Julian Barnes wins prestigious Booker Prize

LONDON - British writer Julian Barnes won the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction on Tuesday for his novel "The Sense of an Ending."

Judges announced the winner of the 50,000 pound ($82,000) award at a ceremony in London.

Barnes, who has been a finalist three times before but has never won, beat British writers Stephen Kelman and Carol Birch and Canadians Esi Edugyan and Patrick deWitt.

Barnes' memory-haunted novel about a man forced to face up to his past by the arrival of a letter was the strong favorite to win the prize, attracting half of all bets laid through bookmaker William Hill.

The 65-year-old writer, who once called the Booker Prize "posh bingo," was previously nominated for "Flaubert's Parrot," "England, England" and "Arthur and George."

Barnes said he was "as much relieved as I am delighted" to finally take the prize.

The award is open to writers from Britain, Ireland and the 54-nation Commonwealth of former British colonies.