The Dublin Literary Award, the most prestigious international literary award, with a cash prize of €100,000, has announced its 2026 shortlist.
Books that made it to the shortlist of six include, ‘In Late Summer’ the debut novel of Bosnian, Magadalena Blazevic; ‘Gliff’ by award-winning Scottish author Ali Smith, ‘The Emperor of Gladness’ by Vietnamese-American writer, Ocean Vuong; ‘What I Know About You’ Eric Chacour’s debut novel; ‘Perspective(s)’ by Laurent Binet, translated by Sam Taylor, ‘Live Fast’ by French writer, Brigitte Giraud, translated by Cory Stockwell.
Speaking of the shortlist, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam, the prize’s patron, said it stands as a celebration of the finest qualities of literature at its most international, most ambitious, and most humane.
“That four of the shortlisted works are translations is especially significant, for it speaks to the award’s enduring belief that great writing belongs not to one nation or one language, but to the world.
“Representing Bosnia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, these extraordinary books confront universal themes of grief, war, dystopian fear, unexpected friendship, and historical intrigue with brilliance, depth, and emotional power.
“In Dublin, a UNESCO City of Literature, we are proud to champion an award that continues to recognise writing of the highest distinction and global significance.”
Established in 1996, the Dublin Literary Award celebrates outstanding achievements in global literature via the recognition of a single work of international fiction, both written originally in English or translated into English, with a cash prize of €100,000. Where the winning work is a translated publication, the prize is split, with €75,000 to €25,000 awarded to the author and the translator, respectively. Nominations of works for the prize are based on the recommendations of librarians and readers from a network of libraries around the world.
Jurors of the prize this year are: award-winning novelist and film director, Xiaolu Guo; former Irish diplomat and author, Daniel Mulhall; translator, Clara Ministral; and Nigerian poet and author, Dike Chukwumerije.
