The Line of Beauty wins 2004 Booker Prize

Alan Hollinghurst was awarded the £50,000 Booker Prize today for his satire of 1980s Britain under Margaret Thatcher, The Line of Beauty.

In The Line of Beauty, Hollinghurst's gay antihero, Nick Guest, finds his life dramatically altered when he takes up residence with conservative Parliament member, Gerald Feddens, his wealthy wife and two children.

Chris Smith, who headed the 2004 Booker Prize judging panel, called The Line of Beauty, "a winning novel that is exciting, brilliantly written and gets deep under the skin of the Thatcherite 80s. The search for love, sex and beauty is rarely so exquisitely done."

Review of The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst