Paul Beatty becomes first American to win Man Booker Prize

Paul Beatty has become the first US author to win the Man Booker Prize.

He won the award for his racial satire, 'The Sellout' at a ceremony in London's Guildhall yesterday.

The novel tells the story of a young black man who tries to reinstate slavery and racial segregation in a suburb of Los Angeles.

Amanda Foreman, Chair of the Judges, said the book managed to eviscerate every social taboo.

The Man Booker Prize is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language, and published in the United Kingdom.