After 1992, when it was split between two authors, the rules were changed to say that the prize "may not be divided or withheld." The 2019 judges were unable to decide between these two entries. Chairman Peter Florence said, "We came down to a discussion with the director of the Booker Prize about the rules. And we were told quite firmly that the rules state that you can only have one winner ... and as we have managed the jury all the way through on the principle of consensus, our consensus was that it was our decision to flout the rules and divide this year's prize to celebrate two winners."
Peter Florence was the co–founder, along with his mother and father, of the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts – first held in 1988. In October 2020 he was suspended from his position as Director of the festival following allegations of bullying.
© Haydn Thompson 2021