Jenny Erpenbeck is the International Booker Prize 2024 Winner
Jenny Erpenbeck has been announced as the International Booker Prize 2024 winner for the book Kairos.
On Tuesday, May 21st, 2024, at the International Booker Prize Ceremony, the winner was announced after careful selection from the shortlisted winners.
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann, has been named the winner of the International Booker Prize 2024. Eleanor Wachtel, Chair of the 2024 judges, announced the winner at a ceremony sponsored by Maison Valentino and held at London’s Tate Modern. The £50,000 prize is split equally between author Jenny Erpenbeck and translator Michael Hofmann, giving each equal recognition.
Erpenbeck’s novel, originally written in German, follows a destructive affair between a young woman and an older man in 1980s East Berlin. The two lovers seemingly embody East Germany’s crushed idealism. A meditation on hope and disappointment, Kairos poses complex questions about freedom, loyalty, love, and power.
Read: How to Write Your Novel With Translation In Mind
The shortlisted winners for the International Booker Prize are:
- Not a River
Written by Selva Almada, Translated by Annie McDermott
- Mater 2-10
Written by Hwang Sok-yong, Translated by Sora Kim-Russell, Youngjae Josephine Bae
What I’d Rather Not Think About
Written by Jente Posthuma, Translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey
- Kairos
Written by Jenny Erpenbeck, Translated by Michael Hofmann
- The Details
Written by Ia Genberg, Translated by Kira Josefsson
You can follow The Booker Prizes social media page for more news on their book prizes.
