Melville House Books

Late Friday the long list of the 18 nominees for the first ever International Book Prize were announced—not in England but in Washington DC, where American writer John Casey, chair of the judging panel, declared the $115,000 prize would become an “important part of the global literary landscape.” As an Agence France Presse wire story reports, the nominees include five Nobel laureates: Saul Bellow, Gabriel Carcia Marquez, Gunter Grass, Naguib Mafhouz and Kenzaburo Oe. There were, however, only three Brits on the list: Ian McEwan, Muriel Spark, and Doris Lessing. “Unlike the Man Booker Prize, which is awarded annually to a specific novel, the international version will be awarded every two years to a living author in recognition of his or her entire body of work,” explains the report. “Nominees must have published either originally in English or have their work generally available in translation in the English language.” Winners will be announced in June.

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.