Lin King

As the winner of this year’s International Booker Prize is announced, here’s the lowdown on the triumphant book, its author and translator

A bittersweet story of love between two women, Taiwan Travelogue is also an artful exploration of language, history and power. Taiwan Travelogue won the International Booker Prize in 2026

The International Booker Prize 2026 winning author and translator on untangling complex colonial histories, and why reading books in translation is the best kind of travel  

‘“Hold on. What’s going on here?” I couldn’t help but voice the thought out loud. For, in that moment, I seemed to have been transported back into the midst of Shōkyokusai Tenkatsu’s Magic Troupe. I’d crossed paths with Tenkatsu’s troupe long ago, before I’d started high school.’