We publish books that matter — narrative and literary nonfiction on important topics, and the best of local, international, and translated fiction.

Scribe is delighted to share that our two longlisted titles have made it through to the shortlist for the 2024 International Booker Prize. 

Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok-yong (trans. Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae) and What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma (trans. Sarah Timmer Harvey) are both in contention for this prestigious prize awarded annually for a single book in translation.

Further elaborating on the specific merits of each book, the International Booker Prize judges have said that, ‘In Mater 2-10, we see Korea’s truest resilience and passion through its labourers, who when forced to choose between right and wrong, loyalty or betrayal, country or occupier, chose instead to survive another day, in whatever ways they could manage, on either side, or neither side, so that they might continue to seed the Korea of the future.’ You can find an extract from the novel here.

The judges have described What I’d Rather Not Think About as ‘a deeply moving journey through the intertwining lives of twins grappling with the complexities of identity, loss, and the unspoken bonds that define us ... Readers will cherish the novel’s delicate balance between humour and heartbreak.’ You can find a short extract from the novel here.

Congratulations to all of the shortlisted authors and translators!

The winner will be announced at a ceremony on 21 May. For more information about the prize and the other shortlisted titles, please visit the Booker Prize website.