Karabash in Belgrade

Bulgarian writer Rene Karabash presented *She Who Remains* in Belgrade on Saturday, days after the novel made the 2026 International Booker Prize shortlist. (bta.bg) The Belgrade event took place on April 18, 2026. BTA said the Serbian edition is translated by Jasmina Jovanovic, after earlier translations of the book into 15 languages. (bta.bg) Karabash’s novel is one of six books on the International Booker shortlist announced on March 31, 2026. The Booker Prize Foundation listed the English translation by Izidora Angel among this year’s finalists. (thebookerprizes.com) The International Booker Prize goes to a work of fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland, with the £50,000 prize split equally between author and translator. Each shortlisted title also receives £5,000, divided between the pair. (thebookerprizes.com) *She Who Remains* centers on a “sworn virgin” in northern Albania, where some women take on male social roles under customary law. The Booker Prize site describes the novel as a story about identity, gender, love, freedom and social rules. (thebookerprizes.com) BTA reported that Karabash writes the novel without capital letters and without editorial intervention. The news agency said the book has already drawn attention in Bulgaria before its current international run. (bta.bg) The shortlist places Karabash in a small group of Bulgarian writers to reach this stage of the prize. BTA reported earlier this month that *She Who Remains* is the second Bulgarian novel to make the International Booker shortlist, after Georgi Gospodinov’s *Time Shelter*, which won in 2023. (bta.bg) This year’s International Booker winner is due to be announced on May 19, 2026, at Tate Modern in London. Until then, appearances like the Belgrade event keep shortlisted books in front of readers beyond their home markets. (thebookerprizes.com)