Paul Beatty Becomes First American Booker Prize Winner

Paul Beatty, from the United States, winner of the 2016 Man Booker Prize for fiction with his book "The Sellout" after the award ceremony in London, on Oct. 25, 2016. AP Photo/Alastair Grant

LONDON—Paul Beatty’s “The Sellout,” a stinging satire of race and class in the United States that has drawn comparisons to Richard Pryor and Mark Twain, won the Man Booker Prize on Tuesday—the first time an American has taken the prestigious fiction award.

Judges said Beatty’s provocative book was a satire to rank with the classics, and as timely as the evening news.

Historian Amanda Foreman, who chaired the judging panel, said the book “plunges into the heart of contemporary American society, and with absolutely savage wit—the kind I haven’t seen since (Jonathan) Swift or (Mark) Twain.”

Luke Ellis and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall present shortlisted author Paul Beatty with a copy of his book 'The Sellout ' at the 2016 Man Booker Prize at The Guildhall in London on Oct. 25, 2016. John Phillips / Pool via AP