2012 Man Booker Prize overly populist. Whether or not as a response to this, the 2012 jury strongly emphasised the value of literary quality and linguistic innovation as criteria for inclusion. The winner was Hilary Mantel, an early favourite, for her book "Bring Up the Bodies", the sequel to her novel "Wolf Hall", which won the award in 2009. Mantel became the first woman, and the first Briton, to win the prize twice. A strong challenger to Mantel was established writer Will Self, who was nominated for the first time. Other shortlisters included second-time nominee Tan Twan Eng, Deborah Levy, who returned from a
2012 Man Booker Prize 2007 Booker Prize. Tan himself writes that, like Aritomo does in his gardening, he tries to apply the principle of "shakkei" — the art of borrowed scenery — to his writing. "We borrow not only from our own memories," he writes, "but also from the memories of the people around us." The jury called the novel "sternly paced to match its subject", and compared its beauty to "those of slowly clashing icebergs". Taking place in a summer house in Southern France, "Swimming Home" is "a haunting exploration of loss and longing." In the summer of 1994, poet Joe Jacobs vacations