News 2026 Dublin Literary Award Longlist is Revealed
Twenty novels have been longlisted for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, which celebrates 31 years of excellence in world literature.
Irish debut novelist, Niamh Ní Mhaoleoin has made the cut with her novel Ordinary Saints nominated by Libraries Northern Ireland along with Sally Rooney for her novel Intermezzo nominated by Redbridge and Liverpool Libraries in the UK.
This award is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English and worth €100,000 to the winner. If the book has been translated the author receives €75,000 and the translator receives €25,000. Unique among literary prizes, nominations are submitted by librarians and readers from a network of libraries around the world.
The 2026 longlist features well-known writers including award winning writers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Alan Hollinghurst and Ocean Vuong. A third of the winning books over the last 30 years were books in translation and this year there are 6 translated titles on the list including The Empusium by Polish Nobel Laureate, Olga Tokarczuk and her translator Antonia Lloyd Jones.
Readers can look forward to finding out which books make the shortlist when it’s announced on Tuesday 7 April.
The 31 st winner of the Dublin Literary Award will be announced by its Patron, Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Ray McAdam on Thursday 21 st May, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD), which is also funded by Dublin City Council.
On seeing the list, Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Ray McAdam commented, “readers will be delighted to get stuck into the 20 novels featured on the longlist. From themes of war to coming of age, family dramas and dark humour, the list is one for readers to explore the excellence of world storytelling.”
“At the heart of this award are libraries and their readers dotted across the world unified through a culturally rich reading experience. I wish the featured writers on this strong list the best of luck this year and encourage readers to seek out the books in their local libraries or bookstores,” says Mairéad Owens, Dublin City Librarian.
The longlisted titles are:
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner (American), published by Simon & Schuster. Nominated by Chicago Public Library, USA
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigerian), published by 4th Estate/Harper Collins. Nominated by Almeida Garrett Municipal Library, Porto, Portugal and Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt.
Endling by Maria Reva (Ukrainian), published by Penguin Random House, Doubleday; Knopf Canada. Nominated by Ottawa Public Library Canada.
Gliff by Ali Smith (British), published by Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House UK. Nominated by Katona József Könyvtár, Hungary
Good Girl by Aria Aber (Afghan-German), published by Bloomsbury (UK); Hogarth Press (US). Nominated by Cleveland Public Library, USA.
In Late Summer by Madalena Blažević (Bosnian-Croatian), translated from the Croatian by Anđelka Raguž, published by Linden Editions. Nominated by University Library of Bern, Switzerland.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Irish), published by Faber; Farrar, Straus, Giroux (US). Nominated by Redbridge Central Library and Liverpool Libraries and Information Service, United Kingdom.
Live Fast by Brigitte Giraud (French), translated from the French by Cory Stockwell, published by Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers. Nominated by
Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon, France.
Ordinary Saints by Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin (Irish), published by Manilla Press. Nominated by LibrariesNI, Northern Ireland, UK.
Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst (British), published by Picador. Nominated by Richland Library, USA.
Perspectives by Laurent Binet (French), translated from the French by Sam Taylor, published by Harvill, Vintage, Penguin Random House UK.
Nominated by Bibliothèques Municipales de Genève, Switzerland.
The Antidote by Karen Russell (American), published by Chatto & Windus/Vintage UK: Knopf US. Nominated by Iowa City Public Library and
New Hampshire State Library, USA.
The Brittle Age by Donatella Di Pietrantonio (Italian), translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein, published by Europa Editions UK Ltd; Europa Editions US. Nominated by Sistema Bibliotecario di Milano, Italy
The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (Zimbabwean), published by Picador Africa; House of Anansi Press. Nominated by City of Cape Town Library & Information Services, South Africa.
The Echoes by Evie Wyld (British), published by Vintage (Penguin Random House). Nominated by Bruges Public Library, Belgium.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (American), published by Jonathan Cape (Vintage, PRH) UK; Penguin Press (US). Nominated by
Hartford Public Library, USA.
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk (Polish), translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions. Nominated by “Octavian Goga” Cluj County Library, Romania.
The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei (Singaporean), published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson UK; Doubleday US. Nominated by National
Library Board Singapore, Singapore
There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (British-Turkish), published by Viking. Nominated by Biblioteca Nazionale “Vittorio Emanuele III,
Napoli, Italy and Municipal Library of Prague, Czechia.
What I Know About You by Éric Chacour (Canadian), translated from the French by Pablo Strauss, published by Coach House Books; Gallic Books (Pushkin). Nominated by Bibliothèque de Québec and Toronto Public Library, Canada
Download the 2026 longlisted titles here
Download a collage image of the 2026 longlisted titles here
Download the Dublin Literary Award 2026 Longlist Brochure here
Dublin City Council sponsors the Dublin Literary Award, which is presented annually for a novel written in English or translated into English. Nominations are made by library systems in major cities throughout the world. Established in 1994, the Award aims to promote excellence in world literature. Designated a UNESCO City of Literature in 2010, Dublin’s literary heritage is a significant driver of cultural tourism for the City.