PAST winner Hilary Mantel and three former shortlisted authors found themselves among the 12 writers on the Man Booker Prize longlist.

It also includes four debut novels, with a 51-year age gap between the oldest novelist to make the grade – Michael Frayn, 78 – and the youngest, Ned Beauman.

Mantel, who won the fiction prize in 2009 with Wolf Hall, is listed for sequel Bring Up The Bodies.

Writers who make the dozen and who have been on the shortlist before are Michael Frayn, Nicola Barker and Brink.

A total of 145 books were considered and a shortlist of six will be out on September 11.