New Delhi/London, Oct 13 (IANS) Howard Jacobson won the Man Booker Prize 2010 for the book "The Finkler Question" at a glittering ceremony at the Guildall Hall in London Tuesday.

The prize carried a purse of £50,000 and earned the British writer worldwide recognition.

The winner was chosen from among a shortlist of six authors -- Peter Carey, Emma Donoghue, Damon Galgut, Howard Jacobson, Andrea Levy and Tom McCarthy.

Peter Carey was nominated for "Parrot and Olivier in America" (Faber and Faber) while Emma Donoghue received a nomination for "Room" (Picador- Pan Macmillan). Damon Galgut was chosen for "In a Strange Room" (Atlantic Books - Grove Atlantic).

Novelist Andrea Levy was chosen for "The Long Song" (Headline Review - Headline Publishing Group) while Tom McCarthy was nominated for "C" (Jonathan Cape - Random House).

Chair of judges Andrew Motion said: "It was a great privilege and an exciting challenge for us."

Australian author Peter Carey is one of only two authors to have won the prize twice, in 1988 for "Oscar and Lucinda" and in 2001 for "True History of the Kelly Gang".

Earlier in the day, bookies predicted Tom McCarthy's book "C" the 8/15 favourite to win. McCarthy's book, the story of one man's obsession with the early days of radio, had an edge over Peter Carey's "Parrot and Olivier in America", another favourite.