International Booker Prize 2026 shortlist unveiled

Six global finalists named, celebrating translated fiction worldwide

The shortlist for the International Booker Prize 2026 has been revealed, with judging panel chair Natasha Brown announcing six authors from across the globe. This year’s finalists include Daniel Kehlmann, Marie NDiaye, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, Rene Karabash, Shida Bazyar, and Ana Paula Maia.

The International Booker Prize is a prestigious global award presented each year to recognise exceptional fiction translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. With a total prize of £50,000, the award is evenly divided between the author and the translator, underscoring the vital role translators play in sharing stories across languages and cultures.

This year’s selection features authors and translators from eight countries: Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Taiwan, the UK, and the United States. Women make up five of the six authors and four of the six translators on the list.

Each of the shortlisted novels offers a distinct perspective, exploring a wide range of themes, cultures, religions, and imaginative worlds.

Marie NDiaye, previously shortlisted in 2016, returns with The Witch, translated by Jordan Stump. First published in France in 1996, the novel blends dark humour with unsettling themes.

Daniel Kehlmann is shortlisted for a second time with The Director, translated by Ross Benjamin. Drawing on the era of Nazi Germany and the life of filmmaker GW Pabst, the novel has attracted strong critical acclaim, noted for its eerie tone and layered storytelling.

Yáng Shuāng-zǐ earns a place on the shortlist for Taiwan Travelogue, translated by Lin King. Originally published in Mandarin in 2020, the novel traces a Japanese woman’s journey through 1930s Taiwan under colonial rule. It has already received Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Tripod Award.

Two debut novels also feature among the finalists. The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin, explores the impact of revolution and exile on an Iranian family. Meanwhile, She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel, presents a coming-of-age narrative set within a patriarchal Albanian society.

Brazilian writer Ana Paula Maia’s On Earth as It Is Beneath, translated by Padma Viswanathan, completes the shortlist. The novel is set on a former slave plantation turned penal colony.

The judges selected the six finalists from a longlist of 13 titles, themselves chosen from 128 submissions. Each shortlisted book receives £5,000.

The winner of this year’s International Booker Prize will be announced on May 19.