German author Jenny Erpneback and translator Michael Hoffman have emerged winners of the prestigious International Booker Award for their novel “Kairos” which is a compelling love story set in the final years of East Germany. Michael Hoffman is the translator of the book which tells the story of a devastating relationship between a young woman and an old man in the East Berlin of the 1980s.
Key highlights
- With this announcement, Jenny Erpneback has become the first German to win the International Booker Award. And Mr. Hoffman is the first male translator to win this award. The names of winners were announced at an event held at Tate Modern, London.
- The book competed with 149 other books and won the hearts of judges.
- The 57-year-old Erpneback was born and raised in Eastern Berlin, which was part of East Germany until the country disappeared in 1990 with the German Reunion. This is her fourth novel, and is her third novel to be a part of the International Booker Award.
About the International Booker Award
- The International Booker Prize, previously known as the Man Booker International Prize, is an international literary recognition. The Man Booker was given only to writers from the Commonwealth nations, Ireland and Zimbabwe. However, the International Booker is given to any nationalities whose books are available in English, including translation.
- Since 2016, it has been given annually to a work of fiction or collection of stories, translated into English.
- The award recognizes works of fiction around the world that have been translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.
- The prize money of the award is £50,000 which is divided between winners.
- Geetanjali Shree is the first Indian author to win the International Booker Award. She won this award in 2022 for her novel “Tomb of Sand”. It was the first Hindi-language book to win the award. US-based Daisy Rockwell was the translator of the book.
