Night of a Thousand Hells by Intan Paramaditha, translated by Stephen Epstein and Tiffany Tsao, has been longlisted for the 2026 National Book Awards, in the category of Translated Literature.
The finalists will be announced on the 6th of October, and the winners will be announced on the 18th of November.
Scribe's edition of Night of a Thousand Hells is coming out in February 2027. Stay tuned for our cover reveal next week!
A genre-defying feminist gothic novel blending Indonesian folklore, Islamic mysticism, horror, and political reckoning.
International literary sensation Intan Paramaditha returns with her most ambitious and haunting work to date. The novel opens with a devastating act: the youngest of three sisters becomes a suicide bomber. In the aftermath, her surviving siblings are forced to confront the violent, buried truths of their family history. Their search leads them to long-concealed secrets, and to the prophecies of their grandmother, whose shadowy wisdom has shaped their fates.
Set across Indonesia, the United States, and Australia, the novel explores class divides, sisterhood, migration, shame, abandonment, and the politics of care — all through a ghostly, atmospheric lens that draws on Asian folktales and occult traditions.
With its blend of political urgency, mythic resonance, and psychological depth, Night of a Thousand Hells is a singular contribution to global feminist literature.
