American writer Lydia Davis has won this year’s Man Booker International Prize for her innovative and influential writing.

A professor of creative writing at the University of Albany, Ms. Davis is also an accomplished translator. Her works include ‘The End of the Story’ and ‘Varieties of Disturbance’.

The winner of the Prize was announced at the awards ceremony at Victoria and Albert Museum in London last night.

Well-known Kannada author UR Ananthamurthy, the only Indian to be shortlisted for the prestigious award, lost to the New York based writer for the 60,000 pound prize.

Reacting to the development, Mr Ananthamurthy said, his selection in the list of finalists is a triumph of the Kannada language, which is being represented on the global stage alongside other world languages.

The Man Booker International Prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published a substantial body of work either written or translated in English.