Kairos, written by Jenny Erpenbeck and translated by Michael Hofmann, has won the 2024 International Booker Prize.
Eleanor Wachtel, Chair of the 2024 Judges, has announced the winner of the 2024 International Booker Prize at a ceremony at the Tate Modern in London on 21 May 2024.
2024 International Booker Prize Winner:
The International Booker Prize 2024: “Kairos”
- Written By: Jenny Erpenbeck
- Translated by: Michael Hofmann
- Published by: Granta Books
- Original language: German
Key Points:
- Jenny Erpenbeck, who was longlisted for the prize in 2018, becomes the first German writer to win it. Michael Hofmann becomes the first male translator to win.
- Granta Books wins for the second time since 2016, when the prize took its current form.
Prize Money:
The £50,000 prize is split equally between author Jenny Erpenbeck and translator Michael Hofmann, giving each equal recognition.
About Book ‘Kairos’:
Erpenbeck’s novel, which was originally written in German, follows a destructive affair between a young woman and an older man in 1980s East Berlin, with the two lovers seemingly embodying East Germany’s crushed idealism. A meditation on hope and disappointment, Kairos poses complex questions about freedom, loyalty, love and power.
Also Read:
International Booker Prize 2024: Shortlist
- “Not a River” – Written by Selva Almada, Translated by Annie McDermott
- “Mater 2-10” – Written by Hwang Sok-yong, Translated by Sora Kim-RussellYoungjae Josephine Bae
- “What I’d Rather Not Think About” – Written by Jente Posthuma, Translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey
- “Crooked Plow” – Written by Itamar Vieira Junior, Translated by Johnny Lorenz
- Kairos (Winner)
- “The Details” – Written by Ia Genberg, Translated by Kira Josefsson
» In addition, the shortlisted authors and translators each receive £2,500.
About International Booker Prize:
- The International Booker Prize is awarded annually for the finest single work of fiction from around the world which has been translated into English and published in the UK and Ireland.
- The International Booker Prize, formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize, was first awarded in 2005.
- Time Shelter written by Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov and translated by Angela Rodel won the International Booker Prize 2023.