Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments and Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other jointly won the Booker Prize on Monday.

The authors will split the £50,000 ($62,800) annual prize, the judging panel said.

Ms. Atwood, 79, previously won the prize in 2000 for The Blind Assassin . The Testaments , published last month, is the sequel to the Canadian author’s best-selling 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale .

Ms. Evaristo, the first black woman to win the prize, tells the stories of 12 characters, mainly female and black aged 19 to 93, living in Britain in Girl, Woman, Other .

While the prize has been jointly awarded twice previously, the rules changed in 1993 limiting the award to one author. The judges defied those rules as they could not agree on a winner between the two books, which were on a shortlist of six.

You need to subscribe or sign-up to read Today's Paper articles.

Already have an account ? Sign in

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Enjoy reading our articles without intrusion from advertisements.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Support The Hindu's new online experience with zero ads.

Already a user? Sign In