National Book Award for Translated Literature


The National Book Award for Translated Literature, is one of five annual National Book Awards in the USA, recognising outstanding literary works of translation into English and administered by the National Book Foundation. This award was previously bestowed from 1967 to 1983 but did not require the author to be living and was for works of fiction only. It was reintroduced in its current form in 2018 and is open to living translators and authors, for works of both fiction and non-fiction.
The award recognises one book published by a U.S. publisher located in the United States from December 1 of the previous year to November 30 in the award year. The original text need not have been published in the year of the award submission, only the translated work. For the Translated Literature award neither author nor translator are required to be U.S. citizens.
Entries for the National Book Awards are open from March until May. A longlist of ten books is announced in September with a shortlist of five following in October. The winner is announced at a ceremony in November. The prizes are split equally between the author and the translator.

Awards

This list only covers the current version of the National Book Award for Translated Literature from its reintroduction in 2018. Winners from 1967 to 1983 are covered in the complete list of winners of the National Book Award.

2018

The prize was judged by Karen Maeda Allman, Sinan Antoon, Susan Bernofsky, and Álvaro Enrigue and chaired by Harold Augenbraum. The longlist was announced on September 12. The finalists were announced October 10. The winner was announced on November 14, 2018.
AuthorTitleOriginal languageTranslatorCountry of PublicationPublisherResult
JapaneseJapan

2019

The prize was judged by Keith Gessen, Elisabeth Jaquette, Katie Kitamura, and Shuchi Saraswat and chaired by Idra Novey. The longlist was announced on September 17. Finalists were announced on October 8. The winner was announced on November 20, 2019.
AuthorTitleOriginal languageTranslatorCountry of PublicationPublisherResult
Baron Wenckheim's HomecomingHungarianHungarysortname|last=Khalifa|first=Khaledsortname|last=Price|first=Leri

2020

The prize was judged by Heather Cleary, John Darnielle, Anne Ishii, and Brad Johnson and chaired by Dinaw Mengestu. The longlist was announced on September 16 with the shortlist following on October 6. The winner was announced on November 18, 2020.

2021

The prize was judged by Jessie Chaffee, Sergio de la Pava, Madhu H. Kaza, and Achy Obejas and chaired by Stephen Snyder. The longlist was announced on September 15 with the shortlist following on October 5. The winner was announced on November 17, 2021.

2022

The prize was judged by Nick Buzanski, Veronica Esposito, Ann Goldstein, Rohan Kamicheril, and Russell Scott Valentino. The longlist was announced on September 14 with the shortlist following on October 4. The winner was announced on November 16, 2022.

2023

Members of the prize jury were Geoffrey Brock, Arthur Malcolm Dixon, Cristina Rodriguez, T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting, and Jeremy Tiang. The longlist was announced on September 13 with the shortlist following on October 4. The winner was announced on November 16, 2023.
AuthorTitleOriginal languageTranslatorPublisherResult
'PortugueseNew Vessel PressWinner
Cursed BunnyKoreanAlgonquin Books / Hachette Book GroupFinalists
Beyond the Door of No ReturnFrenchFarrar, Straus and Giroux / Macmillan PublishersFinalists
AbyssSpanishWorld EditionsFinalists
On a Woman's MadnessDutchTwo Lines PressFinalists
'SpanishCoffee House PressLonglist
KairosGermanCoffee House PressLonglist
No One Prayed Over Their GravesArabicFarrar, Straus and Giroux / Macmillan PublishersLonglist
This is Not MiamiSpanishNew Directions PublishingLonglist
FrenchOther PressLonglist

2024

Members of the prize jury were Aron Aji, Jennifer Croft, Jhumpa Lahiri, Gary Lovely and Julia Sanches. The longlist was announced on September 13 with the shortlist following on October 1. The winner was announced on November 20, 2024.
AuthorTitleOriginal languageTranslatorPublisherResult
Taiwan TravelogueMandarin ChineseGraywolf PressWinner
The Book Censor's LibraryArabic and Sawad HussainRestless BooksFinalists
ÆdnanSwedishKnopf / Penguin Random HouseFinalists
The Villain's DanceFrenchDeep VellumFinalists
Where the Wind Calls HomeArabicWorld EditionsFinalists
The Tale of a Wall: Reflections on the Meaning of Hope and FreedomArabicOther PressLonglist
On the Calculation of Volume DanishNew Directions PublishingLonglist
WoodwormSpanish and Annie McDermottTwo Lines PressLonglist
Pink SlimeSpanishScribner / Simon & SchusterLonglist
The AbyssSpanishNew Directions PublishingLonglist

2025

Members of the prize jury are Stesha Brandon, Sergio Gutiérrez Negrón, Bill Johnston, Annette Joseph-Gabriel and Karen Tei Yamashita. The longlist was announced on September 13 with the shortlist following on October 7. The winner was announced on November 19, 2025.
AuthorTitleOriginal languageTranslatorPublisherResult
Gabriela Cabezón CámaraWe Are Green and TremblingSpanishRobin MyersNew Directions PublishingWinner
Solvej BalleOn the Calculation of Volume DanishSophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer RussellNew Directions PublishingFinalists
Anjet DaanjeThe Remembered SoldierDutchDavid McKayNew Vessel PressFinalists
Hamid IsmailovWe Computers: A Ghazal NovelUzbekShelley Fairweather-VegaYale University PressFinalists
Neige SinnoSad TigerFrenchNatasha LehrerSeven Stories PressFinalists
Jazmina BarreraThe Queen of SwordsSpanishChristina MacSweeneyTwo Lines PressLonglist
Saou IchikawaHunchbackJapanesePolly BartonHogarth/Penguin Random HouseLonglist
Han KangWe Do Not PartKoreanPaige Aniyah MorrisHogarth/Penguin Random HouseLonglist
Mohamed KheirSleep PhaseArabicRobin MogerTwo Lines PressLonglist
Vicenzo LatronicoPerfectionItalianSophie HughesNew York Review BooksLonglist