Why Tomb of Sand won the 2022 International Booker Prize and why you should read it
Daisy Rockwell’s and Geetanjali Shree’s genre-defying masterpiece, Tomb of Sand, won the International Booker Prize 2022. Here’s why the judges loved it.
The 2022 International Booker Prize
Tomb of Sand, written by Geetanjali Shree and translated by Daisy Rockwell, has won the 2022 International Booker Prize for Translated Fiction.
Tomb of Sand is the first book originally written in any Indian language to win the International Booker Prize, and the first novel translated from Hindi to be recognised by the award.
Set in northern India, the novel follows the adventures of an 80-year-old woman who unexpectedly gains a new, and highly unconventional, lease of life.
The result is a book that is engaging, funny and utterly original, at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries - whether between religions, countries or genders.
This is not just about me, the individual. I represent a language and culture and this recognition brings into larger purview the entire world of Hindi literature in particular and Indian literature as a whole.
- By
- Geetanjali Shree
- Translated by
- Daisy Rockwell
- Published by
- Tilted Axis Press
An urgent yet engaging protest against the destructive impact of borders, whether between religions, countries or genders. Translated by Daisy Rockwell.
This is a luminous novel of India and partition, but one whose spellbinding brio and fierce compassion weaves youth and age, male and female, family and nation into a kaleidoscopic whole
— Frank Wynne, chair of the judges
- By
- Geetanjali Shree
- Translated by
- Daisy Rockwell
- Published by
- Tilted Axis Press
An urgent yet engaging protest against the destructive impact of borders, whether between religions, countries or genders. Translated by Daisy Rockwell.
The Shortlist
Told through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy subjected to relentless bullying, this is a haunting novel of the threat of violence that can stalk our teenage years. Translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd.
Translated by Sam Bett David Boyd
Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022. A unique story that interweaves crime fiction with intimate tales of morality and the search for individual freedom. Translated by Frances Riddle.
Translated by Frances Riddle
Jon Fosse delivers both a transcendent exploration of the human condition and a radically ‘other’ reading experience - incantatory, hypnotic, and utterly unique. Translated by Damion Searls.
By Jon Fosse
Translated by Damion Searls
An urgent yet engaging protest against the destructive impact of borders, whether between religions, countries or genders. Translated by Daisy Rockwell.
Translated by Daisy Rockwell
Olga Tokarczuk's portrayal of Enlightenment Europe on the cusp of precipitous change, searching for certainty and longing for transcendence. Translated by Jennifer Croft.
Translated by Jennifer Croft
Shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize. Bora Chung presents a genre-defying collection of short stories, which blur the lines between magical realism, horror and science fiction. Translated by Anton Hur.
By Bora Chung
Translated by Anton Hur
The Longlist
The 2022 judges
Borges famously believed that paradise would be 'a kind of library', and spending the past year in the company of some of the world’s great writers and their equally gifted translators has been a kind of heaven. From the intimate to the epic, the numinous to the profane, the books make up a passionately debated longlist that trace a ring around the world. These 13 titles from 12 countries and 11 languages explore the breadth and depth of human experience, and are a testament to the power of language and literature.
— Frank Wynne, chair of the 2022 judges
The five judges, led by Frank Wynne, bring together a wealth of experience as world-class readers, writers, critics and translators. The discussions they will have about the books in contention for the 2022 International Booker Prize will be a masterclass of modern literary appreciation.
— Fiammetta Rocco, Administrator of the International Booker Prize