Writer Madeleine Thien poses for a portrait in Vancouver, B.C. Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. Canadian authors Thien and David Szalay are both in the running for the prestigious Man Booker Prize for fiction being awarded later today in London. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

LONDON - Paul Beatty's "The Sellout," a stinging satire of race and class in the United States, won the Man Booker Prize on Tuesday — the first time an American has taken the prestigious fiction award.

Beatty's book, which judges called "as timely as the evening news," beat out novels written by two Canadian authors.

Vancouver-born, Montreal-based Madeleine Thien was a finalist for "Do Not Say We Have Nothing," which earlier Tuesday won the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. Montreal-born, Hungary-based author David Szalay was also nominated for "All That Man Is."

Historian Amanda Foreman, who chaired the judging panel, said the book "plunges into the heart of contemporary American society, and with absolutely savage wit — the kind I haven't seen since (Jonathan) Swift or (Mark) Twain."

"The Sellout" is set in a rundown Los Angeles suburb called Dickens, where the residents include the last survivor of the Little Rascals and the book's narrator, Bonbon, an African American man on trial at the U.S. Supreme Court for attempting to reinstate slavery and racial segregation.

The book has been likened to the comedy of Richard Pryor and Chris Rock, and Beatty goes where many authors fear to tread. Racial stereotypes, offensive speech and police violence are all subject to his scathing eye.

Beatty acknowledged that "The Sellout" was a hard book — both to read and to write.

"I don't want to get all dramatic, like writing saved my life," said 54-year-old Beatty, who has written three previous novels. "But writing's given me a life.

"I'm just trying to create space for myself — hopefully that creates space for others," he added.

Foreman said "The Sellout," which mixes pop culture, philosophy and politics with humour and anger, sets out to "eviscerate every social taboo."

"This is a book that nails the reader to the cross with cheerful abandon," she said. "That is why the book works — because while you're being nailed, you're being tickled."

The five judges met for a marathon four hours Tuesday to choose the winner from among six finalists, whittled down from 155 submissions. Foreman said the decision for Beatty's work was unanimous.

Frances Gertler, web editor at the Foyles bookstore chain, called "The Sellout" a "brave and funny" book.

"It takes a bit of getting into, but once there you don't want to leave," she said.

Beatty, 54, was awarded the 50,000 pound (C$80,000) prize by Prince Charles's wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during a black-tie ceremony at London's medieval Guildhall.

Founded in 1969 and previously open only to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth, the Booker expanded in 2014 to include all English-language authors.

There were fears in Britain's literary world that the change would bring U.S. dominance to a prize whose previous winners include Salman Rushdie, Ben Okri, Hilary Mantel and Canadians Margaret Atwood, Yann Martel and Michael Ondaatje. But the 2014 and 2015 winners were Australia's Richard Flanagan and Jamaica's Marlon James.

The prize, subject to intense speculation and a flurry of betting, usually brings the victor a huge boost in sales and profile. Bookies had considered Beatty a longshot and Thien the favourite.

News from © The Associated Press, 2016