Posted on March 14, 2023 at 12:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek

The 2023 International Booker Prize longlist, as with years past, includes some notable firsts.

Three original languages — Bulgarian, Catalan, and Tamil — are appearing for the first time on the list.

Additionally, Maryse Condé has set the record for the oldest nominated author: eighty-nine years old (fifty-four years older than the youngest nominee).

She also shares a record now with her husband, Richard Philcox, who translated her work; they're the first married duo nominated for their collaboration.

Thirteen books from twelve countries and eleven languages are in the running for the £50,000 prize ($60,800), which is split evenly between author and translator.

The shortlisted books — to be revealed on April 18 — will receive £2,500 (about $3,000).Here are the contenders, from which a winner will be announced May 23.

  • Boulder, written by Eva Baltasar and translated from Catalan by Julia Sanches 

  • Whale, written by Cheon Myeong-kwan and translated from Korean by Chi-Young Kim

  • The Gospel According to the New World, written by Maryse Condé and translated from French by Richard Philcox 

  • Standing Heavy, written by GauZ’ and translated from French by Frank Wynne 

  • Time Shelter, written by Georgi Gospodinov and translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel 

  • Is Mother Dead, written by Vigdis Hjorth and translated from Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund 

  • Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv, written by Andrey Kurkov and translated from Russian by Rueben Woolley

  • The Birthday Party, written by Laurent Mauvignier and translated from French by Daniel Levin Becker 

  • While We Were Dreaming, written by Clemens Meyer and translated from German by Katy Derbyshire 

  • Pyre, written by Perumal Murugan and translated from Tamil by Aniruddhan Vasudevan 

  • Still Born, written by Guadalupe Nettel and translated from Spanish by Rosalind Harvey

  • A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding, written by Amanda Svensson and translated from Swedish by Nichola Smalley

  • Ninth Building, written by Zou Jingzhi and translated from Chinese by Jeremy Tiang

The prize is given out annually to the best work of fiction that has been translated into English and published in the UK and Ireland.

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Categories: Today in Books

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