Which author inspired the 2006 'Best of Beryl' prize after repeated Booker near-misses?

Beryl Bainbridge inspired the special “Best of Beryl” prize after five Booker Prize shortlisting near-misses. The stored answer is correct, although the prize was created in 2011—not 2006—as a posthumous tribute following Bainbridge’s death in 2010.

Bainbridge was shortlisted five times between 1973 and 1998, more than any other author who had never won the Booker. Her shortlisted novels were The Dressmaker, The Bottle Factory Outing, An Awfully Big Adventure, Every Man for Himself and Master Georgie. Her repeated appearances made her the archetypal “Booker bridesmaid.”

The one-off award invited the public to choose which of those five novels deserved recognition. Master Georgie, Bainbridge’s historical novel about the Crimean War, won the vote. The prize was accepted by members of her family at a celebration in London.

Readers sometimes confuse this tribute with the Best of the Booker, another special award. That 2008 prize asked voters to choose the best Booker winner from each decade; “Best of Beryl” instead honoured one author’s overlooked Booker career.