Veteran spy novelist John Le Carre has asked to be removed from the list of nominees for a leading literary award.
Le Carre, who was unveiled as one of 12 writers in the running for the £60,000 Man Booker International Prize, said he was "enormously flattered" by the nomination, but did not compete for literary prizes.
The list, which also includes Philip Pullman and Scottish novelist James Kelman, was announced in Sydney.
Following the announcement, in a statement released by his literary agents Curtis Brown, Le Carre said: "I am enormously flattered to be named as a finalist of 2011 Man Booker International Prize. However, I do not compete for literary prizes and have therefore asked for my name to be withdrawn."
Unlike the main Man Booker prize in the UK, the international award is presented to an author rather than a novel. It is a gift of the judging panel and does not require books to be submitted for consideration.
Rick Gekoski, chairman of the judges, said: "John le Carre's name will, of course, remain on the list. We are disappointed that he wants to withdraw from further consideration because we are great admirers of his work."
A film version of le Carre's best-seller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, starring Gary Oldman in the role made famous by Alec Guinness, will come out this year.
Kelman, who lives in Glasgow, won the Booker Prize in 1994 for How Late It Was, How Late and was shortlisted for the international prize in 2009. Other writers on the list include American novelists Philip Roth and Anne Tyler.
The judging panel also includes writer Carmen Callil and novelist Justin Cartwright.
The prize, which was set up in 2005, is awarded every two years to a living writer whose work is widely available in English. The winner will be announced at the Sydney Writers' Festival on May 18 followed by an awards ceremony in London on June 28.
