The shortlist for the International Booker prize has been released with five out of six of the works written by women, and three translated by women too.
What is the International Booker Prize?
The prize, with the winner set to be announced on 26 May, is awarded annually to a single book translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. Novels and short stories are all eligible and the award aims to celebrate the work of translators, with the £50,000 prize money split equally between authors and translators.
This year’s shortlist includes works from three different continents with the works translated from languages including Hindi—for the first time in the prize’s history—as well as Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, and Spanish.
Commenting on the longlist, Frank Wynne, chair of the 2022 judging panel, stated: “These 13 titles from 12 countries and 11 languages explore the breadth and depth of human experience, and are a testament to the power of language and literature.”
The Shortlist: Five Out of Six Works Written by Women
Now, the list has been narrowed down to just six titles; they are all wildly original works of literature that explore trauma on either an individual or societal level. The shortlist includes previous winners Olga Tokarczuk and Jennifer Croft, whose novel, The Books of Jacob, explores Europe in its age of Enlightenment, highlighting the search for certainty and transcendence.
The other shortlisted works include:
- Heaven by Mieko Kawakami; translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd
- Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro; translated by Frances Riddle
- A New Name: Septology VI-VII by Jon Fosse; translated by Damion Searls
- Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree; translated by Daisy Rockwell
- Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung; translated by Anton Hur
This shortlist really is a celebration of translators, powerful literature, female writers and independent publishers. This year also marks the first year that a translator has chaired the judging panel.
“Translation is an intimate, intricate dance that crosses borders, cultures and languages. There is little to compare to the awe and exhilaration of discovering a perfect pairing of writer and translator,” said Wynne.
The International Booker prize winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on 26 May 2022.
Words by Megan Geall
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