The Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996 and known as the International Dublin Literary Award (2016–2020), is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely sponsored by Dublin City Council, Ireland. At €100,000, the award is one of the richest literary prizes in the world. If the winning book is a translation (as it has been twelve times), the prize is divided between the writer and the translator, with the writer receiving €75,000 and the translator €25,000. The first award was made in 1996 to David Malouf for his English-language novel Remembering Babylon.
Nominations are submitted by public libraries worldwide – over 400 library systems in 177 countries worldwide are invited to nominate books each year – from which the shortlist and the eventual winner are selected by an international panel of judges (which changes each year).
Eligibility and procedure The prize is open to novels written in any language and by authors of any nationality, provided the work has been published in English or English translation. The presentation of the award is post-dated by two years from the date of publication. Thus, to win an award in 2017, the work must have been published in 2015. If it is an English translation, the work must have been published in its original language between two and six years before its translation. The scope for inclusion has been subject to criticism; according to The Irish Times journalist Eileen Battersby, "many of the titles are already well known even at the time of the publication of the long list."
Dublin City Public Libraries seek nominations from 400 public libraries from major cities across the world. Libraries can apply to be considered for inclusion in the nomination process. The longlist is announced in October or November of each year, and the shortlist (up to 10 titles) is announced in March or April of the following year. The longlist and shortlist are chosen by an international panel of judges which rotates each year. Allen Weinstein was the non-voting chair of the panel from 1996 to 2003. As of 2017, the former Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals, Eugene R. Sullivan, is the non-voting chair. The winner of the award is announced each June.
History The award was established in 1994 as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, a joint initiative of Dublin City Council and the American productivity company IMPAC, which had its European headquarters in Dublin. James Irwin, president of IMPAC, established the prize money at €100,000. A trust fund was established to pay for the award and its maintenance. The award has been administered by Dublin City Public Libraries since its inception. IMPAC went defunct in the late-2000s when its founder and president James Irwin died in 2009. In late 2013, the trust fund became exhausted and there was no money left to run the award. The council agreed to step in and continue funding the award under the same brand name of the now-defunct company while seeking a new sponsor. It was reported that the council paid €100,000 for the prize plus €80,250 in administration costs in 2015. The award was subsequently renamed the International DUBLIN Literary Award in November 2015. In 2021, it was awarded as the Dublin Literary Award.
Describing the award as "the most eclectic and unpredictable of the literary world's annual gongs", the journalist Michelle Pauli posed the question in relation to the longlist for the 2004 edition: "Where would you find Michael Dobbs and Tony Parsons up against Umberto Eco and Milan Kundera for a €100,000 prize?"
Winners and shortlists
1990s +Dublin Literary Award winners and finalists, 1996–1999 Year Author Title Translator Language Result 1996Remembering BabylonEnglishWinnerGhostsEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistHet volgende verhaalDutchShortlistDe wetten DutchShortlistO Evangelho segundo Jesus CristoPortugueseShortlistAwayEnglishShortlist1997Corazón tan blancoSpanishWinnerReservation BluesEnglishShortlistEn kakelsättares eftermiddagSwedishShortlistNovel Without a NameTiểu thuyết vô đề &VietnameseShortlistEnglishShortlistPereira MaintainsSostiene PereiraItalianShortlistEnglishShortlistMorvern CallarEnglishShortlist1998HerztierGermanWinnerAlias GraceEnglishShortlistImaginings of SandSandkasteleAfrikaans / EnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistAutobiography of my MotherEnglishShortlistSaltEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistLast OrdersEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlist1999Ingenious Pain EnglishWinnerQuarantineEnglishShortlistUnderworldEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistEnduring LoveEnglishShortlistJapaneseShortlistEnglishShortlistDer VorleserGermanShortlist
2000s +Dublin Literary Award winners and finalists, 2000–2009 Year Author Title Translator Language Result 2000Wide OpenEnglishWinnerEnglishShortlistTrumpetEnglishShortlistThis Side of BrightnessEnglishShortlistCharming BillyEnglishShortlistParadiseEnglishShortlistI Married a CommunistEnglishShortlist2001No Great MischiefEnglishWinnerEnglishShortlistEl amor que me jurasteSpanishShortlistOur FathersEnglishShortlistЧапаев и ПустотаRussianShortlistEnglishShortlist2002AtomisedLes Particules élémentairesFrenchWinnerEnglishShortlistTrue History of the Kelly GangEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistLos años con Laura DíazSpanishShortlistMadamePolishShortlist2003My Name Is RedBenim Adım KırmızıTurkishWinnerEnglishShortlistBitter FruitEnglishShortlistLivläkarens besökSwedishShortlistEnglishShortlistO Vale da PaixãoPortugueseShortlistThat They May Face the Rising SunEnglishShortlistBel CantoEnglishShortlist2004This Blinding Absence of LightCette aveuglante absence de lumièreFrenchWinnerEnglishShortlistAny Human HeartEnglishShortlistCarameloEnglishShortlistMiddlesexEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistBalthasar's OdysseyLe Périple de BaldassareFrenchShortlistFamily MattersEnglishShortlistEarth and AshesPersianShortlistHouse of Day, House of NightDom dzienny, dom nocnyPolishShortlist2005EnglishWinnerGardening at NightEnglishShortlistHalvbrorenNorwegianShortlistEnglishShortlistElleEnglishShortlistPhantom PainFantoompijnDutchShortlistEnglishShortlistWillenbrockGermanShortlistDeafeningEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlist2006EnglishWinnerGraceLandEnglishShortlistMaps for Lost LoversEnglishShortlistHavoc in Its Third YearEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistEt andet lysDanishShortlistLes Hirondelles de KaboulFrenchShortlistBreaking the TongueEnglishShortlistDon't MoveNon ti muovereItalianShortlistEnglishShortlist2007Out Stealing HorsesUt og stjæle hesterNorwegianWinnerArthur & GeorgeEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistSlow ManEnglishShortlistExtremely Loud & Incredibly CloseEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistNo Country for Old MenEnglishShortlistShalimar the ClownEnglishShortlist2008De Niro's Game EnglishWinnerLa velocidad de la luzSpanishShortlistEnglishShortlistDreams of SpeakingEnglishShortlistLet It Be MorningHebrewShortlistL'AttentatFrenchShortlistLa femme qui attendaitFrenchShortlistWinterwoodEnglishShortlist2009Man Gone Down EnglishWinnerEnglishShortlistRavelFrenchShortlistEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistHoggerne &Don BartlettNorwegianShortlistEnglishShortlistAnimal's PeopleEnglishShortlist
2010s +Dublin Literary Award winners and finalists, 2010–2019 Year Author Title Translator Language Result 2010 Boven is het stilDutchWinnerL'Élégance du hérissonFrenchShortlistIn Zodiac LightEnglishShortlistSettlementLandnahmeGermanShortlistEnglishShortlistNetherlandEnglishShortlistGod's Own CountryEnglishShortlistHome EnglishShortlist2011Let the Great World SpinEnglishWinnerGaloreEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistRansomEnglishShortlistLittle Bird of HeavenEnglishShortlistJasper JonesEnglishShortlistBrooklynEnglishShortlistLove and SummerEnglishShortlistAfter the Fire, A Still Small VoiceEnglishShortlist2012Even the DogsEnglishWinnerRocks in the BellyEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistMatterhornEnglishShortlistLandedEnglishShortlistLimassolHebrewShortlist O Filho EternoPortugueseShortlistLean on PeteEnglishShortlist2013 City of BohaneEnglishWinnerLa carte et le territoireFrenchShortlistPureEnglishShortlist1Q84 &Philip GabrielJapaneseShortlistEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistSwamplandia!EnglishShortlistSjónFrom the Mouth of the WhaleRökkurbýsnirIcelandicShortlistJo fortere jeg går, jo mindre er jegNorwegianShortlistCaesarionDutchShortlist2014El ruido de las cosas al caerSpanishWinnerDe omwegDutchShortlistQuestions of TravelEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistAbsolutionEnglishShortlistMy Struggle 1: A Death in the FamilyMin kamp 1NorwegianShortlistThree Strong WomenTrois Femmes puissantesFrenchShortlistTraveller of the CenturyEl viajero del siglo &Lorenza GarciaSpanishShortlistEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlist2015HarvestEnglishWinnerAmericanahEnglishShortlistHorses of GodLes étoiles de Sidi MoumenFrenchShortlistEnglishShortlistBurial RitesEnglishShortlistK.PortugueseShortlistBrief Loves That Live ForeverLe Livre des brèves amours éternellesFrenchShortlistTransAtlanticEnglishShortlistSomeoneEnglishShortlistSpartaEnglishShortlist2016Family LifeEnglishWinnerOutlawsLas leyes de la fronteraSpanishShortlist Academy StreetEnglishShortlistYour Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever?EnglishShortlistAller Tage AbendGermanShortlistEnglishShortlistDiary of the FallDiário da QuedaPortugueseShortlistOur Lady of the NileNotre-Dame du NilFrenchShortlistDept. of SpeculationEnglishShortlistLilaEnglishShortlist2017Teoria Geral do EsquecimentoPortugueseWinnerConfession of the LionessA Confissão da LeoaPortugueseShortlistEnglishShortlistProfeterne i EvighedsfjordenDanishShortlistLa historia de mis dientesSpanishShortlistEnglishShortlistUnder the Udala TreesEnglishShortlistKafamda Bir TuhaflıkTurkishShortlistEin ganzes LebenGermanShortlistEnglishShortlist2018Solar BonesEnglishWinnerBaba Dunja's Last LoveBaba Dunjas letzte LiebeGermanShortlistLa transmigración de los cuerposSpanishShortlistDe usynlige &Don ShawNorwegianShortlistHuman Acts소년이 온다KoreanShortlistEnglishShortlistDistant LightLa lucinaItalianShortlistLadivineFrenchShortlistThe Woman Next DoorEnglishShortlistMy Name Is Lucy BartonEnglishShortlist2019 Idaho EnglishWinnerCompassBoussoleFrenchShortlistHistory of WolvesEnglishShortlistExit WestEnglishShortlistMidwinter BreakEnglishShortlistReservoir 13EnglishShortlistConversations with FriendsEnglishShortlistLincoln in the BardoEnglishShortlistEnglishShortlistHome FireEnglishShortlist
2020s