Viswanathan Receives Nomination for International Booker Prize

Padma Viswanathan, a professor in the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing and Translation, has been recognized with a spot on the 2026 long list of nominations for the International Booker Prize. Among the most prestigious contemporary literary awards, the Booker Prize is awarded the most significant work of translated fiction of the year.

Viswanathan joins 13 other translators on the International Booker Prize's long list of nominees for her work in translating Ana Paula Maia's "_On Earth As It Is Beneath_".

Hosted in the United Kingdom, the International Booker Prize has been presented since 2005 by the Booker Prize Foundation. This accolade acknowledges an author's creativity and contribution to the world of fiction for any single work of fiction or collection of short stories that have undergone a translation into English and published in Ireland or the United Kingdom.

The International Prize was designed to complement the Man Booker Prize, which awards the best single work of sustained fiction written in English. Its judging panel is comprised of five people who are appointed by the Booker Prize Foundation each year. Panelists range in profession and ability, but are often authors, publishers, journalists, actors, politicians and artists. Unlike its sister prize, the International Booker Prize can also award short story collections, and its bounty is split between the author and translator.

Early winners of the International Booker Prize include the likes of Alice Munro, Lydia Davis and Philip Roth, authors who, like Viswanathan, made a lasting impression on fiction as a genre. At its core, the prize aims to encourage the reading and writing of high quality ficiton from around the world. Translators are a vital feature of this and are celebrated by the Booker Foundation to acknowledge their indispensability. The winning title earns a £50,000 prize, split evenly between the author and translator. Its shortlist will be announced on March 31.

"To see Padma's name among the Booker Prize list of luminary translators makes all of us in the M.F.A. program so proud. This is a well-earned recognition that situates her work at the top of a highly competitive international field," said Toni Jensen, director of the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing and Translation.