International Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist Highlights Global Voices in Translated Fiction

“These books reverberate with history, offering hope, insight and burning humanity.”

The shortlist for the 2026 International Booker Prize has been announced, marking the 10th anniversary of the award that recognises outstanding works of fiction translated into English.

The six selected titles reflect a broad geographic and linguistic range, with authors and translators representing multiple nationalities and literary traditions.

The annual prize awards £50,000 to the winning author and translator, to be shared equally, with the winner scheduled to be announced on 19 May. Each shortlisted title receives £5,000.

This year’s shortlist was chosen from a longlist of 13 books, which itself was selected from 128 submissions.Among the finalists is Daniel Kehlmann, who receives his second nomination for The Director, translated by Ross Benjamin.

The novel draws on the life of filmmaker G. W. Pabst and examines his relationship with the political environment of Nazi Germany. The work has been described in published reviews as combining elements of historical fiction with narrative ambiguity.

French author Marie NDiaye is shortlisted for the first time for The Witch, translated by Jordan Stump. Originally published in 1996, the novel is characterised by its darkly comic tone.

NDiaye had previously appeared on the longlist in 2016 and was shortlisted under the prize’s earlier format in 2013, when it recognised an author’s entire body of work.

Taiwanese writer Yáng Shuāng-zǐ is recognised for Taiwan Travelogue, translated by Lin King. The novel follows a Japanese woman travelling through Taiwan during the 1930s, a period when the island was under Japanese colonial rule.

The book previously received Taiwan’s Golden Tripod Award, a major literary honour, following its publication in Mandarin Chinese in 2020.

The shortlist also includes debut works by Shida Bazyar and Rene Karabash. Bazyar’s The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran, translated by Ruth Martin, traces the experiences of an Iranian family navigating revolution and exile. Karabash’s She Who Remains, translated by Izidora Angel, presents a coming-of-age narrative set within a patriarchal Albanian community.

Brazilian author Ana Paula Maia completes the shortlist with On Earth As It Is Beneath, translated by Padma Viswanathan. The novella is set in a former slave plantation that has been repurposed as a penal colony, exploring themes linked to labour and confinement.

According to judging chair Natasha Brown, the selected works span historical periods across the past century while maintaining contemporary relevance. She said the panel identified recurring elements of human resilience and insight within the shortlisted titles, alongside narratives shaped by historical experience.

The judging panel for the 2026 award includes mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, translator Sophie Hughes, and writers Troy Onyango and Nilanjana S Roy. The panel evaluated submissions based on literary quality and the effectiveness of translation, in line with the prize’s criteria.

This year’s shortlist reflects notable gender representation, with five of the six authors and four of the six translators being women. The selected works were originally written in five different languages, underscoring the prize’s emphasis on linguistic diversity and cross-cultural exchange.

The International Booker Prize was established to recognise the role of translation in bringing global literature to English-speaking audiences.

Since its current format was introduced, the award has focused on individual works rather than lifetime achievement, aligning it more closely with other major literary prizes while maintaining its distinct emphasis on translation.

The 2025 prize was awarded to Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, highlighting the continued prominence of translated literature in international publishing markets.

The remaining titles on the longlist included works by authors such as Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Anjet Daanje, Mathias Énard, Ia Genberg, Matteo Melchiorre, Shahrnush Parsipur and Olga Ravn, reflecting the breadth of submissions considered by the panel.

The shortlist announcement underscores the growing visibility of translated fiction within the global literary landscape, with publishers and institutions increasingly supporting works that cross linguistic and cultural boundaries.