It wasn't me. But today, a growing chorus of critics accuse the judges of publicity-seeking, political correctness and a perverse taste for opacity. The task of rewarding merit grows trickier by the year.
Every shortlist brings howls of protest at unexpected omissions.
As for raising the stature of authors, shortlisted novelists are as likely to find their reputations trampled as boosted. Others, the prize's detractors argue, win for below-par novels in recognition of former achievements, as with Kingsley Amis's victory for The Old Devils in 1986. Tim Waterstone, who started the Waterstone's retail chain, confidently ascribes to the prize the power to boost sales by four or five times, and the chart of sales figures for this year and last year supports that view, showing weekly sales from before the announcement of the 1998 shortlist to the following Christmas, and from before this year's shortlist to the present. The enduring power of the Booker effect is harder to assess, but anecdotal evidence suggests that it persists beyond the pre-Christmas spree. Answer For, the first winner - is out of print.