DHAKA: United States novelist George Saunders has won the Man Booker prize for his novel ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ - becoming the second US author to take home the fiction award, reports BBC.

The book tells the story of Abraham Lincoln's grief after the death of his young son, and his visits to his tomb.

It is the first full-length novel from Saunders, previously best known for his short stories, and is set in a graveyard, over a single night.

Judges praised the "utterly original" work and said it was "deeply moving".

Saunders, 58, was one of six authors shortlisted for the prestigious award, alongside British writers Ali Smith and Fiona Mozley, fellow Americans Paul Auster and Emily Fridlund, and British-Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid.

Speaking after his name was announced, Saunders said: "Thank you for this great honour which I hope to live up to with the rest of my work, for the rest of my life."

The Texas-born author, who lives in New York, has previously won the Folio Prize and Story Prize for his short story collection Tenth of December. Lincoln in the Bardo is his ninth book, and had been the favorite to win the Booker.

The Duchess of Cornwall presented his trophy at London's Guildhall.

BDST: 1400 HRS, OCT 18, 2017
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