The 2022 International Booker Prize shortlist was revealed overnight, featuring books written in six different languages translated into English as well as previous winners Olga Tokarczuk and Jennifer Croft.
Frank Wynne, chair of the 2022 International Booker Prize judges, said,
‘Translation is an intimate, intricate dance that crosses borders, cultures and languages. There is little to compare to the awe and exhilaration of discovering a perfect pairing of writer and translator. As a jury we have had the pleasure of reading many extraordinary books, and choosing a shortlist from among them has been difficult and sometimes heart-breaking.
These six titles from six languages explore the borders and boundaries of human experience, whether haunting and surreal, poignant and tender, or exuberant and capricious. In their differences, they offer glimpses of literature from around the world, but they all share a fierce and breathtaking originality that is a testament to the endless inventiveness of fiction.’
The International Booker Prize is awarded annually for a single book, translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. The £50,000 prize is split equally between the author and translator, with the winner to be revealed on the 26th of May.
Scroll down to see the full 2022 International Booker Prize shortlist!
Heaven
by Mieko Kawakami, translated by Samuel Bett and David Boyd from Japanese
Told through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy subjected to relentless bullying, Heaven is a haunting novel of the threat of violence that can stalk our teenage years.
Buy it here
Elena Knows
by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle from Spanish
After Rita is found dead in the bell tower of a church, the investigation into the incident is quickly closed. Her sickly mother is the only person still determined to find the culprit. Elena Knows unravels the hidden facets of authoritarianism and hypocrisy in our society.
Buy it here
A New Name
by Jon Fosse, translated by Damion Searls from Norwegian
Asle and Asle are painters, living in different parts of Norway. They are the doppelgängers of A New Name – two versions of the same person, two versions of the same life, both grappling with existential questions.
Buy it here
Tomb of Sand
by Geetanjali Shree, translated by Daisy Rockwell from Hindi
In northern India, an 80-year-old woman slips into a deep depression at the death of her husband, then resurfaces to gain a new, highly unconventional, lease of life. Original, engaging and funny, Tomb of Sand is also an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders.
The Books of Jacob
by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Jennifer Croft from Polish
The story of Jacob Frank, written through the perspectives of his contemporaries, capturing Enlightenment Europe on the cusp of precipitous change, searching for certainty and longing for transcendence.
Buy it here
Cursed Bunny
by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur from Korean
A genre-defying collection of short stories by Bora Chung. Anton Hur’s translation of Cursed Bunny skilfully captures the way the Korean author’s prose effortlessly glides from being terrifying to wryly humorous.
Buy it here
Congratulations to all of the authors and translators on the 2022 International Booker Prize shortlist!
Find out more about the International Booker Prize here
About the Contributor
Olivia Fricot
Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.
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Take a look at the 2022 International Booker Prize longlist!
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