2015 will be the 20th year of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and the longlist for next year’s prize has been announced. 142 books from 39 countries have been nominated for the €100,000 prize ($124,000)–the world’s most valuable literary award. Nominees include Richard Flanagan’s Booker-winning The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, and James McBride’s The Good Lord Bird, winner of the 2013 National Book Award. Other nominated authors include Stephen King, Ruth Ozeki, and Neil Gaiman. Books are nominated by libraries around the globe and include fiction written originally in English and in translation. 49 of this year’s nominees are books in translation. 29 books are debut novels.
Previous winners include Colum McCann, Alistair MacLeod, Edward P. Jones, and Nicola Barker. Christy Burke, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, is the Award’s patron. “I am delighted to be Patron of this Award as it enters its twentieth year. Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature and cultural tourism is a vital part of the City’s economy,” he said. “Initiatives such as this Award, the Dublin Writer’s Festival and One City, One Book have consolidated Dublin’s position as a centre of literary excellence on the world stage.” The shortlist will be announced in April and the winner in June.
