Vincenzo Latronico

Vincenzo Latronico is an Italian novelist, translator and art critic

Vincenzo Latronico was born in Rome and currently lives in Milan. He is an art critic and has translated many books into Italian, by authors such as George Orwell, Oscar Wilde, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hanif Kureishi. His writing has appeared in Frieze, Corriere della Sera and La Stampa and he is a regular contributor to Internazionale. Perfection is his fourth novel, his first to be translated into English, and was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.

An astute, cringe-making and often laugh-out-loud funny portrait of everyday privilege and modern aspirations

The 2025 judges on Perfection

Read more on Vincenzo Latronico

An extract from Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated by Sophie Hughes

A taut, spare sociological novel about the emptiness of contemporary existence – scathing and affecting in equal measure

Image of Perfection book cover, author and translator

An interview with Vincenzo Latronico and Sophie Hughes, author and translator of Perfection

With Perfection shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025, we spoke to its author and translator about writing a book almost completely made of descriptions, and why translations aren’t next-best-things

Reading guide: Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated by Sophie Hughes

Whether you’re new to Perfection or have read it and would like to explore it more deeply, here is our comprehensive guide, featuring insights from critics, our judges and the book’s author and translator, as well as discussion points and suggestions for further reading.

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Watch Jamie Demetriou read from ‘Perfection’ | The Booker Prize

All nominated books

Perfection