London, September 9 (ANI): Nominees for this year's esteemed Man Booker Prize for Fiction have been announced.

The shortlist for the literary award, that was last year won by Aravind Adiga for his book 'The White Tiger', includes past winners JM Coetzee and AS Byatt.

But Hilary Mantel was said to be the favourite to bag the top prize for her historical novel 'Wolf Hall', based on Henry VIII's adviser Thomas Cromwell.

"We're thrilled to be able to announce such a strong shortlist, so enticing that it will certainly give us a headache when we come to select the winner," the BBC quoted chair of the judges James Naughtie as saying.

"The choice will be a difficult one. There is thundering narrative, great inventiveness, poetry and sharp human insight in abundance," Naughtie added.

The winner will receive the 50,000-pound prize during a ceremony at London's Guildhall on October 6.

Complete shortlist

AS Byatt - The Children's Book

JM Coetzee - Summertime

Adam Foulds - The Quickening Maze

Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall

Simon Mawer - The Glass Room

Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger (ANI)