Dublin Literary Award Shortlist 2026
Published on 7th April 2026
Earlier this year, 20 titles were longlisted, nominated by 26 libraries across 15 countries, showcasing the best in international fiction. All 20 books were read by the five judges who chose the shortlist of six books.
The prize of €100,000 is the highest internationally.
The shortlist:
- Ali Smith - Gliff
- Magdalena Blažević - In Late Summer
- Brigitte Giraud - Live Fast
- Laurent Binet - Perspectives
- Ocean Vuong - The Emperor of Gladness
- Éric Chacour - What I Know About You
Gliff by Ali Smith (Scottish). Published by Hamish Hamilton. Nominated by Katona József Library of Bács-Kiskun County - Hungary.
In Late Summer by Magdalena Blažević (Bosnian) translated from Croatian by Anđelka Raguž. Published by Linden Editions. Nominated by Universitätsbibliothek Bern - Switzerland.
Live Fast by Brigitte Giraud (French) translated from French by Cory Stockwell. Published by Ecco/Harper Collins. Nominated by Bibliothèque Municipale de Lyon - France.
Perspectives by Laurent Binet (French) translated from French by Sam Taylor. Published by Harvill Secker, VINTAGE, Penguin Random House UK. Nominated by Bibliothèques Municipales Genève - Switzerland.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Vietnamese American). Published by Jonathan Cape, Penguin Press. Nominated by Hartford Public Library - USA.
What I Know About You by Éric Chacour (Canadian) translated from French by Pablo Strauss. Published by Coach House Books. Nominated by Bibliothèque de Québec - Canada, Toronto Public Library - Canada.
The 31st winner of the Dublin Literary Award will be announced by its Patron, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ray McAdam on Thursday 21st May, as part of International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD), which is also funded by Dublin City Council.
The shortlisted novels will be available for readers to borrow from public libraries, or can be borrowed on Borrowbox.
Sponsored by Dublin City Council, nominations for the Dublin Literary Award are submitted by libraries and readers in major cities around the world.
The international panel of judges who has selected the shortlist and will also select the ultimate winner, features Xiaolu Guo, an award-winning novelist and film director who has published a dozen books with Random House; Daniel Mulhall, a former Irish Ambassador to Malaysia, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States who has lectured and published extensively on Irish history and literature; Clara Ministral, who studied translation and comparative literature in Madrid and London and has been translating fiction and non-fiction from English to Spanish for over fifteen years; Dike Chukwumerije, a performance poet, spoken word theatre practitioner, author, public speaker and cultural administrator; and Disha Bose, an author whose novel Dirty Laundry was an Irish Times bestseller, a Good Morning America Book Club pick and the inaugural An Post Book Club selection.
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 Ray McAdam on Thursday 21st May during the International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD) which runs from the 15th to the 24th May 2026 in Merrion Square Park.
The shortlist can be viewed on the Award website at www.dublinliteraryaward.ie.