KARACHI: Contenders for Man Asia Literary Prize saw two Pakistani authors among 13 others in the long-list revealed by the prestigious literary award foundation.

Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s “Between Clay and Dust” and Uzma Aslam Khan’s “Thinner than Skin” have been named in the list. Farooqi’s book has also been short-listed for the DSC Prize for the South Asian Literature for 2013.

Around six nominees will be short-listed, with the announcement to be made in January, and the final prize declared in March.

The Man Asia Literary Prize is the most coveted honor for Asian writers. It started in 2007 in an attempt to highlight authors in the Asian region. The winner is up for $30,000 in prize and if any book is translated the translator also receives monetary reward. Some hundred and eight published works were submitted from nine different Asian countries to the panel led by Maya Jaggi, journalist and literary critic.

Two books which were selected for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction for 2012 were also included in the list adding Nobel Prize Literature winner, Orhan Pamuk author of “Silent House” from Turkey.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2012