( CNN ) -- New Zealand writer Eleanor Catton has made history as the youngest ever winner of the Man Booker Prize , the most prestigious literary prize in the Commonwealth , with her second novel , `` The Luminaries . '' The 28-year old 's book , a murder mystery set on New Zealand 's remote , forbidding West Coast during the 1860s gold rush and featuring seances , opium and a dead hermit , was described by the judges at the time it was shortlisted as a `` Kiwi Twin Peaks . '' The chair of judges Robert Macfarlane said it was a `` dazzling work , luminous , vast '' and `` extraordinarily gripping . '' `` The characters are in New Zealand to make and to gain -- the one thing that disrupts them is love , '' he said . He also praised the poise demonstrated by the young writer , who began the book aged 25 and completed it at the age of 27 . `` Maturity is evident in every sentence , in the rhythms and balances . It is a novel of astonishing control . '' Canada 's Alice Munro , 'master ' of short stories , wins Nobel Prize in literature . Accepting the award at London 's Guildhall Tuesday , Catton joked about her 832-page book 's length -- 160 pages longer than the previous longest winner of the prize . `` I 've actually just had to buy a new handbag because my old handbag was n't big enough to fit my book , '' she said , before thanking her publishers for allowing her to pursue her complex , lengthy `` publisher 's nightmare '' by freeing her from commercial pressures . `` I was free throughout to concern myself with questions not of value , but of worth , '' she said . Catton is only the second New Zealander to win the prize , which is awarded each year for the best English-language novel published by a citizen of Britain , Ireland or a Commonwealth country , and carries a GBP50,000 ( US $ 79,880 ) award . The previous winner was Keri Hulme for `` The Bone People '' in 1985 , also set on New Zealand 's West Coast . Canada can also lay claim to Catton , who was born in London , Ontario , where her father was completing a doctorate , and raised in Christchurch when the family returned to New Zealand . Catton said she had drawn inspiration for her novel from classics including `` The Brothers Karamazov , '' `` Crime and Punishment '' and `` Moby-Dick , '' and drawn heavily on archived newspapers of the period for her research . Malaysian novelist wins Man Asian Literary Prize . `` I was able to see how much everything cost ; what kinds of foods and wares were available to buy and sell , what entertainments were on offer , and , most importantly ... read transcripts of actual court trials from the period , '' she said . `` The trials are extraordinarily vivid in their detail : I recall a man sentenced to death by hanging , shouting from the dock , ' I have in me three hearts and my father knows it . ' That line gives me chills . '' The previous youngest winner of the Booker was Ben Okri , who was 32 when he won for `` The Famished Road '' in 1991 . Fergus Barrowman , New Zealand publisher of `` The Luminaries '' at Victoria University Press , said he realized on reading the manuscript he was dealing with a `` masterpiece -- a brilliant and brave and totally successful work of art . `` I knew it had the potential to go this far , but you never count the chickens in this game , '' he said . `` I think it will be a book that 's read for decades to come . '' He anticipated the win would help shine a spotlight on other New Zealand writers . `` It 's certainly reminded people that the best new talent can come from anywhere in the world and often if it comes from a distant part of the world it 's fresher and more exciting . '' Hilary Mantel becomes first woman to win Booker Prize twice . The other shortlisted authors for the prize were Indian-American Jhumpa Lahiri for `` The Lowland , '' Irish writer Colm Toibin for `` The Testament of Mary , '' Zimbabwe 's NoViolet Bulawayo for `` We Need New Names , '' British writer Jim Crace for `` Harvest '' and Canadian Ruth Ozeki for `` A Tale for the Time Being . '' This year 's award marked the last time that entry in the awards will be limited to certain nationalities , with the organizers ' decision to open the awards to competition from any novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom -- opening the door to writers from the United States and further afield . The decision caused alarm among sections of the British literary world , with some expressing concern that the contest would come to be dominated by established American writers and lose its potential to highlight literary talent from around the world . But Catton said she welcomed the move . `` I think it 's a really great thing that finally we 've got a prize that is an English-language prize that does n't make a distinction for writers who are writing from a particular country , '' she said . Previous winners of the prize include Salman Rushdie , Hilary Mantel , Ian McEwen , J.M . Coetzee , Kazuo Ishiguro and Peter Carey . Egyptian writer shares passion for her country with the world .
New Zealander Eleanor Catton , 28 , wins Man Booker Prize for `` The Luminaries '' The murder mystery is set on New Zealand 's West Coast during the 1860s gold rush . Catton is three years younger than the previous youngest winner . Hide Caption