Books by Marie NDiaye

Translated fiction “expands not only our literary horizons, but also our moral and emotional imaginations,” explains Troy Onyango—the writer, editor and judge for the 2026 International Booker Prize. He introduced us to the six novels that made the shortlist, including this year’s “formally inventive” winner and a “razor sharp” book about a “mediocre witch.”

The French short story tradition is varied and innovative. Patrick McGuinness, editor of the Penguin collections, introduces five of the best, all of which “understand that the short story can be anything it wants, but it does actually have to be short.” Ranging in content from the fantastic to the achingly banal, these gems of the genre will leave you pondering them for much longer than they took to read.