Two Irish Novels Shine Among 2026 Dublin Literary Award Nominees

The longlist for the prestigious 2026 Dublin Literary Award has been announced, featuring two notable Irish novels among the twenty selected. This award, recognized as the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, offers a significant prize of €100,000 to the winner. The award is sponsored by Dublin City Council.

The longlisted titles include Intermezzo by acclaimed author Sally Rooney and Ordinary Saints, the debut novel by Niamh Ní Mhaoleoin. They stand alongside works by internationally celebrated authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Alan Hollinghurst, and Ocean Vuong.

What sets this award apart is its unique nomination process, which relies on librarians and readers from libraries worldwide. A total of sixty-nine titles were nominated by eighty libraries across thirty-six countries. The final twenty were selected by a panel of judges, including authors Xiaolu Guo and Disha Bose, former diplomat Daniel Mulhall, translator Clara Ministral, performance poet Dike Chukwumerije, and non-voting chairperson Prof. Chris Morash from Trinity College Dublin.

The longlist features a diverse array of works, including:

– Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner (United States)
– Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
– Endling by Maria Reva (Ukraine)
– Gliff by Ali Smith (Britain)
– Good Girl by Aria Aber (Afghanistan-Germany)
– In Late Summer by Magdalena Blažević (Bosnia-Croatia), translated by Anđelka Raguž
– Live Fast by Brigitte Giraud (France), translated by Cory Stockwell
– Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst (Britain)
– Perspectives by Laurent Binet (France), translated by Sam Taylor
– The Antidote by Karen Russell (United States)
– The Brittle Age by Donatella Di Pietrantonio (Italy), translated by Ann Goldstein
– The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (Zimbabwe)
– The Echoes by Evie Wyld (Britain)
– The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (United States)
– The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk (Poland), translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
– The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei (Singapore)
– There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (Britain-Turkey)
– What I Know About You by Éric Chacour (Canada), translated by Pablo Strauss

The nomination for Dream Count by Adichie received the highest recognition, with three nominations from libraries in Porto, Portugal; Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Alexandria, Egypt. Over the past three decades, one-third of the winning books have been translations. This year, six translated titles are featured, including The Empusium by Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk. In the case of a translated work winning, the author will receive €75,000 while the translator is awarded €25,000.

The shortlist of nominees will be revealed on April 7, 2026, with the winner announced by the prize’s patron, Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Ray McAdam, on May 21, 2026, during the International Literature Festival Dublin, also funded by Dublin City Council.

“Readers will be delighted to get stuck into the 20 novels featured on the longlist,” McAdam stated. “From themes of war to coming of age, family dramas, and dark humour, the list is one for readers to explore the excellence of world storytelling.”

Additionally, Maireád Owens, Dublin City Librarian, emphasized the award’s foundation in libraries and the readers who engage with them globally. She expressed her best wishes to the writers on the list and encouraged readers to seek out these titles in local libraries or bookstores.

Last year, the award was claimed by The Adversary by Michael Crummey. Previous winners include Frank Wynne, who won in 2022 for The Art of Losing by Alice Zeniter, and Anna Burns, recipient of the award in 2020 for Milkman.