International Booker announces six-book shortlist

The Booker Prize Foundation announced the six-book shortlist for the 2026 International Booker Prize on Tuesday, March 31, narrowing 128 submissions to six finalists ahead of the winner announcement on May 19 in London. The prize honors fiction translated into English and published in the U.K. or Ireland between May 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. The foundation said the shortlist spans five original languages and authors and translators representing eight nationalities across four continents. The winning book will receive £50,000, split equally between author and translator, while each shortlisted title receives £5,000. ### Which six books made the shortlist? The six shortlisted titles are *The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran* by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin; *She Who Remains* by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel; *The Director* by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin; *On Earth As It Is Beneath* by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan; *The Witch* by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump; and *Taiwan Travelogue* by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King. (thebookerprizes.com) The Booker Prizes website lists all six on its 2026 prize page and homepage coverage of the shortlist. The foundation said the books range across settings that include Japan-ruled Taiwan in the 1930s, Nazi-controlled Europe during World War Two, suburban France in the 1990s, post-revolution Iran, a prison colony in Brazil and the Albanian Alps. It described the shortlist as a selection of long-form fiction and short-story collections translated into English for U.K. and Irish publication. (thebookerprizes.com) ### How was the shortlist chosen? The 2026 judging panel was chaired by author Natasha Brown and included Marcus du Sautoy, Sophie Hughes, Troy Onyango and Nilanjana S. Roy. The Booker Prize Foundation said the judges spent eight months reading 128 novels and short-story collections before selecting a 13-book longlist on February 24 and then the final six on March 31. (thebookerprizes.com) Natasha Brown said the shortlisted books “reverberate with history” and contain “hope, insight and burning humanity,” according to the foundation’s press release. The release also said five of the six authors and four of the six translators on the shortlist are women. ### What stands out about this year’s field? (thebookerprizes.com) The 2026 shortlist marks 10 years of the International Booker Prize in its current form, the Booker Prize Foundation said in its announcement. The foundation also said the list includes two debut novels and a previously shortlisted author-translator pairing. The six books were translated from five original languages, and the authors include an award-winning actor, a former youth worker and a writer of manga and video game scripts, according to the Booker Prizes materials. (thebookerprizes.com) The foundation said the selection reflects a broad mix of settings, professions and narrative subjects rather than a single region or language tradition. ### How does the prize money work? The International Booker Prize awards £50,000 to the winning book, divided equally between the winning author and translator. The Booker Prize Foundation said that structure is intended to recognize translation as part of the achievement rather than a secondary contribution. (thebookerprizes.com) Each shortlisted title also receives £5,000, split into £2,500 for the author and £2,500 for the translator, the foundation said. That means all 12 shortlisted participants — six authors and six translators — receive prize money before the final announcement. ### When and where will the winner be announced? (thebookerprizes.com) The winning book will be announced on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at a ceremony at Tate Modern in London, according to the Booker Prizes website. The foundation said the announcement will be livestreamed from 10:05 p.m. BST on its YouTube, Instagram and TikTok accounts. The May 19 ceremony is the next formal step in this year’s prize cycle. (thebookerprizes.com) Until then, the Booker Prizes website is carrying the shortlist, judge information, extracts from the nominated books and event details tied to the 2026 award. (thebookerprizes.com)