International Booker shortlist revealed

The International Booker Prize has named six finalists for 2026, with every shortlisted book recognized as an author-translator pairing rather than a solo work. (thebookerprizes.com) The shortlist, announced on March 31, includes *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; and *The Director* by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from German by Ross Benjamin. (publishersweekly.com) The other three finalists are *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 Chinese by Lin King. (publishersweekly.com) The prize is marking 10 years in its current format, which awards translated fiction published in the United Kingdom or Ireland and splits the £50,000 winner’s purse equally between the author and translator. (thebookerprizes.com) This year’s shortlist also tracks the prize’s recent emphasis on range: the six books were translated from five original languages, and their authors and translators represent eight nationalities across four continents. (thebookerprizes.com) Five of the six shortlisted authors are women, and four of the six translators are women. The list also includes two debut novelists, Bazyar and Karabash, and the first shortlisted Taiwanese writer, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ. (thebookerprizes.com; publishersweekly.com) The books range across settings including 1930s Japanese-ruled Taiwan, Nazi Germany and the 1979 Iranian Revolution, a spread the judges highlighted as fiction shaped by history rather than confined to one region or language market. (thebookerprizes.com; publishersweekly.com) Natasha Brown, who chairs the 2026 judging panel, said the shortlisted books “reverberate with history” and carry “hope, insight and burning humanity.” The other judges are Marcus du Sautoy, Sophie Hughes, Troy Onyango and Nilanjana S. Roy. (thebookerprizes.com; publishersweekly.com) The shortlist was selected from 128 submissions after a 13-book longlist announced on February 24. Each finalist receives £5,000, split equally between writer and translator. (thebookerprizes.com) The winner will be announced on May 19, 2026, at Tate Modern in London, where the prize will again put the translator on stage alongside the novelist. (thebookerprizes.com)