The International Booker Prize 2024 shortlist has been unveiled, and our judges are currently re-reading the six titles in contention before deciding this year’s winner, which will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday, 21 May in London. Highlights from the event will be livestreamed on the Booker Prizes’ channels.
But before the big reveal, we’re going to be interviewing this year’s shortlistees on video – and our authors and translators want to hear from you!
Whether you loved one of the books and would like to know more about what inspired it, are intrigued by the creative process behind an author’s work, or are curious about the intricacies of translation, now is your chance to join the conversation about the six shortlisted titles:
You can share your questions for the authors and translators in the comments below, or email them to contactus@bookerprizefoundation.org. We’ll handpick a selection to ask each author and translator during their video interviews, which we’ll publish on the Booker website, YouTube and across our social channels next month.
translators, i wanna know: have you ever felt constrained by the english language and couldn't directly translate a particular concept or expression from the original language?
For Michael Hofmann, Jenny Erpenbeck's translator, had you been to East Berlin before the wall came down? Did you find it necessary to research it independently for your translation?
For Jenny Erpenbeck, could you comment on the age difference between Hans and Katharina and how you've used it to give us more insight into the history of East Germany?
For translators - "How did you approach translating cultural nuances or language-specific elements, and can you share any interesting decisions you had to make"
I'm still in the process of reading all the short-listed books and some of the long-listed. But I can tell you this, I would not want to be a judge simply because it would be too difficult to pick winners. Everything I've read so far is excellent - thanks for your hard work, Booker Prize people.
For Ia Genberg: You leave the reader to judge the reliability of the narrator. How difficult is it to balance giving the reader that freedom of interpretation whilst ensuring you retain control of the story?
Some of the questions for authors and translators who have been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Answering these questions could greatly facilitate the jury's assessment.
1. Being an international award, which of the authors has the stature to be recognized internationally?
2. Can you name some of the international awards that each competitor has won?
3. In what foreign language have the shortlisted authors been translated?
4. What do you value more in an author: theme or universal values?
5. The skill of a writer is appreciated when his libs become compulsory teaching texts in some schools; how many of the competitors have won this stage?
Jente Posthuma: what is the English language to you? How does it feel to see your novel in it? And how would you describe your relationship with it as compared to what Dutch is to you.
For writers: When you're at work on a description of something, do you ever engage in drawing? Like, a character's face, or the positioning of people in a room, a view, a pedestrial route?
For translators: do you ever use another medium or art form to help you with your translation?
translators, i wanna know: have you ever felt constrained by the english language and couldn't directly translate a particular concept or expression from the original language?
For Michael Hofmann, Jenny Erpenbeck's translator, had you been to East Berlin before the wall came down? Did you find it necessary to research it independently for your translation?
For Jenny Erpenbeck, could you comment on the age difference between Hans and Katharina and how you've used it to give us more insight into the history of East Germany?
What's one of your favorite writer's tone-of-voice and why is it so good?
For the translators: Honestly, do you feel you generally get enough credit for your job?
For writers - Please share some insights into balancing your creative process with the themes or messages you were hoping to convey through your work.
For translators - "How did you approach translating cultural nuances or language-specific elements, and can you share any interesting decisions you had to make"
I'm still in the process of reading all the short-listed books and some of the long-listed. But I can tell you this, I would not want to be a judge simply because it would be too difficult to pick winners. Everything I've read so far is excellent - thanks for your hard work, Booker Prize people.
For Itamar Vieira Junior, can you tell us about the use of repetition in your novel?
For Johnny Lorenz, how did you translate terms that aren't Portuguese in origin (I'm assuming there would have been many words like this...)?
Authors: If you could have an hour one-to-one with any author (past or present) who would you choose? And, why?
For Ia Genberg: You leave the reader to judge the reliability of the narrator. How difficult is it to balance giving the reader that freedom of interpretation whilst ensuring you retain control of the story?
Some of the questions for authors and translators who have been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
Answering these questions could greatly facilitate the jury's assessment.
1. Being an international award, which of the authors has the stature to be recognized internationally?
2. Can you name some of the international awards that each competitor has won?
3. In what foreign language have the shortlisted authors been translated?
4. What do you value more in an author: theme or universal values?
5. The skill of a writer is appreciated when his libs become compulsory teaching texts in some schools; how many of the competitors have won this stage?
Çerçiz Loloçi
Publicist, writer
Editor of the albspirit portal (www.alb-spirit.com)
Tirana Albania.
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peace.
Jente Posthuma: what is the English language to you? How does it feel to see your novel in it? And how would you describe your relationship with it as compared to what Dutch is to you.
For writers: When you're at work on a description of something, do you ever engage in drawing? Like, a character's face, or the positioning of people in a room, a view, a pedestrial route?
For translators: do you ever use another medium or art form to help you with your translation?
For the writers: Can you relate to the other writers on the shortlist at all?
For both writers and translators: To you personally, what ultimately distinguishes literary from other fiction?
Ask novelists: "Do you collaborate, carefully hand over or just leave and walk away- your beautiful text, that is?
Ask each translator, "How hampered is your creativity by the original text?"