Man Booker Prize goes to TIME contributor

A colleague who done good. / AFP

Are you kidding me? The Man Booker Prize, among the most prestigious of literary awards, was just announced: it went to Aravind Adiga, a former correspondent for TIME in India. Says the AFP:

The 33-year-old was awarded the 50,000-pound (87,000-dollar, 64,000-euro) prize at a ceremony in London for his tale of a man's journey from Indian village life to entrepreneurial success.

Said a judge:

Chairman of the judges Michael Portillo said the book's originality in showing "the dark side of India" had set it apart from the others. "My criteria were 'does it knock my socks off?', and this one did," he said.

William Green, our TIME Europe editor, always said the guy was brilliant. He was right. Congrats, Aravind.