The National Book Foundation unveiled the longlist for the National Book Award for translated literature, with books originally written in seven different languages all in the running for the annual prize.
Beyond the Door of No Return, written by David Diop and translated by Sam Taylor, was one of two books first published in French to be nominated, alongside The Most Secret Memory of Men, written by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr and translated by Lara Vergnaud.
Three books translated from Spanish made the longlist: The Devil of the Provinces, written by Juan Cárdenas and translated by Lizzie Davis; This Is Not Miami, written by Fernanda Melchor and translated by Sophie Hughes; and Abyss, written by Pilar Quintana and translated by Lisa Dillman.
Cursed Bunny, written by Bora Chung and translated from the Korean by Anton Hur, was nominated, along with Kairos, written by Jenny Erpenbeck and translated from the German by Michael Hofmann.
Also making the longlist were The Words That Remain, written by Stênio Gardel and translated from the Portuguese by Bruna Dantas Lobato; No One Prayed Over Their Graves, written by Khaled Khalifa and translated from the Arabic by Leri Price; and On a Woman’s Madness, written by Astrid Roemer and translated from the Dutch by Lucy Scott.
Judging this year’s award are Geoffrey Brock, Arthur Malcolm Dixon, Cristina Rodriguez, T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting, and Jeremy Tiang. The shortlist for the award will be unveiled on Oct. 3, and the winner announced at the National Book Awards ceremony on Nov. 15.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
