London, February 24 Padma Viswanathan, a Canadian writer of Indian origin, was named on Tuesday as the English translator of a “haunting” Portuguese-language novel by Brazilian author Ana Paula Maia for the 2026 International Booker Prize.
"On Earth As It Is Beneath," described by judges as a stark exploration of power and corruption, is among 13 worldwide contenders for the coveted literary award.
The annual prize, worth 50,000 pounds, divided equally between the author and translator, was won last year by Kannada writer-activist Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi for the short story collection "Heart Lamp".
"On Earth As It Is Beneath is a stark, unsettling exploration of power, violence, destruction, and institutional corruption that will linger with readers long after the final page," said the judging panel, referring to the work translated by US-based Viswanathan.
The 58-year-old Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville is an accomplished playwright and author, whose novels have been published in eight countries.
"The quality and variety of translated fiction being published in the UK is unbelievable," said author Natasha Brown, chair of the 2026 judging panel.
"As judges, we have been spoilt for choice during these past eight months reading this year's 128 submissions. Our discussions are always lively, and we have often been surprised by the many ways these books engaged us," she said.
Other works this year include: "The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran" by Shida Bazyar, translated from German by Ruth Martin; "We Are Green and Trembling" by Argentinian author Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated from Spanish by Robin Myers; "The Remembered Soldier" by Anjet Daanje, translated from Dutch by David McKay, and "The Deserters" by Mathias Énard, translated from French by Charlotte Mandell.
The list also includes: "Small Comfort" by Ia Genberg, translated from Swedish by Kira Josefsson; "She Who Remains" by Rene Karabash, translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel; "The Director" by Daniel Kehlmann, translated from German by Ross Benjamin; "The Duke" by Matteo Melchiorre, translated from Italian by Antonella Lettieri; "The Witch" by Marie Ndiaye, translated from French by Jordan Stump; "Women Without Men" by Iranian author Shahrnush Parsipur, translated from Persian by Faridoun Farrokh; "The Wax Child" by Olga Ravn, translated from Danish by Martin Aitken; and "Taiwan Travelogue" by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated from Taiwanese by Lin King.
These will be narrowed down to a shortlist of six books by March 31, with each shortlisted title guaranteed a prize of 5,000 pounds – split 50-50 between the book’s author and English translator.
The announcement of the winning book will take place on May 19 at a ceremony at Tate Modern in London.
The International Booker Prize is awarded annually for a single work of fiction – either a novel or a collection of short stories – written in another language and translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland.
According to the organizers, the 2025 winner, "Heart Lamp" – the first collection of short stories to win the prize and the first translated from Kannada – rapidly sold out in the UK in the subsequent days, with the UK publisher, And Other Stories, immediately reprinting 40,000 copies.