The Man Booker International Prize has revealed the ‘Man Booker Dozen’ of 13 novels in contention for the 2019 prize, including two Arab writers.
The list includes Omani writer Jokha Alharthi for her book Celestial Bodies (Sayyidat Al-Qamar) translated by Marilyn Booth, and Palestinian-Icelandic author Mazen Maarouf, for his short story collection Jokes For The Gunmen (Nikat lel Mosalaheen) translated by Jonathan Wright.
The prize is awarded every year for a single book translated into English and published in the UK and Ireland. Both novels and short-story collections are eligible.
Authors and translators are considered to be equally important, with the £50,000 prize being split between them. In addition, each shortlisted author and translator will receive £1,000. The judges considered 108 books.
The longlist was selected by a panel of five judges, chaired by Bettany Hughes, award-winning historian, author and broadcaster, and is made up of writer, translator and chair of English PEN Maureen Freely; philosopher Professor Angie Hobbs; novelist and satirist Elnathan John and essayist and novelist Pankaj Mishra.
The shortlist of six books will be announced 9 April, and the winner will be announced 21 May 2019 in London.