Six novels have been shortlisted for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, which awards excellence in world literature. Celebrating 28 years, this award is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner. If the book has been translated the author receives €75,000 and the translator receives €25,000. Distinctive among literary prizes, nominations are chosen by librarians and readers from a network of libraries around the world.
The 2023 Award winner will be chosen from a diverse and international shortlist which includes four novels in translation, from Croatian, French, Spanish, and German. The shortlist features authors who are American, Mexican, German, Croatian, and Canadian-Vietnamese.
The 28th winner of the Dublin Literary Award will be announced by its Patron, Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy on Thursday 25th May, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD), which is also funded by Dublin City Council.
The shortlisted titles are:
- Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (American). Published by Scribner/4th Nominated by Katona József Library of Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary.
- The Trees by Percival Everett (American). Published by Graywolf Press (US) and Influx Press (UK). Nominated by Free Library of Philadelphia, USA.
- Paradais by Fernanda Melchor (Mexican) translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes. Published by Fitzcarraldo Editions. Nominated by Biblioteca Daniel Cosío Villegas, Mexico.
- Marzahn, Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp (German) translated from German by Jo Heinrich. Published by Peirene Press. Nominated by Stadtbüchereien Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Love Novel by Ivana Sajko (Croatian) translated from Croatian by Mima Simić. Published by V&Q Books. Nominated by Rijeka City Library, Croatia.
- Em by Kim Thúy (Canadian-Vietnamese) translated from French by Sheila Fischman. Published by Seven Stories Press. Nominated by Hartford Public Library, USA.
The international panel of judges who have selected the shortlist and will select the winner, features Gabriel Gbadamosi who is an Irish and Nigerian poet, playwright and critic based in London; Marie Hermet who is a writer and translator who teaches creative writing and translation at the Université Paris Cité; English writer Sarah Moss who is the author of eight novels and now teaches on the MA and MFA in creative writing at UCD; Doireann Ní Ghríofa who is a bilingual poet, essayist and translator from Co. Clare; and Arunava Sinha who translates fiction, non-fiction and poetry from Bengali to English and from English to Bengali and has won several translation awards in India.
The non-voting Chairperson is Professor Chris Morash, the Seamus Heaney Professor of Irish Writing at Trinity College Dublin.
The six member international judging panel, chaired by Prof. Chris Morash, will select one winner, which will be announced by the Patron of the Award, Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy on Thursday 25th May during the International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD) which runs from the 19th to the 28th May 2023 in Merrion Square.
The novels nominated and shortlisted for the Award will be available for readers to borrow from Dublin City Libraries and from public libraries around Ireland, or can be borrowed as eBooks and some as eAudiobooks on the free Borrowbox app, available to all public library users.
The shortlist can be viewed on the Award website at www.dublinliteraryaward.ie.