The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize longlist list has just been announced. The Prize honours the best work of fiction by a living author, which has been translated into English from any other language and published in the United Kingdom. Uniquely, the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize acknowledges both the novelist and the translator equally, recognising the importance of the translator in their ability to bridge the gap between languages and cultures. The winning author and translator are awarded £5,000 each.
The 2012 longlisted titles are:
• Blooms of Darkness by Aharon Appelfeld Translated by Jeffrey M Green
• Seven Houses in France by Bernardo Atxaga Translated by Margaret Jull Costa
• The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco Translated by Richard Dixon
• Hate: a Romance by Tristan Garcia Translator: Marion Duvert and Lorin Stein
• Alice by Judith Hermann Translated by Margot Bettauer Dembo
• The Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke Translated by Cindy Carter
• New Finnish Grammar by Diego Marani Translated by Judith Landry
• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami Books 1 and 2 translated by Jay Rubin
• Parallel Stories by Peter Nadas Translated by Imre Goldstein
• Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz Translated by Nicholas de Lange
• Next World Novella by Matthias Politycki Translated by Anthea Bell
• The Emperor of Lies by Steve Sem-Sandberg Translated by Sarah Death
• Please Look After Mother by Kyung Sook-Shin Translated by Chi-Young Kim
• From the Mouth of a Whale by Sjón Translated by Victoria Cribb
• Professor Andersen’s Night by Dag Solstad Translated by Scott Langeland
Nick Barley, judge of the 2012 Prize and Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival commented: From 98 entries we have selected a longlist of 15 novels that reflect the fast-growing appetite for high quality fiction from around the world. From Judith Hermann’s succinct book of linked stories to the 1100-page tome by Peter Nadas, this year’s list couldn’t be more diverse – both in sheer scale and in subject matter. And while it has been a strong year for the established literary imprints, I was delighted that several titles from smaller independent publishers also shone out. Among these 15 titles there’s a treasure trove of unforgettable treats for readers.
More about the Prize
This year’s judge’s are:
Hephzibah Anderson, freelance critic, feature writer and broadcaster
Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival
Jon Cook, Professor of Literature and Director of the Centre for Creative and Performing Arts at the University of East Anglia, and Chair of Arts Council England, East
Xiaolu Guo, novelist, short story writer and filmmaker
Boyd Tonkin, Literary Editor of the Independent
The shortlist will be announced on 12 April and the winner will be announced on 26 May.
Promote the Prize in your library
If you would like to promote the Prize, you can order up to 10 free packs of posters, bookmarks and booklets for your library authority from the Reading Agency "shop ":http://shop.readingagency.org.uk/. Please make sure your order is with us by Monday 23 March.
