Publishers submitted a total of 164 books for the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature. The judges for Translated Literature are Stephen Snyder (Chair), Jessie Chaffee, Sergio de la Pava, Madhu H. Kaza, and Achy Obejas. Judge’s decisions are made independently of the National Book Foundation staff and Board of Directors and deliberations are strictly confidential.

Winners in all categories will be announced live at the National Book Awards Ceremony on November 17.

Yazbek’s novel “Planets of Clay”, (also known as The blue pen) was published by World Editions earlier this year, and translated by Leri Price. The other 6 finalists are:
Nona Fernández, “The Twilight Zone”
Translated, from the Spanish, by Natasha Wimmer
Graywolf Press

Bo-Young Kim, “On the Origin of Species and Other Stories”
Translated, from the Korean, by Joungmin Lee Comfort and Sora Kim-Russell
Kaya Press

Benjamín Labatut, “When We Cease to Understand the World”
Translated, from the Spanish, by Adrian Nathan West
New York Review Books

Elvira Navarro, “Rabbit Island: Stories”
Translated, from the Spanish, by Christina MacSweeney
Two Lines Press

Judith Schalansky, “An Inventory of Losses”
Translated, from the German, by Jackie Smith
New Directions

Maria Stepanova, “In Memory of Memory”
Translated, from the Russian, by Sasha Dugdale
New Directions

(Photo credit: Rania Stephan)