If there is one thing I regret in my decision to leave Georgetown University early, it was the fact that I was never able to take Reverend Alvaro Ribeiro’s class on The Booker Prize for Fiction. In the one class that I did take with Father Ribeiro, I learned of his passion for literature; but what’s more, I learned of his true talent in conveying that same passion to his students.

Because of this, I am extremely grateful that the Man Booker International Prize for 2005 decided to honor Father Ribeiro by announcing the nominees of this year’s prize and hosting a symposium at Georgetown University. Georgetown’s English Department is one of distinction and has produced great writers and literary critics.

In establishing the Man Booker International Prize this year, the Booker Prize Foundation has shown its commitment to the recognition of literature around the world, and has established the importance of acknowledging the influence many writers have on the lives and cultures of people from from all parts of the globe. I am sure many people will agree with me that though being shortlisted for the Booker Prize may be quite an accomplishment, simply working in a field where such awards as the Booker Prize exist is quite monumental.

Why is the Booker Prize important? For the simple reason that all literary and writing prizes - whether it be the Giller, the Pulitzer, the Governor General’s Award, the Nobel Prize for Literature, the National Book Awards, and any of the many other markers of distinction in writing - get people talking about reading. By recognizing quality writing, these awards pique the interest of the public, similar to how movie sales go up significantly after the Oscar nominations.

When people talk about the books, poems, and articles they are reading, the written word makes its way into mainstream culture. This is important because not every book that is released gets the instant celebrity that a movie or television show would. Most, in fact, depend on the word of mouth to generate buzz and incite interest. In a survey done by World Book Day in England (as reported by the BBC), many new bestselling novels which had low initial print runs, such as The Da Vinci Code and Memoirs of a Geisha, are now selling millions because of personal recommendations.

A friend, Beth Jefferson, once compared book reading to film and television in popular culture: when children meet in the schoolyard, they are all talking about the same shows or movies - the same ones they all saw over the weekend. However, because books don’t have the same kind of significant time constraints as other media - such as prime-time television, or first run Hollywood blockbusters - nobody talks about what books they are reading, because no one else is reading the same one.

This is where the importance of the Booker Prize and other literary prizes is most evident. If books are being recognized on a grand scale, they receive media attention; people love talking about what they see on TV. By bringing literature and writing of all genres into the forefront of popular culture by recognizing the best and brightest, people are urged to pick up a book to keep up with the mainstream trends.

Many people may say that though this may encourage reading in general, it will only serve to promote pieces of writing that don’t necessarily need any more promotion: books written by Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie don’t need more accolades to prove to the world that they deserve to be read. I argue that this is clearly not the case, especially with the advent of the Internet. I am fully aware that certain works will be favored in prize selection, but when people pick up those books in a bookstore, either in person or online, they will be introduced to a variety of other titles that may pique their interest.

Amazon’s recommendation engine is a perfect example of this. When purchasing a book on Amazon.com, a few lists appear on the page: related items, similar items, and other items purchased by people who purchased the book you are buying. All these lists help someone diversify and find new products. They may have come looking for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, but may just leave with Le Petit Nicolas. Other services such as AllConsuming.net and BookCrossing.com are working on connecting readers with other like-minded readers around the world.

A clear example of this is given by Chris Anderson of Wired Magazine when he recently wrote about “the long tail.” In his article, he explains how Touching the Void, published in 1988, began gaining popularity a decade after publication because of the gaining popularity of another related book, Into Thin Air. The virtually unlimited choice of books for readers in this age has enabled less-read material to resurface and gain popularity, so much that now 25-30% of Amazon’s book sales comes from books that are not stocked at your neighborhood Barnes & Noble.

Therefore, it is clear that critical acclaim and recognition for certain books through prizes such as the Booker Prize is not only beneficial for the authors nominated, but for the entire publishing industry - and subsequently, beneficial for the entire culture of reading. And that, I argue, is good for the culture of humankind in general.