Troy Onyango discusses Booker shortlist

Five Books published an interview on May 22 with writer, editor and 2026 International Booker Prize judge Troy Onyango, who discussed the six books on this year’s shortlist and offered reading recommendations. The interview, conducted by deputy editor Cal Flyn, centers on fiction in translation and presents Onyango’s comments as a guide to the shortlisted titles. Five Books says Onyango described translated fiction as work that “expands not only our literary horizons, but also our moral and emotional imaginations.” ### Which books did Troy Onyango discuss? Five Books listed six shortlisted books in the interview: *Taiwan Travelogue* by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King; *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: A Novel* by Daniel Kehlmann; *On Earth As It Is Beneath* by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan; and *The Witch: A Novel* by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump. (fivebooks.com) The page identifies *Taiwan Travelogue* as the winner of the 2026 International Booker Prize. The Five Books page says the conversation was framed around “the 2026 International Booker Prize” and asked Onyango to introduce the six novels that made the shortlist. The site describes the winner as “formally inventive” and another shortlisted title as a “razor sharp” book about a “mediocre witch.” ### What did Onyango say about the shortlist? (fivebooks.com) The interview page says Onyango called the shortlist “a really interesting selection of books.” That line is the clearest summary of his view of the field and appears in coverage highlighted in Five Books’ broader fiction pages as well. Five Books also presents Onyango as both a writer and an editor, alongside his role as a judge for the 2026 prize. (fivebooks.com) The site’s framing places him in the position of explaining not just the titles themselves but the wider appeal of translated fiction to English-language readers. ### Why was this interview focused on fiction in translation? (fivebooks.com) The International Booker Prize is the branch of the Booker ecosystem that recognizes fiction translated into English, and Five Books grouped the interview within its translation coverage. Its fiction-in-translation page says the prize celebrates the best fiction in translation published over the previous year and positions those annual shortlist interviews as reader guides. (fivebooks.com) Five Books used the Onyango interview in that same tradition. The article presents the shortlist as a reading list as much as a prize slate, with each title named alongside its author and, where applicable, translator. ### Who is Troy Onyango in this context? Five Books identifies Troy Onyango as a writer, editor and judge for the 2026 International Booker Prize. (fivebooks.com) That matters because the interview is not a general review roundup; it is presented as commentary from someone directly involved in this year’s judging process. The site’s homepage and fiction pages also echoed that description when promoting the piece on May 22. (fivebooks.com) In those references, Onyango is presented as introducing readers to the shortlist rather than announcing any new prize result beyond the winner already named on the page. ### Where can readers find the recommendations now? Five Books published the interview on its website on May 22 under its fiction coverage and book-awards material. (fivebooks.com) The page remains available as part of the site’s International Booker and fiction-in-translation archive, alongside earlier shortlist interviews with other judges and literary figures. (fivebooks.com) Five Books’ Booker-related archive also links this year’s interview into a wider set of prize reading lists, including prior International Booker shortlist guides. That gives readers a direct path to Onyango’s recommendations and the full six-book shortlist in one place. (fivebooks.com 1) (fivebooks.com 2)