The National Book Awards (US): the best-written work on the translated fiction shortlist

Plus the best-written previous winner

COMING SOON:

—The recording of my discussion yesterday with Eleanor Anstruther and Samuél Lopez-Barrantes of what we mean by the term ‘literary’; of the demise of popular modernism, and the slow cancellation of the future; of Eleanor’s disco moves; and of Alexis Wright’s absurdist masterwork Praiseworthy. Thanks to those of you who joined us.

—November is the busiest month for literary prizes, so we’ll be featuring the best-written books from their shortlists, and also from the century’s previous winners of these prizes. To avoid sending you too many posts, we’ll leave the recent releases until December.

IN TODAY’S ISSUE

—‘Arms raised, as if a rifle were pointed at her, she pontificated in pizzicato, and we, in our tattered rags, as still as salt statues, indifferent to heat or cold, to famine, fatigue, or fear of the next cave-in, we swallowed her reminiscences like bread rolls spread with soya paste’: the best-written work on this year’s shortlist for the National Book Award for transl…