From witchcraft to warfare, trauma to transformation, resilience to cruelty, this year’s longlist shines a light on a vast range of experiences
The longlist for the International Booker Prize 2026, supported by Bukhman Philanthropies, has now been announced – a selection of 13 superb works of fiction, chosen from 128 titles translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 May 2025 and 30 April 2026. The shortlist of six books will be announced on Tuesday, 31 March, with the winner announced at a ceremony in London on Tuesday, 19 May.
As Natasha Brown, Chair of this year’s judges, says: ‘Many of the submitted books examined the devastating consequences of war, which is reflected in our longlist. The list also features petty squabbles between neighbours, mysterious mountain villages, Big Pharma conspiracies, witchy women, ill-fated lovers, a haunted prison, and obscure film references. The page counts range from “pocket-friendly” to “doorstopper”. And while the books’ original publication dates span four decades, each story feels fresh and innovative.’
The 13 nominated books are:
- The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated from German by Ruth Martin, published by Scribe UK
- We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated from Spanish by Robin Myers, published by Harvill
- The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje, translated from Dutch by David McKay, published by Scribe UK
- The Deserters by Mathias Énard, translated from French by Charlotte Mandell, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions
- Small Comfort by Ia Genberg, translated from Swedish by Kira Josefsson, published by Wildfire
- She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel, published by Peirene Press
- The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from German by Ross Benjamin, published by riverrun
- On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated from Portuguese by Padma Viswanathan, published by Charco Press
- The Duke by Matteo Melchiorre, translated from Italian by Antonella Lettieri, published by Foundry Editions
- The Witch by Marie NDiaye, translated from French by Jordan Stump, published by MacLehose Press
- Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur, translated from Persian by Faridoun Farrokh, published by Penguin International Writers
- The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, translated from Danish by Martin Aitken, published by Viking
- Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from Mandarin Chinese by Lin King, published by And Other Stories