Literary Fiction Books
recommended by our deputy editor, Cal Flyn, the judges of prestigious literary prizes, and novelists
Last updated: November 03, 2026
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1
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones -
2
Celestial Bodies
by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth -
3
The Years
by Annie Ernaux & translator - Alison Strayer -
4
The Pine Islands
by Jen Calleja & Marion Poschmann -
5
The Shape of the Ruins
by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, translated by Anne McLean -
6
The Remainder
by Alia Trabucco Zerán & Sophie Hughes (translator)
The Best Novels in Translation: the 2019 Booker International Prize, recommended by Bettany 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: The Booker Prize Shortlist, 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.
