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  • Experts

The Booker Prizes

The Booker Prize shortlist is an excellent indicator of the best fiction published in English in the last year. Second in prestige perhaps only to the Nobel Prize for Literature, the Booker Prize is awarded each year to the best original novel written in the English language.

Several years ago in a controversial change, the Booker's eligibility expanded to include all books in the English language—not just those written by authors from the United Kingdom Commonwealth, Ireland, South Africa and Zimbabwe, as had previously been the case.

The Booker's sister award, the Booker International Prize, is given annually to a work of fiction in English translation—with its £50,000 prize money split between author and translator.

Each year, we interview the chair of both judging panels – for the Booker Prize for Fiction, and the Booker International Prize—to discuss the shortlisted titles ahead of the winner.

    The Best Fiction of 2020: The Booker Prize Shortlist, recommended by Margaret Busby

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    The Best Fiction of 2020: The Booker Prize Shortlist - The New Wilderness by Diane Cook

    1

    The New Wilderness
    by Diane Cook

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    The Best Fiction of 2020: The Booker Prize Shortlist - This Mournable Body: A Novel by Tsitsi Dangarembga

    2

    This Mournable Body: A Novel
    by Tsitsi Dangarembga

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    The Best Fiction of 2020: The Booker Prize Shortlist - The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste

    3

    The Shadow King
    by Maaza Mengiste

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    The Best Fiction of 2020: The Booker Prize Shortlist - Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi

    4

    Burnt Sugar
    by Avni Doshi

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    The Best Fiction of 2020: The Booker Prize Shortlist - Shuggie Bain: A Novel by Douglas Stuart

    5

    Shuggie Bain: A Novel
    by Douglas Stuart

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    The Best Fiction of 2020: The Booker Prize Shortlist - Real Life: A Novel by Brandon Taylor

    6

    Real Life: A Novel
    by Brandon Taylor

The Best Fiction of 2020: The Booker Prize Shortlist, recommended by Margaret Busby

Every year, the Booker Prize judges whittle a year’s worth of fiction down to a shortlist of six books, each competing for the title of the best novel of the year. Margaret Busby, chair of this year’s judging panel, discusses the six books that made the cut in 2020.

    The Best Fiction in Translation: The 2020 International Booker Prize, recommended by Ted Hodgkinson

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    The Best Fiction in Translation: The 2020 International Booker Prize - The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar, translated by Anonymous

    1

    The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
    by Shokoofeh Azar, translated by Anonymous

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    The Best Fiction in Translation: The 2020 International Booker Prize - The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre

    2

    The Adventures of China Iron
    by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Fiona Mackintosh and Iona Macintyre

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    The Best Fiction in Translation: The 2020 International Booker Prize - Tyll by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin

    3

    Tyll
    by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin

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    The Best Fiction in Translation: The 2020 International Booker Prize - Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes

    4

    Hurricane Season
    by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes

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    The Best Fiction in Translation: The 2020 International Booker Prize - The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder

    5

    The Memory Police
    by Yōko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder

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    The Best Fiction in Translation: The 2020 International Booker Prize - The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated by Michele Hutchison

    6

    The Discomfort of Evening
    by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated by Michele Hutchison

The Best Fiction in Translation: The 2020 International Booker Prize, recommended by Ted Hodgkinson

Broaden your reading horizons. Much of the most exciting, playful and inventive new fiction can be read in translation, says Ted Hodgkinson, chair of the judging panel for the 2020 International Booker Prize. Here he talks us through their shortlist of six novels.

    The Best Fiction of 2019, recommended by Peter Florence

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    The Best Fiction of 2019 - The Testaments: A Novel by Margaret Atwood

    1

    The Testaments: A Novel
    by Margaret Atwood

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    The Best Fiction of 2019 - Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann

    2

    Ducks, Newburyport
    by Lucy Ellmann

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    The Best Fiction of 2019 - Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

    3

    Girl, Woman, Other
    by Bernadine Evaristo

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    The Best Fiction of 2019 - An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma

    4

    An Orchestra of Minorities
    by Chigozie Obioma

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    The Best Fiction of 2019 - Quichotte by Salman Rushdie

    5

    Quichotte
    by Salman Rushdie

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    The Best Fiction of 2019 - 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak

    6

    10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
    by Elif Shafak

The Best Fiction of 2019, recommended by Peter Florence

Each year, a panel of esteemed judges reads over 100 novels to determine which titles will vie for the award of the Booker Prize for Fiction. Peter Florence, chair of the 2019 judges and founder of the famous Hay Festival, tells us why the books on this year’s shortlist are gripping, enthralling must-reads.

    The Best Novels in Translation: the 2019 Booker International Prize, recommended by Bettany Hughes

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    The Best Novels in Translation: the 2019 Booker International Prize - Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones

    1

    Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
    by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones

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    The Best Novels in Translation: the 2019 Booker International Prize - Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth

    2

    Celestial Bodies
    by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth

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    The Best Novels in Translation: the 2019 Booker International Prize - The Years by Annie Ernaux, translated by Alison Strayer

    3

    The Years
    by Annie Ernaux, translated by Alison Strayer

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    The Best Novels in Translation: the 2019 Booker International Prize - The Pine Islands by Jen Calleja & Marion Poschmann

    4

    The Pine Islands
    by Jen Calleja & Marion Poschmann

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    The Best Novels in Translation: the 2019 Booker International Prize - The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, translated by Anne McLean

    5

    The Shape of the Ruins
    by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, translated by Anne McLean

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    The Best Novels in Translation: the 2019 Booker International Prize - The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán, translated by Sophie Hughes

    6

    The Remainder
    by Alia Trabucco Zerán, translated by Sophie Hughes

The Best Novels in Translation: the 2019 Booker International Prize, recommended by Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes, author of Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities and chair of this year’s Booker International Prize judging panel, talks us through the six books they have shortlisted for the title of best novel in translation.

    The Best Fiction of 2018, recommended by Kwame Anthony Appiah

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    The Best Fiction of 2018 - Milkman by Anna Burns

    1

    Milkman
    by Anna Burns

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    The Best Fiction of 2018 - Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

    2

    Washington Black
    by Esi Edugyan

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    The Best Fiction of 2018 - Everything Under by Daisy Johnson

    3

    Everything Under
    by Daisy Johnson

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    The Best Fiction of 2018 - The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner

    4

    The Mars Room
    by Rachel Kushner

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    The Best Fiction of 2018 - The Overstory by Richard Powers

    5

    The Overstory
    by Richard Powers

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    The Best Fiction of 2018 - The Long Take by Robin Robertson

    6

    The Long Take
    by Robin Robertson

The Best Fiction of 2018, recommended by Kwame Anthony Appiah

Looking for the best novels of the year? Kwame Anthony Appiah, professor of philosophy at New York University and chair of the 2018 Man Booker Prize for fiction, gives an in-depth breakdown of the six books that made this year’s shortlist, and reflects on why the novel as a form is stronger than ever.

    Rachel Kushner on Books That Influenced Her

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    Rachel Kushner on Books That Influenced Her - Practicalities by Marguerite Duras

    1

    Practicalities
    by Marguerite Duras

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    Rachel Kushner on Books That Influenced Her - God, Justice, Love, Beauty: Four Dialogues by Jean-Luc Nancy

    2

    God, Justice, Love, Beauty: Four Dialogues
    by Jean-Luc Nancy

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    Rachel Kushner on Books That Influenced Her - Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline (translated by Ralph Manheim)

    3

    Journey to the End of the Night
    by Louis-Ferdinand Céline (translated by Ralph Manheim)

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    Rachel Kushner on Books That Influenced Her - The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

    4

    The Brothers Karamazov
    by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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    Rachel Kushner on Books That Influenced Her - Pick-Up by Charles Willeford

    5

    Pick-Up
    by Charles Willeford

Rachel Kushner on Books That Influenced Her

Rachel Kushner, author of The Flamethrowers and The Mars Room, which has been shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize, discusses the five books that have most influenced her writing, from Dostoyevsky to Marguerite Duras. She muses on the question of what fiction can offer: “A novel itself, if it is good, and effective at whatever its particular aesthetic and philosophical aim is, can answer the question best, so that a novelist doesn’t have to.”

    Esi Edugyan on Books That Influenced Her

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    Esi Edugyan on Books That Influenced Her - Beloved by Toni Morrison

    1

    Beloved
    by Toni Morrison

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    Esi Edugyan on Books That Influenced Her - Middlemarch by George Eliot

    2

    Middlemarch
    by George Eliot

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    Esi Edugyan on Books That Influenced Her - In a Free State by V S Naipaul

    3

    In a Free State
    by V S Naipaul

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    Esi Edugyan on Books That Influenced Her - Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

    4

    Blood Meridian
    by Cormac McCarthy

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    Esi Edugyan on Books That Influenced Her - Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

    5

    Let the Great World Spin
    by Colum McCann

Esi Edugyan on Books That Influenced Her

Canadian author Esi Edugyan, whose novel Washington Black is shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize, picks five books that have inspired her novels, and shares wisdom on what it means to read fiction today

    Robin Robertson on Books that Influenced Him

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    Robin Robertson on Books that Influenced Him - Ulysses by James Joyce

    1

    Ulysses
    by James Joyce

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    Robin Robertson on Books that Influenced Him - In Parenthesis by David Jones

    2

    In Parenthesis
    by David Jones

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    Robin Robertson on Books that Influenced Him - Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry

    3

    Under the Volcano
    by Malcolm Lowry

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    Robin Robertson on Books that Influenced Him - War Music: An Account of Homer's Iliad by Christopher Logue

    4

    War Music: An Account of Homer's Iliad
    by Christopher Logue

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    Robin Robertson on Books that Influenced Him - Field Work by Seamus Heaney

    5

    Field Work
    by Seamus Heaney

Robin Robertson on Books that Influenced Him

“That’s what writing is: a struggle with oneself.” Scottish poet Robin Robertson—author of the verse novel The Long Take, shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize—lists the five works that have most influenced his writing, from Ulysses to Heaney.

    Daisy Johnson on Books That Influenced Her

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    Daisy Johnson on Books That Influenced Her - Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg

    1

    Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow
    by Peter Hoeg

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    Daisy Johnson on Books That Influenced Her - All The Birds Singing by Evie Wyld

    2

    All The Birds Singing
    by Evie Wyld

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    Daisy Johnson on Books That Influenced Her - White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

    3

    White is for Witching
    by Helen Oyeyemi

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    Daisy Johnson on Books That Influenced Her - The Shining by Stephen King

    4

    The Shining
    by Stephen King

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    Daisy Johnson on Books That Influenced Her - The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

    5

    The Forgotten Waltz
    by Anne Enright

Daisy Johnson on Books That Influenced Her

Daisy Johnson—short story writer, novelist, and the youngest author to be shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize—chooses the five books that most inspired her novel Everything Under and shares some of her writing rituals and philosophy.

    Essential Norwegian Fiction, recommended by Roy Jacobsen

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    Essential Norwegian Fiction - Gisli Sursson’s Saga by Various

    1

    Gisli Sursson’s Saga
    by Various

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    Essential Norwegian Fiction - Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun and Sverre Lyngstad (translator)

    2

    Growth of the Soil
    by Knut Hamsun and Sverre Lyngstad (translator)

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    Essential Norwegian Fiction - Shyness and Dignity by Dag Solstad and Sverre Lyngstad (translator)

    3

    Shyness and Dignity
    by Dag Solstad and Sverre Lyngstad (translator)

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    Essential Norwegian Fiction - Beatles by Lars Saabye Christensen and Don Bartlett (translator)

    4

    Beatles
    by Lars Saabye Christensen and Don Bartlett (translator)

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    Essential Norwegian Fiction - My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård and Don Bartlett (translator)

    5

    My Struggle
    by Karl Ove Knausgård and Don Bartlett (translator)

Essential Norwegian Fiction, recommended by Roy Jacobsen

Sagas old and new, from Gisli Sursson’s trials to Knausgård’s struggle, form the backbone of Roy Jacobsen’s selection of essential fiction from Norway, a country that is like ‘a black and not very polished diamond’, and where writers and readers seek out the human, ‘no matter how awkward, grandiose, sentimental, nostalgic, embarrassing, hyperbolic, stupid, hilarious or dangerous it may be’

    David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him

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    David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him - Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor’s Son by Sholem Aleichem

    1

    Tevye the Dairyman and Motl the Cantor’s Son
    by Sholem Aleichem

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    David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him - The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories by Bruno Schultz and Celina Wieniewska (translator)

    2

    The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories
    by Bruno Schultz and Celina Wieniewska (translator)

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    David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him - Dubliners by James Joyce

    3

    Dubliners
    by James Joyce

  • Read
    David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him - Mario and the Magician and Other Stories by Thomas Mann

    4

    Mario and the Magician and Other Stories
    by Thomas Mann

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    David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him - History: A Novel by Elsa Morante and William Weaver (translator)

    5

    History: A Novel
    by Elsa Morante and William Weaver (translator)

David Grossman on the Books That Shaped Him

David Grossman, renowned Israeli author and winner of the 2017 Man Booker International Prize, shares the books that have shaped his writing, from Sholem Aleichem to James Joyce and Elsa Morante

    Mathias Enard on The ‘Orient’ and Orientalism

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    Mathias Enard on The ‘Orient’ and Orientalism - The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat and Naveed Noori (translator)

    1

    The Blind Owl
    by Sadegh Hedayat and Naveed Noori (translator)

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    Mathias Enard on The ‘Orient’ and Orientalism - Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih

    2

    Season of Migration to the North
    by Tayeb Salih

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    Mathias Enard on The ‘Orient’ and Orientalism - Leg over Leg by Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq and Humphrey Davies (translator)

    3

    Leg over Leg
    by Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq and Humphrey Davies (translator)

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    Mathias Enard on The ‘Orient’ and Orientalism - Drifting Cities: A Trilogy by Strates Tsirkas and Kay Cicellis (translator)

    4

    Drifting Cities: A Trilogy
    by Strates Tsirkas and Kay Cicellis (translator)

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    Mathias Enard on The ‘Orient’ and Orientalism - One Thousand and One Nights by NJ Dawood (translator) and William Harvey (illustrator)

    5

    One Thousand and One Nights
    by NJ Dawood (translator) and William Harvey (illustrator)

Mathias Enard on The ‘Orient’ and Orientalism

Study of the ‘Orient’ and Orientalism has evolved considerably since Edward Said's seminal study of 1978. Here, the multi-award winning French novelist Mathias Enard, whose own novel, Compass, draws on this rich history, discusses five books that capture key aspects of this ever-shifting terrain

    Dorthe Nors on the best Contemporary Scandinavian Literature

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    Dorthe Nors on the best Contemporary Scandinavian Literature - Har døden taget noget fra dig så giv det tilbage, Carls bog by Naja Marie Aidt

    1

    Har døden taget noget fra dig så giv det tilbage, Carls bog
    by Naja Marie Aidt

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    Dorthe Nors on the best Contemporary Scandinavian Literature - Yahya Hassan: Digte by Yahya Hassan

    2

    Yahya Hassan: Digte
    by Yahya Hassan

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    Dorthe Nors on the best Contemporary Scandinavian Literature - Det är natten by Karolina Ramqvist

    3

    Det är natten
    by Karolina Ramqvist

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    Dorthe Nors on the best Contemporary Scandinavian Literature - Wilful Disregard: A Novel About Love by Lena Andersson and Sarah Death (translator)

    4

    Wilful Disregard: A Novel About Love
    by Lena Andersson and Sarah Death (translator)

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    Dorthe Nors on the best Contemporary Scandinavian Literature - Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was by Sjón and Victoria Cribb (translator)

    5

    Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was
    by Sjón and Victoria Cribb (translator)

Dorthe Nors on the best Contemporary Scandinavian Literature

Minimalism is big with the Danes while Icelanders favour magical realism; the Swedes keep it classical while the Norwegians get emotional. Man Booker International shortlistee Dorthe Nors takes us on a tour of the most exciting voices in contemporary Scandinavian literature.

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