A clarification of the idea of a 'longlist,' taken from Wiki:
"Beginning with 2013, the Foundation announced a "longlist" of 10 titles in each of the four categories in September (40 titles), followed by a "finalist" list of 5 titles in October (20 titles), and then the winners in November (4 titles)."
I'm a huge Thomas Pynchon fan. If he wins, I wonder if he'll do what he did in 1973, although Irwin Corey at 99 may be too old to offer an 'acceptance' speech on behalf of the author.
Don