One thing that the book industry is discovering during a global pandemic: though it may be a challenge to promote books in this era, it’s possible to tweak certain institutions to accommodate the need.
Case in point: the International Booker Prize is (arguably) one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world. But the lead-up to the 2020 awards has a whole new energy:
The Booker Prizes will be celebrating the International shortlist featuring one shortlisted book a week, culminating in a watch party every Thursday at 5pm BST which will be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.
We’ll have exclusive interviews from the authors, hear them read from the books in their original language and find out what inspired their writing. In keeping with the prize as a celebration of the art of translation, we’ll be hearing from the translators themselves about the process of recreating these fictional worlds so we can also enjoy these works in English.
Here’s the 2020 shortlist:
- The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar (Farsi-Iran), translated by Anonymous, published by Europa Editions
- The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (Spanish-Argentina), translated by Iona Macintyre and Fiona Mackintosh, published by Charco Press
- Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann (German-Germany), translated by Ross Benjamin, published by Quercus
- Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (Spanish-Mexico), translated by Sophie Hughes, Published by Fitzcarraldo Editions
- The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (Japanese-Japan), translated by Stephen Snyder, published by Harvill Secker
- The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (Dutch-Netherlands), translated by Michele Hutchison, published by Faber & Faber
The 2020 International Booker Prize winners will be announced on 26 August. ◊
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