National Book Award recognises works in translation in new award category

In the US, the National Book Foundation announced that it will present a new award for translated literature as part of this year’s National Book Awards, reports the New York Times.

The new award category recognises fiction and nonfiction that has been translated into English and published in the US. The prize aims to broaden the readership for translated work, and will be awarded jointly to authors and translators. It is the first time in more than 20 years that the foundation has added a new category to the awards.

The board of directors of the National Book Foundation, which administers the award, voted unanimously to establish the new category. Executive director of the National Book Foundation Lisa Lucas said the organisation sees it as ‘an opportunity for us to influence how visible books in translation are. The less we know about the rest of the world, the worse off we are’.

The National Book Award for Translated Literature will be presented at this year’s awards ceremony, alongside the other categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry and young people’s literature.

Category: International news