International Booker shortlist
The 2026 International Booker Prize shortlist was announced March 31 — six titles from eight countries made the cut, with judges praising works that ‘reverberate with history.’ (npr.org) Notable names on the list include Marie NDiaye, Yáng Shuāng‑zǐ and Daniel Kehlmann (Kehlmann’s second nomination). (nytimes.com)
Shortlist in full: The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran (Shida Bazyar, trans. Ruth Martin); She Who Remains (Rene Karabash, trans. Izidora Angel); The Director (Daniel Kehlmann, trans. Ross Benjamin); On Earth As It Is Beneath (Ana Paula Maia, trans. Padma Viswanathan); The Witch (Marie NDiaye, trans. Jordan Stump); Taiwan Travelogue (Yáng Shuāng‑zǐ, trans. Lin King). (thebookerprizes.com) The winning author and translator will split the £50,000 prize, each shortlisted pairing will receive £5,000 (£2,500 to author and £2,500 to translator), and the winner will be announced on 19 May 2026 at Tate Modern in London. (thebookerprizes.com) The longlist of 13 was chosen from 128 books submitted by publishers, with the longlist published on 24 February 2026 and the eligible publication window running from 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2026. (thebookerprizes.com) Five of the six shortlisted authors are women and four of the six translators are women, with the books translated from five original languages (Bulgarian, French, German, Mandarin Chinese and Portuguese). (thebookerprizes.com) The shortlist contains two debut novels (The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran; She Who Remains) and one work first published in its original language more than 30 years ago (The Witch). (thebookerprizes.com) Shortlist events: the shortlisted authors and translators will take part in a readings event at Bristol Beacon on 15 May 2026 ahead of the winner announcement week on 19 May. (thebookerprizes.com) Two author–translator pairings on this shortlist have prior International Booker recognition: Daniel Kehlmann and Ross Benjamin were shortlisted in 2020, while Marie NDiaye and Jordan Stump were longlisted in 2016 (translator Ruth Martin was longlisted in 2020). (thebookerprizes.com)
