David Diop wins International Booker Prize for fiction with World War I story
The novel is narrated by Alfa Ndiaye, a Senegalese soldier fighting for the then-imperial power France during World War I, and charts his descent into madness on the battlefield.
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LONDON: A harrowing but poetic tale of comradeship, colonialism and the horrors of war won the International Booker Prize for fiction on Wednesday. At Night All Blood is Black by French writer David Diop beat five other finalists to take the 50,000-pound (USD 70,000) prize, which is open to fiction in any language that has been translated into English. The prize money will be split between the author and his translator, Anna Moschovakis.
Alex Marshall, The New York Times
Published: 03 Jun 2021 12:51 PM BdST
Updated: 03 Jun 2021 12:51 PM BdST David Diop, the author of “At Night All Blood Is Black,” at the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, May 17, 2021. At Night All Blood Is Black,” a short novel about a Senegalese soldier’s descent into madness while fighting for France in World War I, was named on Wednesday, Jun 2, as the winner of the International Booker Prize, the prestigious award for fiction translated into English. Elliott Verdier/The New York Times In an undated image provided by Heather Phelps-Lipton, Anna Moschovakis, who translated David Diop s “At Night All Blood Is Black” from its original French. The New York Times
‘Frightening’ Tale of Senegalese Soldier Wins International Booker Prize
“At Night All Blood Is Black,” a novel written by David Diop and translated by Anna Moschovakis, had already received rave reviews.
“At Night All Blood Is Black” was written by David Diop and translated from its original French by Anna Moschovakis. Lucy Hughes-Hallett, the chair of the International Booker judging panel, called it “an extraordinary novel.” Credit.From left: Elliott Verdier for The New York Times; Heather Phelps-Lipton
June 2, 2021, 1:33 p.m. ET
LONDON “At Night All Blood Is Black,” a short novel about a Senegalese soldier’s descent into madness while fighting for France in World War I, was named on Wednesday as the winner of the International Booker Prize, the prestigious award for fiction translated into English.