Marlon James wins the Man Booker Prize for A Brief History of Seven Killings

Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings has been awarded the 2015 Man Booker Prize, which annually honors the best novel written in English.

The Jamaica-born author's A Brief History of Seven Killings offers a fictionalized take on a real-life attempt to assassinate reggae legend Bob Marley in 1976. According to The Guardian, chair of judges Michael Wood praised the 686-page novel as "the most exciting book on the list," while acknowledging that its explicit content — including plenty of violence and cursing — might make it the kind of book his mother wouldn't read.

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.