Irish writer, Emma Donoghue's novel "Room" has been chosen for the 2010 Man Booker Prize shortlist.

The panel of judges considered 138 books and selected 13 titles for their long list. The shortlist of six novels has now been chosen, with Donoghue's book among them.

Donoghue, now lives in Canada and is the youngest member of the shortlist this year. She was born in Dublin in 1969 and "Room" is her ninth novel.

She said she was "overjoyed" when she heard the news.

"I’m flabbergasted to get on to the shortlist. I thought the book might have been too populist…It’s absolutely fantastic, especially since this is a book with a tricky subject - many people are nervous about reading it. But people have to pluck up the nerve and then they realize that they are safe in my hands. It is a very dark place I lead you into but I also lead you into the light.”

The Man Booker winner will receive $77,400 and their novel is sure to have a massive boost in sales. Each of the members of the shortlist will receive a designer bound edition of their shortlisted book worth $3,872.

Man Booker Prize chairman Andrew Motion said "It's been a great privilege and an exciting challenge for us to reduce our long list of thirteen to this shortlist of six outstandingly good novels. In doing so, we feel sure we've chosen books which demonstrate a rich variety of styles and themes - while in every case providing deep individual pleasures."

Peter Carey, who has won the Booker prize twice, was also shortlisted for "Parrot and Oliver in America".  He won in 1988 for "Oscar and Lucinda" and in 2001 for "True History of the Kelly Gang."

Others on the shortlist include Damon Galgut's "In a Strange Room", Howard Jacobson's "The Finkler Question", Andrea Levy's "The Long Song" and Tom McCarthy's "C".

The winner will be revealed on October 12.