The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award has unveiled its massive 2012 longlist. Recall that libraries around the world can nominate books for the prize, and these nominations, taken together, comprise the longlist. This year there are 147 novels on the list, nominated by 122 libraries in 45 countries. All of the books must have been published in English in 2010 (including translations).
Because of the award’s global reach and egalitarian process, it’s always interesting to dig deeper into the longlist. Taken as a whole, the literary proclivities of various countries become evident, and a few titles recur again and again, revealing which books have made a global impact on readers.
Overall favorites: books that were nominated by at least seven libraries.
Room by Emma Donoghue (20 libraries representing Australia, England, France, Ireland, the Maldives, New Zealand, and the United States)
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (13 libraries representing Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United States)
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (12 libraries representing Canada, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, and the United States)
To the End of the Land by David Grossman (10 libraries representing Brazil, Canada, Germany, and the United States)
Purge by Sofi Oksanen (8 libraries representing Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland)
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (7 libraries representing the Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United States)
You can also look at the list and see which books are favorites in different countries. Several books were nominated by multiple libraries in the same country. Here’s a few:
In Canada, Annabel by Kathleen Winter
In Germany, Fame by Daniel Kehlmann
In Ireland, Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
In the Netherlands, Counterpoint by Anna Enquist and The Book Club by Marjolijn Februari
There were also several countries with only one library nominating just one or two books. Here are a few of those:
From Bermuda, Gorée: Point of Departure by Angela Barry
From Cyprus, A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible by Christy Lefteri
From Hungary, One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni
From India, Serious Men by Manu Joseph
From Japan, The Book of Heroes by Miyuki Miyabe
Any of these you would particularly recommend?
I haven't read any of them, yet, but if I were going to chose two to start it would be Black Swan Green (which is sitting on my "to be read" shelf) and Seven Lies because I loved James Lasdun's book, The Horned Man. I'd love to hear any informed opinions, though.
I thought Lasdun's was brilliantly good; Lasdun and Mitchell are the only 2 I've read. The two I'm most excited about reading next are Claire Messud and Sarah Waters; both on all accounts very good but the advance buzz on Messud is particularly enthusiastic.
I have read and enjoyed Black Swan Green, and The Secret River is in my to-be-read pile.
I loved David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, so Black Swan Green is on my list to read even though I hear it's completely different.
Everyone loves Peter Carey except for me – I don't hate him, I just find him pretty good, not great.
And yes, Mitchell did get robbed for the Booker with Cloud Atlas.
MacGregor's If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things was one of the best books I read last year. I will certainly read his latest. And I'm reading Waters's Fingersmith now and can't wait to begin Night Watch