Marie NDiaye on Booker

Marie NDiaye’s *The Witch*, first published in French in 1996, is now on the 2026 International Booker Prize shortlist. (thebookerprizes.com) The six-book shortlist was announced on March 31, 2026, after a 13-book longlist released on February 24 from 128 submissions. The prize honors fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026. (thebookerprizes.com) Jordan Stump translated *The Witch* into English, and MacLehose Press published the United Kingdom edition eligible for this year’s prize. The winner will be announced on May 19, 2026, at Tate Modern in London, and the £50,000 award is split equally between author and translator. (thebookerprizes.com) (publishersweekly.com) The late arrival of the novel in English is part of the story. Booker organizers said NDiaye reached the shortlist “for the first time” with a book written decades ago, creating a 30-year gap between the original French publication and International Booker recognition. (thebookerprizes.com) That gap also shows how the International Booker works: the prize is tied to when a translation is published in the United Kingdom or Ireland, not when the book first appeared in its original language. The 2026 list includes books translated from five original languages by authors and translators representing eight nationalities across four continents. (thebookerprizes.com) On the Booker site, *The Witch* is described as the story of Lucie, “a mediocre witch, in a mediocre marriage,” trying to pass on family powers to her twin daughters, whose abilities quickly outstrip her own. The novel centers on a line of women whose gifts move from mother to daughter. (thebookerprizes.com) (penguinrandomhouse.com) The English-language edition arrived this month. Penguin Random House lists the Vintage edition in North America for April 7, 2026, while reader and bookseller databases list the MacLehose Press United Kingdom paperback for April 14, 2026. (penguinrandomhouse.com) (app.thestorygraph.com) NDiaye is already a major figure in French literature, with more than 20 books to her name, but this is her first appearance on the International Booker shortlist. For this prize cycle, an older French novel became a current English-language contender because a translator and publisher brought it into the market at the right moment. (thebookerprizes.com) If *The Witch* wins on May 19, the award will recognize both the 1996 novel and the 2026 translation that finally put it before International Booker judges. (thebookerprizes.com)