The International Booker Prize 2026 Longlist has been announced with thirteen titles of fiction translated into English.
The longlist is as follows:
- The Nights are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar (translated by Ruth Martin)
- We are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezon Camara (translated by Robin Myers)
- The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Dianne (translated by David McKay)
- The Deserters by Mathais Enard (translated by Charlotte Mandell)
- Small Comfort by Ia Genberg (translated by Kira Josefsson)
- She Who Remains by Rene Karabash (translated by Izadora Angel)
- The Director by Daniel Kehlmann (translated by Ross Benjamin)
- On Earth as it is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia (translated by Padma Viswanathan)
- The Duke by Matteo Melchiorre (translated by Antonella Lettieri)
- The Witch by Marie NDiaye (translated by Jordan Stump)
- Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parispur (translated by Faridoun Farrokh)
- The Wax Child by Olga Ravn (translated by Martin Aitken)
- Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi (translated by Lin King)
'Many of the submitted books examined the devastating consequences of war, which is reflected in our longlist. The list also features petty squabbles between neighbours, mysterious mountain villages, Big Pharma conspiracies, witchy women, ill-fated lovers, a haunted prison, and obscure film references. The page counts range from “pocket-friendly” to “doorstopper”. And while the books’ original publication dates span four decades, each story feels fresh and innovative.'
The prize awards £25,000 to the author and £25,000 to the translator, in recognition of the essential work of translators in bringing fiction to a wider audience.
The only one of these titles that had been on my radar was The Director about a filmmaker who flees Nazi Germany for Hollywood. However, I am interested in The Remembered Soldier which sounds like an interesting story about a man who lost his memory in World War One and a woman who claims to be his wife. The Nights are Quiet in Tehran also sounds intriguing, about a family fleeing and then returning to Iran. I need to read more translated fiction, so will be keen to investigate these titles further and see if I can track them down at the local library.
The shortlist of 6 titles will be announced on 31 March and the winner on 19 May 2026.
