John le Carré, the bestselling British author of espionage thrillers like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, has rejected a nomination for the Man Booker International Prize.

Organizers of the literary award, worth nearly $94,000, announced 13 finalists for its 2011 edition at Australia's University of Sydney on Tuesday. Canadian Rohinton Mistry is among the shortlisted authors in contention.

Soon after the finalists were announced, however, le Carré released a statement through his agent refusing the honour.

"I am enormously flattered to be named as a finalist," he wrote. "However, I do not compete for literary prizes and have therefore asked for my name to be withdrawn."

No submissions are accepted for the prize, which was established in 2005 and is awarded every other year to celebrate an author's overall contribution to fiction. The past recipients are Alice Munro, Chinua Achebe and Ismail Kadaré.

Nominees are the discretion of the prize's three-judge panel. Because of this, le Carré will remain on the list.

Still, "we are disappointed that he wants to withdraw from further consideration because we are great admirers of his work," said jury chair Rick Gekoski.

Organizers will announce the 2011 winner at the Sydney Writers' Festival on May 18, with an awards gala to follow in London, England, on June 28.