The International Booker Prize has announced Marie NDiaye, alongside five other authors, as one of six shortlisted authors for the 2026 prize for her novel The Witch, translated into English by Jordan Stump.
Marie NDiaye’s The Witch was chosen from a long list of 13 books, which were selected from 128 books submitted by publishers.
Shortlist:
- Shida Bazyar, The Night Are Quiet in Tehran
- Daniel Kehlmann, The Director
- Ana Paula Maia, On Earth As It Is Beneath
- Marie NDiaye, The Witch
- Yàng Shuàng-zi, Taiwan Travelogue
- Rene Karabash, She Who Remains
Established in 2005, the International Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of fiction translated into English and published in the UK and Ireland. The £50,000 prize is divided equally between the author and the translator. This year’s prize is supported by Bukhman Philanthropies.
The Witch revolves around the life of Lucie, a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage in an ordinary French town. She passes her supernatural gift to her twin daughters, whose powers later exceeded hers.
Marie NDiaye is a French novelist, playwright, and screenwriter of Senegalese descent. Born to a French mother and a Senegalese father, her background places her among prominent voices of the African diaspora in European literature. She published her first novel at 17. In 2009, she became the first Black woman to win France’s most prestigious literary award, the Prix Goncourt. In 2022, she co-wrote the screenplay for the 2022 legal drama Saint Omer, alongside its director Alice Diop and Amrita David.
The winner of the 2026 International Booker Prize will be announced on 19th May 2026, at the Tate Modern, London.
Congratulations, Marie NDiaye and all the shortlisted authors!
Sarah Adeyemo
Sarah Adeyemo, Swan IX, is a Nigerian poet, writer, editor, spoken word artiste and communication expert. The debut author of “The Shape of Silence”. She draws inspiration from solitude and experiences. She is a fellow of the SprinNG Writing Fellowship. Her works appeared or are forthcoming in Akpata Magazine, The Shallow Tales Review, The Muse Journal, The Weganda Review, Everscribe Magazine, Afrillhill Press, Poems For Persons Interest, TV-63 Magazine, Northern Writers Forum Journal, Eboquills, Rinna Lit. Anthologies, and elsewhere. She tweets @SarahInkspires.
