"Daniel Kehlmann earns his second shortlisting for The Director, translated by Ross Benjamin, a novel inspired by the life of film-maker GW Pabst and his entanglement with Nazi Germany. The Director has all the darkness, shapeshifting ambiguity and glittering unease of a modern Grimms' fairytale, wrote Nina Allan in a Guardian review."
"French writer Marie NDiaye reaches the shortlist for the first time with The Witch, translated by Jordan Stump, a darkly comic novel originally published in French in 1996. NDiaye was previously longlisted for the prize in 2016, and was shortlisted in the prize's earlier version in 2013."
"Taiwanese author Yang Shuang-zi is shortlisted for Taiwan Travelogue, translated by Lin King, which follows a Japanese woman's journey through 1930s Taiwan under colonial rule. The novel won Taiwan's highest literary honour, the Golden Tripod award, when originally published in Mandarin Chinese in 2020."
"The six shortlisted books capture moments from across the past century, these books reverberate with history, according to judging chair and author Natasha Brown. Rereading each book, we found hope, insight and burning humanity along with unforgettable characters to whom I'm sure readers will return again and again."
The 2026 International Booker Prize shortlist includes Daniel Kehlmann, Marie NDiaye, Yang Shuang-zi, Rene Karabash, Shida Bazyar, and Ana Paula Maia. The prize, celebrating translated fiction, awards £50,000 to one author-translator pair. Kehlmann's The Director, inspired by filmmaker GW Pabst, is noted for its dark themes. NDiaye's The Witch is recognized for its dark humor. Yang's Taiwan Travelogue won Taiwan's Golden Tripod award. The shortlist reflects historical moments and features two debut authors, showcasing hope and humanity in literature.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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