The International Booker Prize has announced its 2024 shortlist, recognizing six works of translated fiction. Concurrently, the Women's Prize for Fiction has unveiled the longlist for its 2026 award, featuring 16 novels by women authors writing in English.
Both announcements highlight literary achievements and diverse narratives from around the world.
International Booker Prize 2024
The International Booker Prize, now in its tenth year, awards £50,000 annually to a work of fiction originally written in a language other than English, then translated into English and published in the U.K. or Ireland. The prize money is split equally between the winning author and translator.
The 2024 longlist featured 13 books, from which six finalists have been selected. Each shortlisted title receives £5,000, also split between the author and translator.
Judging Panel
The 2024 judging panel is chaired by novelist Natasha Brown. She is joined by mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, translator Sophie Hughes, and writers Troy Onyango and Nilanjana S. Roy.
Shortlisted Works
The six finalists for the International Booker Prize 2024 include authors and translators originating from four continents, with five of the authors and four of the translators being women. The nominated books explore themes such as historical events, social commentary, and personal narratives.
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The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated from German by Ruth Martin.
- This multi-generational narrative follows an Iranian family through the 1979 Revolution and their subsequent relocation to West Germany, also touching on the Green Revolution of 2009.
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She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel.
- A debut novel published by Peirene Press, the story features Bekja, a young woman in Albania's rural Accursed Mountains, who escapes an arranged marriage and decides to live as a man, leading to community repercussions.
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The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from German by Ross Benjamin.
- This book is a fictionalized account inspired by Austrian filmmaker G.W. Pabst, who returns to his native Germany from Hollywood and faces pressure from the Nazi regime to produce propaganda.
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On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated from Portuguese by Padma Viswanathan.
- A horror novella set in a remote penal colony where the warden hunts inmates in the wilderness during each full moon.
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The Witch by French writer Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump.
- Originally published in 1996, this novel explores witchcraft themes through the story of Lucie, a witch who passes her familial powers to her daughters, Maud and Lise. NDiaye was previously longlisted for the prize in 2016.
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Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from Mandarin Chinese by Lin King.
- This novel, which won the 2024 National Book Award for translated literature, traces a year-long journey through Taiwan by a fictional young Japanese novelist, Aoyama Chizuko, who is invited by the then-controlling Japanese government and encounters her Taiwanese interpreter, Chizuru. The narrative explores themes related to imperialist Japan-controlled Taiwan in the 1930s.
Longlist Overview
The initial longlist of 13 books was chosen from 128 submitted titles. Judging chair Natasha Brown noted that many submissions explored the consequences of war. Other themes included neighborly disputes, mountain villages, pharmaceutical conspiracies, and ill-fated lovers.
Books on the longlist ranged widely in length and original publication dates, spanning four decades. Booker Prize Foundation chief executive Gaby Wood reported a record 34 original languages among submissions for this cycle.
Authors previously recognized by the prize and featured on the 2024 longlist include Olga Ravn (The Wax Child), Ia Genberg (Small Comfort), Mathias Énard (The Deserters), and Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (We Are Green and Trembling), which won the US National Book Award for translated literature last year. Additionally, Women Without Men by Iranian writer Shahrnush Parsipur, translated by Faridoun Farrokh, was longlisted, having been originally published in 1989 and banned in Iran since then.
Key Dates
- The shortlist of six books was announced on March 31.
- The winner will be announced on May 19 at Tate Modern in London.
Prize History
Last year's winner was Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, which was the first short story collection to win the award. Previous winners include Han Kang and Olga Tokarczuk.
Four authors who have been recognized by the International Booker Prize for a single book have later won the Nobel Prize for their body of work: Han Kang, Olga Tokarczuk, Jon Fosse, and László Krasznahorkai.
Women's Prize for Fiction 2026
The longlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026 has been announced, recognizing 16 novels by women authors writing in the English language.
This year marks the 31st anniversary of the annual award, which includes a prize of £30,000 for the winner. The longlist includes nine titles from independent publishers and seven debut novels.
Judging Panel
The 2026 judging panel is chaired by former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard. She is joined by Mona Arshi, Salma El-Wardany, Cariad Lloyd, and Annie Macmanus.
Longlisted Works
The longlisted novels explore a diverse range of themes and settings. These include political upheaval, environmental challenges, and the complexities of maternal relationships.
- Gloria Don’t Speak by Lucy Apps
- Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi, which follows an exiled man.
- Moderation by Elaine Castillo
- Flashlight by Susan Choi, a historical family saga spanning locations from North Korea to Indiana.
- Dominion by Addie E Citchens, which examines pressures on Black mothers.
- The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine, set in Belfast and addressing sexual assault allegations.
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, a narrative told through a woman's letters.
- The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson, covering a young girl's life in 1960s Bradford.
- The Others by Sheena Kalayil, addressing the final days of the Berlin Wall.
- Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly
- Heart the Lover by Lily King, exploring a university campus love story extending into mid-life.
- Audition by Katie Kitamura, following an unnamed actor confronting a man claiming to be her son.
- A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar, which imagines a near-future Kolkata impacted by flooding and famine.
- Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy, set on a climate-affected island.
- The Best of Everything by Kit de Waal, telling the story of a working-class Caribbean woman in 1970s Birmingham.
- A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang, examining colonial brutality and trauma.
Key Dates
- A shortlist of six books will be announced on April 22.
- The winner will be revealed on June 11 at a London ceremony.