Howard Jacobson and THE FINKLER QUESTION

Tonight Torontonians get to have their perception challenged by an international literary light. Howard Jacobson won the 2010 Man Booker Prize for fiction -- one of the most prestigious awards in literature -- for his novel, THE FINKLER QUESTION.The book is a study of Jewish identity as reflected by a group of three friends living in present-day London. The main character is a failed BBC producer named Julian Treslove. He's a sad sack who is fascinated by Jews and Judaism as a sort of club he can never join. But his ideas about Jewish culture are actually rooted in some unfortunate stereotypes that reveal an unwittingly narrow view.

We spoke to Howard Jacobson about his novel, literature, and about life since winning the Booker prize.. You can hear more tonight when he speaks at the Toronto Reference Library at 7 pm. The event is free, but you do need to reserve and print a ticket. Find out more at the Toronto Public Library website .