John le Carré has withdrawn from the £60,000( €68,000) Man Booker International Prize, saying he doesn't compete for literary awards.
Le Carré, whose novels include The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and The Constant Gardener, was tapped as one of 13 finalists, including Philip Roth, Marilynne Robinson and Philip Pullman, who were announced in a news conference held today at the University of Sydney.
"I am enormously flattered to be named as a finalist of the 2011 Man Booker International Prize," le Carré said in a statement published on the award's website.
"However, I do not compete for literary prizes and have therefore asked for my name to be withdrawn."
First bestowed on Albanian writer Ismail Kadare in 2005, Man Booker International Prize is awarded every two years to recognize a living author's achievement in fiction and literary excellence.
Other winners of the award include Alice Munro and Chinua Achebe.
The chairman of the judging panel, Rick Gekoski, voiced disappointment at le Carré's request and said his name would remain on the list.
The winner of the prize will be announced at the Sydney Writers' Festival on May 18th. The contest is sponsored by hedge-fund manager Man Group , which also funds the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.
The thirteen authors on the list are:
Wang Anyi (China)
Juan Goytisolo (Spain)
James Kelman (UK)
John le Carré (UK)
Amin Maalouf (Lebanon)
David Malouf (Australia)
Dacia Maraini (Italy)
Rohinton Mistry (India/Canada)
Philip Pullman (UK)
Marilynne Robinson (US)
Philip Roth (US)
Su Tong (China)
Anne Tyler (US)