International Booker Prize 2018: Complete list of winners

The 2018 International Booker Prize marked a pivotal moment for translated literature on the global stage, shining a spotlight on works that challenge conventional narrative structures and expand what fiction can do. Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights (Bieguni in the original Polish) claimed the prestigious award, a recognition that sent ripples through the literary world. The novel’s fragmented, essayistic approach to storytelling—weaving together meditations on movement, the body, and human connection across centuries and geographies—demonstrated the prize’s commitment to honoring ambitious, formally inventive work that might otherwise remain confined to its native literary sphere.

The 2018 award cycle underscored how vital the International Booker Prize has become as a champion of translation, offering English-language readers access to singular voices that deserve international audiences. Tokarczuk’s win was particularly significant because it validated a mode of fiction that eschews linear plot in favor of philosophical depth and imaginative experimentation. The prize, which celebrates the finest fiction written in any language and published in English translation, continues to evolve as a tastemaker that influences both publishers’ catalogs and readers’ shelves worldwide.

Below, you’ll find the complete list of this year’s honored works and the story behind their selection.

Translated Fiction

• FlightsBieguni by Olga Tokarczuk