Two Pakistani authors, Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid, have been shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award 2019. In its 24th year, the award is given to a novel written in or translated into English. It is administered by Dublin City Public Libraries, with nominations submitted by library systems in major cities throughout the world - making the award unique in its coverage of international fiction.
Kamila Shamsie is nominated for her seventh novel Home Fire, which also won Women’s Prize for Fiction last year. On the other hand, Mohsin Hamid’s fourth novel Exit West has been selected - the same book was shortlisted for Man Booker Prize in 2017. The two are competing against eight other titles by Irish authors and writers from France, Pakistan, UK and the USA.
The 2019 shortlist includes Compass by Mathias Enard and translated by Charlotte Mandell; History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund and Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty; Jon McGregor’s Reservoir 13; Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney; Emily Ruskovich’s Idaho; Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders and Rachel Seiffert’s A Boy in Winter.
Books are nominated for the Award by invited public libraries in cities throughout the world and titles are nominated on the basis of ‘high literary merit’ as determined by the nominating library.
The winner will be announced on June 12, 2019 and the author of the winning book will be awarded with €100,000. However, if the winning book is in English translation, €75,000 will be presented to the author and the rest will go to the translator.