International Booker Prize Announces Its 2021 Shortlist
Of the six authors shortlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize, four are published in English for the first time.
Image: Booker Foundation
Hughes-Hallett: ‘So Many Different Modes’
You may notice collisions of news from major publishing and book awards at the moment. It’s one of those times of the year when the winners’ announcements, shortlists, longlists, and jury roll-outs all run into each other like tightly smiling competitive guests at a cocktail party, everyone jostling for attention.
And in a news conference prior to the 5 p.m. BST release of the shortlist, organizers of the prize were particularly outspoken about what fresh, challenging books the jury has read in getting to this point, stressing that the shortlisted authors and translators are working in fiction that stretches expectations in frequently arresting ways.
At Night All Blood Is Black, David Diop, translated by Anna Mocschovakis (Pushkin)
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell (Granta)
When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamín Labatut, translated by Adrian Nathan West (Pushkin)
The Employees: A workplace novel of the 22nd century, Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken (Lolli)
The award is given “every year for a single book that is translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.” The £50,000 prize is divided equally among the author and translator(s). Shortlisted authors and translators will each receive £1,000. Judges for 2021 are Aida Edemariam, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Neel Mukherjee, Olivette Otele, and George Szirtes. The winner will be announced on June 2, 2021.