The winner of the 2003 Man Booker Prize is D.B.C. Pierre for
his novel "Vernon God Little". The author, born Peter Finlay,
is a reformed drug addict and gambler. The initials D.B.C. are
an abbreviation of "Dirty But Clean", the way the author now sees himself. The Booker was first awarded in 1969 and is open to British Commonwealth authors. What do others think about literary awards like the Booker? Do award winning novels reflect current tastes, or are they chosen because they are perceived to be trendsetters?

I spent a long time as a bookstore manager and, yes, I think these prizes are very important! They were always a source of hot discussion among me and my associates and clients. The best thing they do is bring an often relatively unknown author into the attention of readers. The book business is tough; any little hands-up is nothing but beneficial. I had never even heard of Pete Dexter until he won, I think it was, a National Book Award. His "Paris Trout" now stands as one of my favorite books. Awards like this give people a moment to be noticed outside of the Stephen Kings and Danielle Steeles. Those last two mentioned are very good at what they do but the geniuses in the trenches need a chance, too. Just my opinion.