The International Booker Prize has revealed the longlist for its 2023 award, featuring 13 books from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. This year’s jury, headed by French-Moroccan author Leïla Slimani, includes literary figures from around the world, and is looking for the best work of international fiction translated into English, published in the UK or Ireland between May 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023.
The longlist features works translated from 11 languages and writers originating from 12 countries. One of the nominees is Ukrainian writer Andriy Kurkov’s novel “Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv” (2018-2022), translated by Ruben Woolley. Also featured are the first nominations for books originally written in Bulgarian, Catalan and Tamil.
Diversity in the Longlist
This year’s longlist is diverse, with authors from a range of cultures, languages and literary backgrounds. Among them is an 89-year-old writer, who is the oldest ever to be nominated for the prize. The longlist also includes a wife and husband author-translator team, four poets, two former security guards and a writer who had declared himself ‘dead’.
The books on the list are varied, with elements of Korean fairy tale, French horror, Caribbean gospel, Indian melodrama, Scandinavian saga and East Germany’s answer to Trainspotting. The judges aim to celebrate the diverse range of books and authors on the list, offering readers a window onto different cultures and experiences.
Looking Ahead
The International Booker Prize will announce the shortlist of nominees on April 18, with the winner being announced at a ceremony in London on May 23, 2023. The prize fund of £50,000 will be split equally between the author and the translator of the winning book.
In its 18-year history, the International Booker Prize has become an important platform for promoting international literature and cultural exchange. By celebrating translations of books from around the world, the prize encourages readers to broaden their horizons and engage with different perspectives.
