News Discover the 2024 Dublin Literary Award Shortlist
Dublin City Council announces
the 2024 Dublin Literary Award Shortlist
6 books on the shortlist of the 2024 Dublin Literary Award, the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction
Shortlisted titles:
Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry
Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu, translated by Sean Cotter
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr
Meet the 2024 Shortlist VIDEO
Six novels have been shortlisted for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, which celebrates excellence in world literature. Now in its 29th year, this award is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, 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 chosen by librarians and readers from a network of libraries around the world.
The 2024 Award winner will be chosen from a diverse and international shortlist which includes one novel translated from Romanian to English. The shortlist features authors who are American, Canadian, Australian, Romanian and Irish.
The 29th winner of the Dublin Literary Award will be announced by its Patron, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste on Thursday 23rd May, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD), which is also funded by Dublin City Council.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste said
“The titles on this year’s shortlist were nominated by public libraries in Romania, Germany, Jamaica, Canada and Australia. This Award is notable for highlighting authors from around the world while simultaneously celebrating excellence in contemporary literature. The 2024 winner will be chosen from this fascinating shortlist, which includes one novel in translation, and explores themes of race, discrimination, trauma, solitude and communism.”
Dublin City Librarian, Mairead Owens, thanked the nominating libraries from around the world for providing a window to different worlds and cultures through this enriching reading experience.
“It’s always a pleasure to see the carefully selected shortlist from a longlist of 70 books and as ever we are indebted to the judging panel for their contribution in this regard. I know our library members will find much to muse over as they read the featured novels, all of which are available to borrow from your local library. I hope to see many readers diving into the shortlist and picking their own favourite before this year’s Dublin Literary Award winner is announced on Thursday 23 May. Enjoy!”
The international panel of judges who have selected the shortlist and will also select the ultimate winner, features Daniel Medin, Professor of comparative literature at the American University of Paris; Ingunn Snædal an Icelandic poet, translator, literary editor and teacher; Anton Hur an author and translator based in Korea; Irenosen Okojie a Nigerian-British author who has judged various literary prizes and was awarded an MBE for Services to Literature in 2021 and Lucy Collins, an Associate Professor at University College Dublin, where she teaches modern and contemporary literature.
The non-voting Chairperson is Professor Chris Morash, the Seamus Heaney Professor of Irish Writing at Trinity College Dublin.
The six member international judging panel, chaired by Prof. Chris Morash, will select one winner, which will be announced by the Patron of the Award, the Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste on Thursday 23rd May during the International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD) which runs from the 17th to the 26th May 2024 in Merrion Square Park.
The novels nominated and shortlisted for the Award will be available for readers to borrow from Dublin City Libraries and from public libraries around Ireland, or can be borrowed as eBooks and some as eAudiobooks on the free Borrowbox app, available to all public library users.