Back in late February thirteen novels in translation made the long list (see plot summaries here) for the International Booker Prize 2020 and then on April 2nd if you recall, these six novels below made the shortlist.
International Booker Winner 2020
After a delay of some months due to the Covid crisis, the winner was announced this evening, 29 year-old Marieke Lucas Rijneveld from The Netherlands, with The Discomfort of Evening and their translator Michele Hutchison.
Author, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
Described as an exciting piece of poetic prose, a subject rarely grappled with – how children grieve, not a novel that allows the reader any distance, visceral and shocking in parts, readers either loved it or hated it or simply did not finish it.
It was probably the least talked about novel of the six, and its win tonight will have been surprising to many.
The Novel Description
Jas lives with her devout farming family in the rural Netherlands. One winter’s day, her older brother joins an ice skating trip. Resentful at being left alone, she makes a perverse plea to God; he never returns. As grief overwhelms the farm, Jas succumbs to a vortex of increasingly disturbing fantasies, watching her family disintegrate into a darkness that threatens to derail them all.
A bestselling sensation in the Netherlands by a prize-winning young poet, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld’s debut novel lays everything bare. It is a world of language unlike any other, which Michele Hutchison’s striking translation captures in all its wild, violent beauty.
I can’t say it was on my reading list, the dairy farming environment and strict religious upbringing, biblical references and childish fantasies were a turn off for me, but I did enjoy and was intrigued to listen to the author being interviewed this evening at the Edinburgh Book Festival, which is being held online, so I was able to attend.
Listening to the author read in Dutch was wonderful and the discussion between the judge, the translator and author worth listening to and may well influence more to discover what the book is about.
To watch that interview in replay, visit the EdBookFest site and check out some of the other interesting talks that are happening.
Further Reading
NY Times – A Dark Debut Propels A Dutch Writer to Reluctant Fame
The Guardian: My Family Are Too Scared to Read My Book
Word by Word 
I can’t say I am drawn toward this book, but so appreciate the review and insights.
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Thanks, that will the limit to my curiosity too.
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It doesn’t appeal much to me either for the same reasons you listed
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The joy of long lists, usually where I find something interesting.
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Nor me. But I am not unbiased. I really wanted Shokoofeh Azar to win! I think she would have been the first Australian to win the prize, and it would have been such a boost to Australian publishers to support translations of more writers here who write in their first language not English.
And Shokoofeh is such a lovely person. It makes my heart swell with pride when she talks about Australia giving her the freedom to write, she said the same thing when I interviewed her at a local literary festival.
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I enjoyed her book too, although the ending is a little mind altering, until we understand what is happening. So great though, that it made it this far, it will have gained much wider readership as a result. It’s interesting that concept of translations within a country, the YA books I read this week were written by a Finnish author living in a Swedish speaking part of the country, so it had to be translated into Finnish, for it to be available to other Finnish readers.
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That would happen in Belgium too, and Switzerland?
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And Wales and Ireland!
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PS I recently read a book about being trans which was very good, it wasn’t just about that, it had a plot to give the book narrative tension as well. One Day I’ll Tell You Everything, by Emmanuelle Pagano, translated by Penny Hueston (so you know the translation is excellent). Here’s my review if you’re interested: https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/06/12/one-day-ill-tell-you-everything-by-emmanuelle-pagano-translated-by-penny-hueston/
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I’m joining the list of unmotivated would-be readers, but I’ll look out for it and read it if it crosses my radar. Interesting post!
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I had the experience of inadvertently reading transgressive literature without realising that’s what it was, through a subscription to Charco and two books by Ariana Harwicz, the first one, I thought the protagonist was suffering from some undiagnosed maladie, the second one, I realised I was stuck in a genre that’s totally not for me.
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It’s bad enough making time for the stuff you DO want to read!
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It doesn’t immediately appeal to me either, but it does sound like the writer is doing something different and interesting. The win will probably mean the library has it, so I’ll look out for it (but probably won’t join a waiting list…)
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It was interesting to listen to the interview, and certainly if the author chose a different genre of fiction, I might consider reading their work, but I really don’t get on well with transgressive literature. Not even curious having stepped in unwittingly and unable to appreciate the value of it.
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