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Six Novels Shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize

The shortlist for the 2025 International Booker Prize has been unveiled, featuring a compelling selection of six titles. This prestigious £50,000 award, shared equally between the author and translator, celebrates exceptional fiction translated into English and published in the U.K. and Ireland. The coveted prize winner will be revealed on May 20 during a ceremony at London’s Tate Modern.

The shortlist comprises five novels and one collection of short stories, translated from a diverse array of five original languages. Notably, this year’s list includes a work translated from Kannada for the first time. The selected titles for the 2025 International Booker Prize are:

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle, translated from Danish by Barbara J Haveland (New Directions)
Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated from French by Helen Stevenson (Small Axes)
Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda (Soft Skull)
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated from Italian by Sophie Hughes (NYRB)
Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi (And Other Stories)
A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated from French by Mark Hutchinson (New Directions)

In an unprecedented move, all six shortlisted works have been published in the U.K. by independent presses, with their American counterparts also being independent publishers. It is significant to note that every author on the list is marking their debut in this particular prize, with three of them presenting their first works translated into English. Additionally, two translators in this year’s lineup have previously garnered nominations, including one who is achieving a remarkable third recognition.

Chaired by Max Porter, the 2025 judging panel also includes distinguished members Caleb Femi, Sana Goyal, Anton Hur, and Beth Orton. Each of the shortlisted authors and translators will receive £5,000, divided as £2,500 for the author and £2,500 for the translator, acknowledging their contributions to the literary landscape.

Source
www.publishersweekly.com