Three Irish authors on Booker long-list

Three Irish authors have been nominated for the 2009 Man Booker Prize.

William Trevor's Love and Summer has received rave reviews. The Cork-born author, best known for his short-stories, has made the Booker shortlist four times.

Colm Tóibín's Brooklyn has been described by Arts Council literature chief Sarah Bannon as "exquisite and insightful".

Former war correspondent Ed O'Loughlin is a surprise choice by the Booker judges. His debut novel, Not Untrue & Not Unkind is loosely based on his own experiences reporting conflict in Africa.

South African Nobel laureate JM Coetze is the bookies' favourite to win the Booker at 4/1. Paddy Power has Trevor in second position at 9/2, followed by Tóibín at 5/1. Ed O'Loughlin is at 12/1.