Congratulations to the authors, translators and publishers shortlisted for this year’s Man Booker International Prize.
Here is the shortlist in full:
- Vernon Subutex 1 by Virginie Despentes (France), translated by Frank Wynne
- The White Book by Han Kang (South Korea), translated by Deborah Smith
- The World Goes On by László Krasznahorkai (Hungary), translated by John Batki, Ottilie Mulzet & George Szirtes
- Like a Fading Shadow by Antonio Muñoz Molina (Spain), translated by Camilo A. Ramirez
- Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi (Iraq), translated by Jonathan Wright
- Flights by Olga Tokarczuk (Poland), translated by Jennifer Croft
Lisa Appignanesi, chair of the 2018 Man Booker International Prize judging panel, says: ‘This is a shortlist emblematic of the many adventures of fiction – its making and reading. We have mesmeric meditations, raucous, sexy, state- of- the- nation stories, haunting sparseness and sprawling tales; enigmatic cabinets of curiosity, and daring acts of imaginative projection – all this plus sparkling encounters with prose in translation. We were sorry to have shed so much of our longlist talent, but this is a shortlist to read and re-read.’
The Man Booker International Prize is awarded every year for a single book, which is translated into English and published in the UK. The work of translators is equally rewarded, with the £50,000 prize divided between the author and the translator of the winning entry. In addition, each shortlisted author and translator will receive £1,000.
The winner of the 2018 Man Booker International Prize will be announced on 22 May. Find out more about the prize, and this year’s shortlisted titles, here.