and are not due to do so until next Tuesday.

The 2002 winner will be officially named on Tuesday.

The leak prompted several punters to place money on Martel with bookmakers William Hill, prompting them to halt betting on the outcome of prize.

"We were baffled by the string of bets for the Martel book, several of them stakes of 100 pounds a time, and then concerned when the book had already been announced as the winner," William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said.

"We thought it might be wise at this point to close the [wagering] book pending inquiries."

Hopefully this is a good omen for Mr. Martel, who we interviewed here, and his fine novel Life of Pi. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 18, 2002 3:13 PM