Longlist Announced for
The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2008

Arts Council England has today announced the longlist for The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2008, in association with Champagne Taittinger.

17 contenders from over 90 entries have been long-listed for the prize, worth £10,000. They are:
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa al Aswany, translated by Humphrey Davies from the Arabic, published by Fourth Estate
Book of Words by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Susan Bernofsky from the German, published by Portobello Books
The Moon Opera by Bi Feiyu, translated by Howard Goldblatt from the Chinese, published by Telegram Books
Castorp by Pawel Huelle, translated by Antonia Lloyd Jones from the Polish, published by Serpent’s Tail
Agamemnon’s Daughter by Ismail Kadare translated by David Bellos from the French, published by Canongate
Let it be morning by Sayed Kashua, translated by Miraim Shlesinger from the Hebrew, published by Atlantic Books
Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Carol Brown Janeway from the German, published by Quercus
Gregorius by Bengt Ohlsson, translated by Silvester Mazzarella from the Swedish, published by Portobello Books
Shutterspeed by Erwin Morrtimer, translated by Ina Rilke from the Dutch, published by Harvill Secker
The Past by Alan Pauls, translated by Nick Caistor from the Spanish, published by Harvill Secker
Rivers of Babylon by Peter Pist’anek, translated by Peter Petro from the Slovak, published by Garnett Press
Delirium by Laura Restrepo, translated by Natasha Wimmer from the Spanish, published by Harvill Secker
The Model by Lars Saabye Christensen, translated by Don Barlett from the Norwegian, published by Arcadia Books
Bahia Blues by Yasmina Traboulsi, translated by Polly McLean from the French, published by Arcadia Books
The Way of the Women by Marlene van Niekerk, translated by Michiel do Heyns from the Afrikaans, published by Little, Brown
Omega Minor by Paul Verhaeghen, translated by Paul Verhaeghen from the Dutch, published by Dalkey Archive Press
Montano by Enrique Vilas-Matas, translated by Jonathan Dunne from the Spanish, published by Harvill Secker

The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize celebrates an exceptional work of fiction by a living author which has been translated into English from any other language and published in the United Kingdom in the last year. This year’s longlist reflects the international scope of the prize and includes writers working in Hebrew, Afrikaans, Chinese and Arabic. Among the longlisted authors is Ismail Kadare, the inaugural Man Booker International Prize winner.

Antonia Byatt, Director, Literature Strategy, Arts Council England said:

"This year's long list is a fantastic demonstration of the rich range and quality of fiction in translation being published in Britain today. It’s wonderful to see so many languages represented from all round the world: a feast for readers and quite a challenge for the judges in making a decision!"

report from The Guardian.