March 31, Kathmandu – The final shortlist for the prestigious International Booker Prize 2026 has been announced, featuring six outstanding novels that explore pivotal historical moments, revolutions, quests for identity, and profound human emotions. These works, originally written in languages other than English, have been translated and published in the UK and Ireland, successfully capturing the attention of readers worldwide.
Natasha Brown, chair of the judging panel and an accomplished author, stated in a press release, “These books vividly bring to life different eras of the past century. Although they depict heart-wrenching pain, cruelty, and isolation, they ultimately offer readers hope and energy. The characters are unforgettable and will remain with readers long after they finish.”
Notably, female authors and translators dominate this year’s shortlist. Of the six authors, five are women, and four translators are female. The writers come from diverse professional backgrounds across four continents; for example, Yang Suwang-Ji from Taiwan writes scripts for manga video games, while Bulgarian author Rene Karabas is also an established actress.
The six shortlisted books are:
- The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran: Written by Sheida Bazyar and translated from German by Ruth Martin, this novel depicts a family saga spanning from the Iranian Revolution of 1979 to the 2009 ‘Green Revolution,’ portraying resistance against tyranny and the pain of losing one’s homeland.
- See Who Remains: Rene Karabas’s novel is set in rural Albania, where a young woman named Bekza lives as a man to avoid an arranged marriage. It is a poignant story addressing patriarchy and self-identity.
- The Director: Authored by Daniel Kelman, this historical narrative follows Austrian filmmaker G.W. Pabst, exploring how artists who fled Nazi Germany struggled between power and personal morality upon returning home.
- An Earth as It Is Beneath: Brazilian writer Ana Paula Maia’s horror novel tells the story of a remote prison where guards abandon inmates in the forest to hunt them. The work has been described as “poetry written in blood.”
- The Witch: Originally published in 1996 by French author Marie NDiaye, this novel has regained attention this year for its magical and mysterious storytelling. It vividly portrays the power and familial bonds of a witch named Lucy and her daughters.
- Taiwan Travelogues: Yang Suwang-Ji’s novel explores Taiwan under Japanese occupation in the 1930s, focusing on the relationship and power dynamics between a Japanese novelist and a bilingual Taiwanese individual.
The winner will be announced on May 19. Both the winning author and translator will share a prize of £50,000. Last year, the award was won by the novel Heart Lamp, which centers on stories of Muslim women from India.
