You may have read about David Diop becoming the first French author to win the International Booker Prize 2021, announced on June 2. The Paris-born writer bagged the prize for “At Night All Blood is Black.” Originally published in French, the work was translated by Anna Moschovakis. But how much do you know about the International Booker Prize, the counterpart to the prestigious Booker Prize?
How it began
A multi-national company Booker McConnell started the tradition of the Booker Prize in 1968, as a counterpart to the Prix Goncourt in France. Initially, only English language writers from the U.K., Ireland, and the Commonwealth were eligible. P.H. Newby won the first Booker in 1969 for “Something to Answer For”. Later it was renamed the Man Booker Prize and, from 2014 onwards, it was opened to English language writers from around the world.
Translated fiction
While the Booker only recognised English language works, a need to provide a similar platform for the growing body of literature translated into English soon came to light. That’s how the International Booker Prize was born. A global stage
Formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize, the International Booker has been awarded since 2005, when it was won by Albanian writer Ismail Kadare. It was instated as the sister prize of the Booker.
The International Booker Prize is awarded to a book translated into English and published in the U.K. or Ireland. It aims to encourage reading of international fiction.
Recognition
What sets it apart from other literary prizes is that it recognises the crucial role of translators. So, the prize money is equally divided between the author and translator. The £50,000 prize is split between the winning author and translator.
This year’s winner
- Diop is a Franco Senegalese writer born in Paris. He was raised in Dakar, Senegal. His father is Senegalese, his mother French. Diop teaches 18th Century literature in France.
- He won the award for his second novel “At Night All Blood is Black”. Its tells the story of Alfa Ndiaye, a Senegalese tirailleur (infantryman) who is fighting on France’s side during World War I.
Did you know?
- In 2020, Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld became the youngest author to win the Booker International Prize at the age of 29.
- Just a year before that in 2019, Jokha Alharthi from Oman won the Man Booker International Prize, making her the first Arabic-language writer to win the prestigious award.
- In 2018, Olga Tokarczuk was the first author from Poland to win the prestigious literary award for her novel “Flights”.
- Other notable authors to win the award include Chinua Achebe from Nigeria and Alice Munro from Canada. However, so far none of the Indian authors have won this award.
Picture Credit : Google
