By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

Promoting Dublin as ‘a Literary Destination’

The 141 titles nominated by libraries worldwide for the €100,000 (US$114,204) International Dublin Literary Award include 10 Irish novels, 40 American novels, and 39 novels in translation.

Described by organizers as the world’s most valuable annual literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English, the 2019 longlist represents work from 41 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Organized by Dublin City Council, the 2019 award cycle was launched Monday (November 19) by the lord mayor, Nial Ring, who commended the program for its promotion of excellence in world literature as well as for the opportunity to promote Irish writing internationally.

“Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature and cultural tourism is a vital part of the city’s economy,” he said in comments made available to the media. “This prestigious award enhances the city’s worldwide reputation as a literary destination.”

The International Dublin Literary Award is managed by Dublin City Council’s library service. Brendan Teeling, acting Dublin City librarian, announced that the 141 books eligible for the 2019 award were nominated by libraries in 115 cities and 41 countries worldwide; noting that 39 are titles in translation, spanning 16 languages and 48 are first novels.

Among the 39 translated books are novels originally published in Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Korean, Māori, Serbian and Slovene. Translated authors include Fredrik Backman, Jean Echenoz, Peter Stamm, Maria Duenas, Zoran Zivkovic and Han Yujoo.

If the winning book is in English translation, the author receives €75,000 and the translator, €25,000. The winner also receives a trophy provided by Dublin City Council.

A shortlist is expected on April 4, with a winner announced June 12.

Dublin Literary Award 2019 Longlist

• The New Animals by Pip Adam
• Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
• 4321 by Paul Auster
• Beartown / The Scandal by Fredrik Backman, translated from the Swedish by Neil Smith
• Mrs Osmond by John Banville
• The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao by Martha Batalha, translated from the Portuguese by Eric M. B. Becker
• A Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume
• The Trick by Emanuel Bergmann
• The 7th Function of Language by Laurent Binet, translated from the French by Sam Taylor
• The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
• The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes by Bridget Canning
• A Long Way From Home by Peter Carey
• Marlborough Man by Alan Carter
• Song of the Sun God by Shankari Chandran
• Dragon Springs Road by Janie Chang
• Brother by David Chariandy
• What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons
• Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman
• The Last Beothuk by Gary Collins
• Acts of Allegiance by Peter Cunningham
• The Life to Come by Michelle de Kretser
• In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
• Her by Garry Disher
• Smile by Roddy Doyle
• A Vineyard in Andalusia /The Vineyard by Maria Dueñas, translated from the Spanish by Nick Caistor & Lorenza García
• Special Envoy by Jean Echenoz, translated from the French by Sam Taylor
• Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
• American War by Omar El Akkad
• Compass by Mathias Énard, translated from the French by Charlotte Mandell
• Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky
• Decline and Fall on Savage Street byFiona Farrell
• First Person by Richard Flanagan
• This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
• The Invented Part by Rodrigo Fresán, translated from the Spanish by Will Vanderhyden
• History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
• Return to the Dark Valley by Santiago Gamboa, translated from the Spanish by Howard Curtis
• Here in Berlin by Cristina Garcia
• Dreams Beyond the Shore by Tamika Gibson
• There Your Heart Lies by Mary Gordon
• Little Sister by Barbara Gowdy
• The Road to Shenzhen by Huang Guosheng
• How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
• A House in Norway by Vigdis Hjorth, translated from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund
• The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by  Gail Honeyman
• Sleeps Standing Moetu by Witi Ithimaera, translated from Maori by Hemi Kelly
• Darker by E.L. James
• The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
• Baby by Annaleese Jochems
• First Snow, Last Light by Wayne Johnston
• The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
• Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař
• English Animals by Laura Kaye
• You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from the German by Ross Benjamin
• Of Darkness by Josefine Klougart, translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken
• The Leavers by Lisa Ko
• The Harvest of Chronos by Mojca Kumerdej, translated from the Slovenian by Rawley Grau
• Ferocity by Nicola Lagioia, translated from the Italian by Antony Shugaar
• The Choke by Sofie Laguna
• A Poison Apple by Michel Laub, translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn
• The Changeling by Victor LaValle
• Pachinko by Jin Min Lee
• The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis
• Escape From Sunset Grove by Minna Lindgren, translated from the Finnish by Kristian London
• The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis, translated from the French by Michael Lucey
• The History of Bees by Maja Lunde, translated from the Norwegian by Diane Oatley
• Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty
• The Temptation to be Happy by Lorenzo Marone, translated from the Italian by Shaun Whiteside
• All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
• The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
• Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
• The Blood Miracles by Lisa McInerney
• Ithaca by Alan McMonagle
• Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed
• The Forensic Records Society by Magnus Mills
• Elmet by Fiona Mozley
• Like a Fading Shadow by Antonio Muñoz Molina, translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
• The Sixteen Trees of the Somme by Lars Mytting, translated from the Norwegian by Paul
  Russell Garrett
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• Mirror, Shoulder, Signal by Dorthe Nors, translated from the Danish by Misha Hoekstra
• A Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates
• The Dead House by Billy O’Callaghan
• Mama’s Maze by Agnes Ong
• Incredible Floridas by Stephen Orr
• Heretics by Leonardo Padura, translated from the Spanish by Anna Kushner
• Uncertain Weights and Measures by Jocelyn Parr
• Next Year, For Sure by Zoey Leigh Peterson
• Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore
• No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts
• The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley
• The Death of the Perfect Sentence by Rein Raud, translated from the Estonian by Matthew Hyde
• Through the Lonesome Dark by Paddy RichardsonWhite Bodies by Jane Robins
• Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
• Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
• To Die in Spring by Ralf Rothmann, translated from the German by Shaun Whiteside
• The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
• Breathe by Beni Rusani
• The Golden House by Salman Rushdie
• Idaho by Emily Ruskovich
• The Bridge Troll Murders by Sheldon Russell
• No One Can Pronounce My Name by Rakesh Satyal
• Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
• Adua by Igiaba Scego, translated from the Italian by Jamie Richards
• Tench by Inge Schilperoord, translated from the Dutch by David Colmer
• See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
• Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin, translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell
• Taboo by Kim Scott
• The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
• A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert
• Kruso by Lutz Seiler, translated from the German by Tess Lewis
• Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
• The Woman in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
• House of Spies by Daniel Silva
• To the Back of Beyond by Peter Stamm, translated from the German by Michael Hofmann
• My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci, translated from the Finnish by David Hackston
• The Necessary Angel by C.K. Stead
• The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.  by Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland
• Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
• My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
• onte Carlo by Peter Terrin, translated from the Dutch by David DohertyRepublic of II
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Naondel ; the Red Abbey Chronicles by Maria Turtschaninoff, translated from the Swedish by A. A. Prime
• Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan
• hey Know Not What They Do by Jussi Valtonen, translated from the Finnish by Kristian London
• Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
• And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic
• Radiant Terminus by Antoine Volodine, translated from the French by Jeffrey Zuckerman
• Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
• Clear to the Horizon by Dave Warner
• Girlcott by Florenz Webb Maxwell
• The Consequences by Niña Weijers, translated from the Dutch by Hester Velmans
• When the English Fall by David Williams
• Tin Man by Sarah Winman
• Lost in September by Kathleen Winter
• The Resurrection of Joan Ashby by Cherise Wolas
• The Impossible Fairytale by Han Yujoo, translated from the Korean by Janet Hong
• The Book of Joan by  Lidia Yuknavitch
• The Image Interpreter by Zoran Živković, translated from the Serbian by Randall A. Major

Three times in the past, the award has gone to American writers: Edward Jones was awarded the prize in 2005 for his novel The Known World, Michael Thomas in 2009 for Man Gone Down and in June 2016, Akhil Sharma received the prize for Family Life.

And among US library systems participating in the nomination process this time, 22 cities’ systems were engaged in putting forward candidate-titles.

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More from Publishing Perspectives on publishing awards is here.