Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi won the 2026 International Booker Prize for the novel Taiwan Travelogue, translated into English by Lin King. The winner was announced during a ceremony at Tate Modern, which was streamed live online, with jury chair Natasha Brown revealing the final decision.
This year’s shortlist also included Bulgarian author Rene Karabash and her novel She Who Remains, translated by Izidora Angel. The nomination marked only the second time a Bulgarian novel has reached the final shortlist of the International Booker Prize, following Georgi Gospodinov’s victory in 2023 with Time Shelter, translated by Angela Rodel.
The remaining shortlisted authors included Shida Bazyar with The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran, Daniel Kehlmann with The Director, Ana Paula Maia with On Earth As It Is Beneath, and Marie NDiaye with The Witch.
The jury also included mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, translator Sophie Hughes, Kenyan editor and writer Troy Onyango, and Indian novelist Nilanjana S. Roy. The awards were supported by Bukhman Philanthropies.
Taiwan Travelogue became the first novel translated from Mandarin Chinese ever to win the International Booker Prize. The book is constructed as a fictional rediscovered Japanese travel diary and unfolds in Taiwan during the 1930s, when the island was under Japanese rule. Through the journey of two women traveling across the country and exploring local cuisine, the novel examines colonialism, power structures, social hierarchy, history, and emotional intimacy.
