July 14, 2021, 1:25pm
On your marks, get set… BOOK!
The Booker Prize revealed its 2022 judges today, among them a familiar face for fans of Great British Bake Off—no, not Paul Hollywood. It’s OG host Mel Giedroyc!
Mel is joined by chair and translator Frank Wynne (tr. Animalia), author and academic Merve Emre (The Personality Brokers); writer and lawyer Petina Gappah (Out of Darkness, Shining Light); and translator and author Jeremy Tiang (tr. The Secret Talker).
Turns out that in addition to being a pro at soothing anxious bakers, Mel is also a writer: her debut novel, The Best Things, was published in April. Also, not for nothing, she studied Modern Languages at Trinity College (the Cambridge one).
In the press release, Frank Wynne says, “To this day, I am in awe of the strange magic performed by people I now consider colleagues, and friends.” Which is, coincidentally, how I feel every time I watch those bighearted amateur bakers create one of their masterpieces in a 110-degree tent.
Fortunately, the judges have more than a weekend in the tent to select their contenders. The “Booker Dozen” (AHEM) will be announced in March 2022 and the shortlist in April. The winners will be announced in May, and hopefully celebrate with a really nice cake.