Jacobson, Howard (1942-…), a British novelist, won the 2010 Man Booker Prize for The Finkler Question (2010). The prize, now called the Booker Prize, is the United Kingdom’s best-known literary award. Like much of Jacobson’s other fiction, The Finkler Question skillfully blends the humorous with the serious as it explores Jewish identity in modern England.
Jacobson’s first novel, Coming from Behind (1983), pokes fun at English university life. It tells the story of a Jewish professor trying to establish an academic career. Peeping Tom (1984) follows the tangled romantic relationships of a Jewish literary scholar and teacher. Redback (1986) was inspired by Jacobson’s experiences while teaching at the University of Sydney in Australia from 1965 to 1968.
The Mighty Walzer (1999) is a comic autobiographical novel about a Jewish boy struggling through adolescence. Who’s Sorry Now? (2002) follows the sexual adventures of two married couples and Marvin Kreitman, a man who loved four women. The Making of Henry (2004) and The Act of Love (2009) are comic novels portraying battles between the sexes. Jacobson’s other novels include The Very Model of a Man (1992), a modern version of the Biblical story of Cain and Abel; No More Mister Nice Guy (1998), about a troubled television critic; Kalooki Nights (2006), about a Jewish cartoonist and his childhood friend, an ex-convict; and Zoo Time (2012), about an unhappy modern British novelist. Live a Little (2019) is the witty and tender story of two characters in their 90’s—a woman with a failing memory and a man haunted by memories he cannot forget—who fall in love.
Jacobson wrote the travel book In the Land of Oz (1987) about his adventures in Australia. Roots Schmoots: Journey Among the Jews (1993) describes his travels among Jewish people in such places as New York City and Israel. Seriously Funny: From the Ridiculous to the Sublime (1997) surveys humor throughout the world.
Jacobson was born on Aug. 25, 1942, in Manchester. The city serves as a frequent setting for his novels. Jacobson earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Cambridge in 1964. He was a television broadcaster and taught at English universities from 1969 to 1980. He then became a full-time writer.
