I have decide that time was right to leave the shadow Man Booker prize after seven years I feel I was ready to step back. I have decide with an Old friend Lisa of ANzlitlovers to do a small shadow jury of us two for the New EBRD prze the prize from the European bank of reconstruction and devolpment is for fiction translated to English from the countries that EBRD work with that is 40 countries and a wide range of lit this has given an interesting shortlist of Six book.I feel for me to support this new prize is the way to go. As the chair the lovely Rosie Goldsmith said
Already I can predict this prize is here to stay. It’s different and it’s important. Our entries came from Armenia to Albania, the Baltics to the Balkans and beyond. This prize has broadened my mind and also my definition of the novel. We’ve read a Turkish feminist road novel, a love story from Beirut, a memoir from Morocco, a black comedy from Albania and a rollicking Russian satire – just a few of our entries, from established writers to those who deserve to be: the standard of storytelling and of translation is excellent and our winners will blow you away.”
have reviewed three of the books on the list already.
The six shortlisted titles are All the World’s a Stage by Boris Akunin (translated by Andrew Bromfield from Russian, Weidenfeld & Nicolson), Belladonna by Daša Drndic (translated by Celia Hawkesworth from Croatian, Maclehose/ Quercus), The Traitor’s Niche by Ismail Kadare (translated by John Hodgson from Albanian, Penguin), The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk (translated by Ekin Oklap from Turkey, Faber & Faber), Istanbul Istanbul by Burhan Sönmez (translated by Ümit Hussein from Turkish, Telegram Books), and Maryam: Keeper of Stories by Alawiya Sobh (translated by Nirvana Tanoukhi from Arabic, Seagull Books).
Lisa has also just reviewed The Traitors Niche and is reading the Pamuk that is also available on bbc in an abridged version from the reading europe programme
I am a big fan of Ismail Kadare and Orhan Pamuk, but have not read the rest.
Me too so hoping the others are as good Belladonna is a stunning book
See you in london again. Here’s a hug. Daša
Seven years is a mammoth effort Stu, – that’s longer than some people stay married!
But yes, this new prize is exciting, and I like the mix of familiar and unfamiliar authors. I’d better make an announcement on my own blog, off to do that now:)
Yes time to move in to a new prize
I’ve worked with EBRD (in my non-literary day job) and they are a lovely bunch of people, not very banker like in many respects. I am so glad they are starting this new prize, and it’s a mix of countries that are very little represented in literature, so I am pleased! Look forward to hearing more from you two.
Yes a great idea as you say a lot of countries that are under represented in translation
Kudos to you and Lisa for creating the new shadow team. The EBDF prize is going to be wonderful for writers in smaller geographies where publishing houses don’t have the budgets to do much international promotion
Yes Lisa is to thank really she encouraged me to join her in reading the shortlist and it is great opportunity to highlight the smaller countries
Very curious to see what your top choice is, Stu. It’s a really strong list of books.