Arundhati Roy’s first novel in 20 years, The Ministry Of Utmost Happiness, could earn her a second Man Booker Prize after it was longlisted for the prestigious prize.

The Indian writer’s follow up to The God Of Small Things – two decades in the waiting – is included in the 13-strong list and could see her become just the fourth double-winner of the award.

Only three other writers – Australian Peter Carey, Wolf Hall author Hilary Mantel and South African-born Coetzee – have won the esteemed literary prize twice.

Arundhati
Arundhati Roy (Mayank Austen)

Roy’s first novel since 1997 is described as a “rich and vital book” by the judges which comes from “the bowels of India”.

Alongside her on the longlist are four writers from the UK, four from the US, two Irish and two Pakistani.

Scottish writer Ali Smith and Irish author Sebastian Barry earn their fourth nod on the list while Jon McGregor is up for the award for a third time.

Three debut novels are also included, two by the youngest authors on the list. Elmet by 29-year-old Fiona Mozley and History Of Wolves by Emily Fridlund, 38. The third is George Saunders’ first full-length novel, Lincoln In The Bardo.

Fiona Mozley
Fiona Mozley (Booker)

Also listed is British writer Zadie Smith who was previously shortlisted for the 2005 prize for On Beauty. Her fifth novel, Swing Time, moves from north-west London to West Africa and follows two girls who dream of being dancers before their close but complicated childhood friendship ends abruptly in their early 20s.

Chairwoman of the 2017 judges, Baroness Lola Young lauded the “diverse spectrum” shown in the longlist and called the power and range on show a “tonic for our times”.

She said: “Only when we’d finally selected our 13 novels did we fully realise the huge energy, imagination and variety in them as a group.

Man Booker Prize 2016
Last year’s winner Paul Beatty (John Phillips/PA)

The longlist – narrowed down from 144 entries – will be narrowed again to a final six on Wednesday September 13 before a winner is announced at a ceremony in central London on October 17.

Last year’s Booker saw its first American winner as Paul Beatty’s The Sellout was handed the £50,000 prize.

Here is the full longlist for this year’s Man Booker.

:: Paul Auster (US) 4 3 2 1 (Faber & Faber)
:: Sebastian Barry (Ireland) Days Without End (Faber & Faber)
:: Emily Fridlund (US) History of Wolves (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
:: Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan) Exit West (Hamish Hamilton)
:: Mike McCormack (Ireland) Solar Bones (Canongate)
:: Jon McGregor (UK) Reservoir 13 (4th Estate)
:: Fiona Mozley (UK) Elmet (JM Originals)
:: Arundhati Roy (India) The Ministry Of Utmost Happiness (Hamish Hamilton)
:: George Saunders (US) Lincoln in the Bardo (Bloomsbury)
:: Kamila Shamsie (UK-Pakistan) Home Fire (Bloomsbury)
:: Ali Smith (UK) Autumn (Hamish Hamilton)
:: Zadie Smith (UK) Swing Time (Hamish Hamilton)
:: Colson Whitehead (US) The Underground Railroad (Fleet)