LONDON: Jamaican author Marlon James won the Man Booker Prize for “A Brief History of Seven Killings,” a re-telling of the attempted assassination of musician Bob Marley.

James, 44, is the first Jamaican to win the award in its 47-year history. One of the world’s most prestigious literary awards, the Man Booker Prize carries a £50,000 ($77,000) prize and winners enjoy a boost in sales and a global readership.

“Oh my God, oh wow,” James said as he took to the podium in dreadlocks and a tuxedo after being announced the winner at the ceremony in London. “This is so sort of ridiculous I think I’m going to wake up tomorrow and it didn’t happen,” he added, as he dedicated the award to his late father.

Set in James’ birthplace of Kingston, the 686-page crime tale traces the rise of the drug trade on the Caribbean island and contains a chapter written in Jamaican patois.

Based on real events, it recounts how Marley and his entourage were attacked just before a concert in December 1976, referring to the reggae superstar as “The Singer” throughout.