Interviews with the International Booker Prize 2023 longlistees

International Booker Prize 2023 longlist books

Interviews with the International Booker Prize 2023 longlistees

Published: April 4, 2023

We asked the authors and translators longlisted for this year’s International Booker Prize how it feels to be nominated, how they worked together on the English edition and why we should celebrate translated fiction

Read about The Birthday Party

Laurent Mauvignier interview: 'I can’t write if the view in front of me is too beautiful'

With The Birthday Party longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, its author talks about writing a novel in the vein of Stephen King, but with the language of Marcel Proust

Daniel Levin Becker interview: 'I’ve never read a book like The Birthday Party'

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, translator Daniel Levin Becker talks about The Birthday Party in an exclusive interview

Read about Boulder

Eva Baltasar interview: 'I wrote three versions of Boulder and deleted two'

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, Eva Baltasar talks about the inspiration behind Boulder in an exclusive interview

Julia Sanches interview: 'The mythical English reader is just that, a myth'

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, Julia Sanches talks about the inspiration behind Boulder in an exclusive interview

Read about Standing Heavy

GauZ' interview: 'Africans never abandon laughter, no matter how serious the situation'

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, GauZ’ talks about the inspiration behind his debut novel Standing Heavy in an exclusive interview

Frank Wynne interview: 'Literature in translation is a powerful way of fostering empathy'

Frank Wynne, translator of Standing Heavy which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, talks to The Booker Prizes in an exclusive interview

Read about Is Mother Dead

Vigdis Hjorth interview: ‘The relationship between mother and child is never-ending'

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, author Vigdis Hjorth talks about her novel Is Mother Dead in an exclusive interview

Charlotte Barslund interview: 'It’s a paradox that the better I translate, the more I erase myself'

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, Charlotte Borslund talk about her translation of Is Mother Dead in an exclusive interview

Read about Whale

Cheon Myeong-kwan interview: ‘Whale is still a propulsive force in my life'

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, author Cheon Myeong-kwan talks about the inspiration behind Whale in an exclusive interview

Chi-Young Kim interview: ‘The characters in Whale felt so familiar to me’

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, translator Chi-Young Kim talks about the inspiration behind Whale in an exclusive interview

Read about The Gospel According to the New World

Maryse Condé interview: ‘After losing my vision, I wrote each chapter in my head’

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, author Maryse Condé talks about The Gospel According to the New World in an exclusive interview

Richard Philcox interview: ‘A translation can be a work of literature on its own’

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, translator Richard Philcox talks about The Gospel According to the New World in an exclusive interview

Read about Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv

Andrey Kurkov interview: ‘I remember thinking that I owed Lviv a novel’

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, author Andrey Kurkov talks about Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv in an exclusive interview

Reuben Woolley interview: ‘Translation is a profession that necessarily starts as a hobby’

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, translator Reuben Woolley talks about Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv in an exclusive interview

Read about Time Shelter

Georgi Gospodinov interview: ‘I felt something had gone awry in the clockworks of time'

The winner of the International Booker Prize 2023, author Georgi Gospodinov about talks the inspiration behind Time Shelter in an exclusive interview

Angela Rodel interview: ‘Translators don’t play second fiddle to authors, it’s like a duet’

The winner of the International Booker Prize 2023, translator Angela Rodel talks about the inspiration behind Time Shelter in an exclusive interview

Read about Pyre

Perumal Murugan interview: 'Reports of honour killings compelled me to write'

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, Perumal Murugan talks about his novel Pyre and the events that inspired the book in an exclusive interview

Aniruddhan Vasudevan interview: 'I have a sincere urge to go back and redo my earlier work'

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, Aniruddhan Vasudevan talks about his translation of the novel Pyre in an exclusive interview

Read about While We Were Dreaming

Clemens Meyer interview: 'I had to find the right style – rough but romantic'

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, author Clemens Meyer talks about While We Were Dreaming in an exclusive interview

Katy Derbyshire interview: 'Respect for a book doesn’t mean opting for an obvious translation'

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, translator Katy Derbyshire talks about While We Were Dreaming in an exclusive interview

Read about Ninth Building

Zou Jingzhi interview: ‘I wrote this book to let go of my childhood’

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, author Zou Jingzhi talks about the inspiration behind Ninth Building in an exclusive interview

Jeremy Tiang interview: ‘Everyone should translate, it's a wonderful experience'

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, translator Jeremy Tiang talks about being nominated for Ninth Building in an exclusive interview

Read about A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding

Amanda Svensson interview: ‘The book took six years – and was the most fun I’ve ever had writing’

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, author Amanda Svensson talks about A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding in an exclusive interview

Nichola Smalley interview: ‘I listened to the music the characters in the book listen to'

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, translator Nichola Smalley talks about A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding in an exclusive interview

Read about Still Born

Guadalupe Nettel interview: 'Many demands weigh on mothers'

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, author Guadalupe Nettel talks about the inspiration behind Still Born in an exclusive interview

Rosalind Harvey interview: 'The separation of translated fiction from so-called original fiction is false'

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023, Rosaline Harvey talks about her translation of Still Born in an exclusive interview

Interviews with the International Booker Prize 2023 longlistees

Interviews with the International Booker Prize 2023 longlistees

Read about The Birthday Party

Laurent Mauvignier interview: 'I can’t write if the view in front of me is too beautiful'

Daniel Levin Becker interview: 'I’ve never read a book like The Birthday Party'

Read about Boulder

Eva Baltasar interview: 'I wrote three versions of Boulder and deleted two'

Julia Sanches interview: 'The mythical English reader is just that, a myth'

Read about Standing Heavy

GauZ' interview: 'Africans never abandon laughter, no matter how serious the situation'

Frank Wynne interview: 'Literature in translation is a powerful way of fostering empathy'

Read about Is Mother Dead

Vigdis Hjorth interview: ‘The relationship between mother and child is never-ending'

Charlotte Barslund interview: 'It’s a paradox that the better I translate, the more I erase myself'

Read about Whale

Cheon Myeong-kwan interview: ‘Whale is still a propulsive force in my life'

Chi-Young Kim interview: ‘The characters in Whale felt so familiar to me’

Read about The Gospel According to the New World

Maryse Condé interview: ‘After losing my vision, I wrote each chapter in my head’

Richard Philcox interview: ‘A translation can be a work of literature on its own’

Read about Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv

Andrey Kurkov interview: ‘I remember thinking that I owed Lviv a novel’

Reuben Woolley interview: ‘Translation is a profession that necessarily starts as a hobby’

Read about Time Shelter

Georgi Gospodinov interview: ‘I felt something had gone awry in the clockworks of time'

Angela Rodel interview: ‘Translators don’t play second fiddle to authors, it’s like a duet’

Read about Pyre

Perumal Murugan interview: 'Reports of honour killings compelled me to write'

Aniruddhan Vasudevan interview: 'I have a sincere urge to go back and redo my earlier work'

Read about While We Were Dreaming

Clemens Meyer interview: 'I had to find the right style – rough but romantic'

Katy Derbyshire interview: 'Respect for a book doesn’t mean opting for an obvious translation'

Read about Ninth Building

Zou Jingzhi interview: ‘I wrote this book to let go of my childhood’

Jeremy Tiang interview: ‘Everyone should translate, it's a wonderful experience'

Read about A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding

Amanda Svensson interview: ‘The book took six years – and was the most fun I’ve ever had writing’

Nichola Smalley interview: ‘I listened to the music the characters in the book listen to'

Read about Still Born

Guadalupe Nettel interview: 'Many demands weigh on mothers'

Rosalind Harvey interview: 'The separation of translated fiction from so-called original fiction is false'

Read more about the International Booker Prize 2023

The International Booker Prize 2023 longlist: 13 things you need to know

Quiz: which book from the International Booker Prize 2023 longlist should you read?

Extracts from the International Booker Prize 2023 longlist

Eight essential questions about the International Booker Prize

International Booker Prize 2023: what our judges said about the longlist

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11 of the best books of short stories from the Booker Library

13 of the best speculative fiction novels, nominated for the Booker Prizes

Nine of the best thrillers nominated for the Booker Prizes

Rosalind Harvey interview: 'The separation of translated fiction from so-called original fiction is false'