International Booker shortlist dominated by women

The Booker Prize Foundation announced the 2026 International Booker Prize shortlist on March 31, putting six translated books into contention ahead of a May 19 winner announcement at Tate Modern in London. The list is led by women writers, with five of the six shortlisted authors and four of the six translators female, according to the foundation. Two of the six books are debut novels, and the shortlist also includes returning International Booker names Daniel Kehlmann and Marie NDiaye. The £50,000 prize is split equally between the winning author and translator, while each shortlisted title receives £5,000, also divided equally. ### Which books made the shortlist? The six shortlisted books are *The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran* by Shida Bazyar, translated from German by Ruth Martin; *She Who Remains* by Rene Karabash, translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel; *The Director* by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from German by Ross Benjamin; *On Earth As It Is Beneath* by Ana Paula Maia, translated from Portuguese by Padma Viswanathan; *The Witch* by Marie NDiaye, translated from French by Jordan Stump; and *Taiwan Travelogue* by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from Mandarin by Lin King. The Booker Prize Foundation said the shortlisted books were translated from five original languages and represent authors and translators from eight nationalities across four continents. The selection covers settings from 1930s Taiwan to Nazi-controlled Europe and post-revolutionary Iran, according to the foundation. (thebookerprizes.com) ### Which writers are making their first appearance with debut novels? The Booker Prize Foundation said two debut novels made the shortlist: *The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran* and *She Who Remains*. Shida Bazyar’s novel follows one family across four decades from 1979 to 2009, while Rene Karabash’s book centers on a sworn virgin in Albania’s Accursed Mountains. (thebookerprizes.com) Izidora Angel, the translator of *She Who Remains*, is based in Chicago and previously received a PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant for the book, according to her Booker Prize profile. Ruth Martin, who translated *The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran*, has translated fiction and non-fiction since 2010, the foundation said. ### Why are Daniel Kehlmann and Marie NDiaye drawing attention on this list? (thebookerprizes.com) Daniel Kehlmann returned to the shortlist with *The Director*, translated by Ross Benjamin. The Booker Prize Foundation said Kehlmann’s *Tyll*, also translated by Benjamin, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020, making this a previously shortlisted author-translator pairing. (thebookerprizes.com) Marie NDiaye also returned to the prize conversation with *The Witch*, translated by Jordan Stump. The Booker Prize Foundation said Stump’s translation of NDiaye’s *Ladivine* was longlisted in 2016, and *The Witch* is shortlisted in 2026. ### What did the judges say about this year’s selection? Natasha Brown, chair of the 2026 judging panel, said the shortlisted books “reverberate with history” and contain “hope, insight and burning humanity,” according to the foundation’s March 31 release. (thebookerprizes.com) Brown is joined on the panel by Marcus du Sautoy, Sophie Hughes, Troy Onyango and Nilanjana S. Roy. (thebookerprizes.com) The Booker Prize Foundation said the shortlist was chosen from a longlist of 13 books, which in turn came from 128 submissions by publishers. The 2026 prize marks 10 years of the International Booker in its current form, the foundation said. ### What happens next, and how is the prize awarded? The winning book will be announced on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at Tate Modern in London, the Booker Prize Foundation said. (thebookerprizes.com) The ceremony is scheduled to be livestreamed from 10:05 p.m. BST on the foundation’s YouTube, Instagram and TikTok accounts. The prize money totals £50,000 and is divided equally between the winning author and translator. (thebookerprizes.com) Each shortlisted book receives £5,000, with £2,500 going to the author and £2,500 to the translator, according to the Booker Prize Foundation. (thebookerprizes.com)