They've culled the longlist down to a shortlist (winner to be announced March 10th) and while I'm sorry that my favourite - Hans Fallada's Every Man Dies Alone - didn't make the cut, there are still some terrific books left. In particular, I recommend Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky's bizarre and incredible collection of short stories, Memories of the Future, translated by Joanne Turnball. Most of the tales deal in one fantastic way or another with writers and books and I'll bet you've never read a short story in which the Eiffel Tower runs away. Here are the ten books on the shortlist:
Anonymous Celebrity by Ignácio de Loyola Brandão
The Confessions of Noa Weber by Gail Hareven
The Discoverer by Jan Kjaerstad
Ghosts by Cesar Aira
Memories of the Future by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky
Rex by José Manuel Prieto
The Tanners by Robert Walser
The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker
The Weather Fifteen Years Ago by Wolf Haas
Wonder by Hugo Claus
And congratulations also to Canadian Nicole Brossard whose collection of poetry, Selections, made the Best Translated Book Award poetry shortlist. A full list of the other nominees is available here.
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