Editing Booker Prize (section)

===1969–1979===
The first winner of the Booker Prize was [[P. H. Newby]] in 1969 for his novel ''[[Something to Answer For]]''. W. L. Webb, ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s Literary Editor, was chair of the inaugural set of judges,<ref name="Wood">{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Gaby |date=4 July 2018 |title=A Glimpse Behind the Scenes: The Booker at 50 |url=https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/a-glimpse-behind-the-scenes-the-booker-at-50 |website=The Booker Prizes}}</ref> which included [[Rebecca West]], [[Stephen Spender]], [[Frank Kermode]] and David Farrer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Booker Prize 1969 {{!}} The Booker Prizes |url=https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/1969 |access-date=2022-09-24 |website=thebookerprizes.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 1970, the prize's second year, [[Bernice Rubens]] became the first woman to win the Booker Prize, for ''[[The Elected Member]]''.<ref>Kidd, James (5 March 2006), [http://www.scmp.com/article/539083/brief-history-man-booker-prize "A Brief History of The Man Booker Prize"], ''South China Morning Post''.</ref>

The rules of the Booker changed in 1971; previously, it had been given retrospectively, to books published in the year prior to each award. In 1971, eligibility was changed to make the year of a novel's publication the same as the year of the award, which was made in November; in effect, this meant that books published in 1970 were not considered for the Booker in either year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thebookerprizes.com/the-lost-man-booker|title=The Lost Man Booker|website=The Booker Prizes|access-date=9 August 2024}}</ref> Forty years later, the Booker Prize Foundation announced in January 2010 the creation of a special award called the "[[Lost Man Booker Prize]]", with the winner chosen from a longlist of 22 novels published in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/1317 |title=The Lost Man Booker Prize announced |work=bookerprize.com |date=1 February 2010|access-date=31 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202172535/http://themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/1317 |archive-date=2 December 2010}}</ref> The prize was won by [[J. G. Farrell]] for ''[[Troubles (novel)|Troubles]]'', though the author had died in 1979.

In 1972, winning writer [[John Berger]], known for his [[Marxism|Marxist]] worldview, protested during his acceptance speech against Booker McConnell. He blamed Booker's 130 years of sugar production in the Caribbean for the region's modern poverty.<ref name="White"/><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otu4tjqrOk0 "John Berger on the Booker Prize (1972)"], YouTube.</ref> Berger donated half of his £5,000 prize to the [[British Black Panthers|British Black Panther movement]], because it had a socialist and revolutionary perspective in agreement with his own.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hamya |first1=Jo |title=Seeing G.: John Berger, the Black Panthers and the Booker Prize, 50 years on |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFVi6dZ6C3c|date=30 November 2022 |access-date=30 November 2022|publisher=The Booker Prizes|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref name="White">{{cite news |first=Michael |last=White |url=http://archive.guardian.co.uk/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=R1VBLzE5NzIvMTEvMjUjQXIwMTEwMA==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom |title=Berger's black bread |newspaper=The Guardian |date=25 November 1972}} p. 11.</ref><ref name="Stoddard"/><ref>[https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/i-have-to-turn-the-prize-against-itself-john-bergers-1972-booker-prize Speech by John Berger on accepting the Booker Prize for Fiction] at the Café Royal in London on 23 November 1972. The Booker Prizes, 24 November 2022.</ref>