Three Arabic Titles Make ‘PEN Presents x International Booker’ Shortlist – ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY

APRIL 16, 2025 — English PEN and the Booker Prize Foundation today announced the twelve books — and thirteen translators — shortlisted for the inaugural round of PEN Presents x International Booker Prize, a grant program “launched to support translators from the Global Majority.“

Notably, twelve of the translators are being recognized for the first time by PEN Presents in this fresh and diverse list; only Tiffany Tsao is being shortlisted a second time. For this round of PEN Presents, translators from the Global Majority, based anywhere in the world, submitted proposals to create sample translations of previously untranslated works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories by any author, from any language and region, and of any style, genre and era.

Preti Taneja, Chair of the selection panel and English PEN Translation Advisory Co-chair, said of the process: 

“The PEN Presents Selection Panel – a group with diverse expertise, backgrounds and opinions – considers each proposal carefully, in several rounds, using rigorous criteria. We are proud to announce this outstanding shortlist, which recognises both the literary quality of the projects and translations, and the contribution to bibliodiversity that each project will make. I can’t wait to see how these projects develop, and I’m delighted to support them to reach new readers across the world.”

The shortlist includes four Arabic translators: Mayada Ibrahim and Najlaa Eltom (translating Stella Gaitano), Victoria Issa (translating Israa Kalash), and Anam Zafar (translating Tariq Asrawi). The whole list,  arranged alphabetically by translator’s name:

• Christian Jil R. Benitez for a translation from the Filipino of Time of the Eye by Alvin B. Yapan (Philippines)  

• John Bengan for a translation from the Cebuano of The Man With a Thousand Names: Stories by R. Joseph Dazo (Philippines) 

• YZ Chin for a translation from the Chinese of Storied Ruins by Teng Kuan Kiat (Malaysia) 

• Nayereh Doosti for a translation from the Persian of A Tale in Ruins by Aboutorab Khosravi (Iran) 

• Pauline Fan for a translation from the Malay of The Last Days of Jesselton by Ruhaini Matdarin (Malaysia) 

• Mayada Ibrahim and Najlaa Eltom for a translation from the Arabic of Ireem by Stella Gaitano (Sudan) 

• Annalise Peters for a translation from the French (with Martinican Creole) of My Heart Beats Fast by Nadia Chonville (Martinique) 

• Özsu Riv for a translation from the Turkish of My Mother’s Rib by Burçin Tetik (Turkey) 

• Tiffany Tsao for a translation from the Indonesian of The Born Out of Wedlock Club by Grace Tioso (Indonesia) 

• Victoria Issa Yacoub for a translation from the Arabic of The Light by Israa Kalash (Palestine) 

• Catherine Xinxin Yu for a translation from the Chinese of Little Brother by Chan Wai (Taiwan) 

• Anam Zafar for a translation from the Arabic of Playing With Soldiers by Tariq Asrawi (Palestine) 

The shortlist was selected by a cross-sector panel of seven experts, chaired by Preti Taneja, writer, Professor of World Literature and Creative Writing at Newcastle University, and English PEN Translation Advisory Co-chair. She was joined by Safae El-Ouahabi, Associate at RCW; Elisabeth Jaquette, translator from the Arabic and Executive Director of Words Without Borders; Željka Marošević, Editorial Director at Jonathan Cape; Nii Ayikwei Parkes, writer, editor and Director at flipped eye publishing; Fiammetta Rocco, Administrator of the International Booker Prize; and Shash Trevett, poet and translator from the Tamil.