A Sci-Fi Booker?

A couple of weeks ago, one of the bigger names in sci-fi, Kim Stanley Robinson, asked why the Booker Prize people were ignoring science fiction. The Booker Prize is awarded annually to the best English language, non-American novel published in that year. Robinson thinks that sci-fi is being unfairly shut out.

Speaking as an outsider from California and as a science fiction writer I see these very brilliant writers doing excellent work who are never in the running at all, for no reason except their genre and who their publishers are – the so-called club members. It just needs to be said," he said today. "The Booker prize is so big, the way it shapes public consciousness of what is going on in British literature, but the avant garde, the leading edge, is being ignored or shut out of the process entirely.

I don't read a lot of new fiction since I rely more on used bookstores so it's hard for me to comment specifically on the past year. But I do have a little experience here. In the past year I've read about half a dozen previous Booker winners and about twenty previous Hugo winners. The Hugos, as a class have easily been better books. They have had more mind stretching ideas and easily had more impact on the world as a whole. I'd argue that they have shown more breadth of understanding of humanity as well. Not to mention that the storytelling has been superior...
The Booker has carved out a niche for the more literary and increasing historical novels. That's fine and they shouldn't be faulted for it. I'm not even bothered that they want to consider their award as the 'best' while ignoring large sections of modern fiction. They're not the first to get lost in their own genre.
There is a risk though. If the Booker is wrong and too arrogant to correct themselves they will find their award to be marginalized. It wouldn't surprise me to find that happening.