International Booker Prize 2020: Complete list of winners

The 2020 International Booker Prize delivered a genuine surprise when the translated fiction award went to Marieke Lucas Rijneveld’s The Discomfort of Evening, a staggering debut that had only been published in Dutch as De avond is ongemak the year before. At just 29 years old, Rijneveld became one of the youngest winners in the prize’s history, cementing her reputation as one of contemporary literature’s most vital voices. The novel’s dark, poetic exploration of grief and rural Dutch life—told through the fragmented perspective of a young girl processing family tragedy—resonated deeply with the judging panel, who praised both the author’s raw emotional power and translator Liz Watkins’s exquisite rendering of Rijneveld’s distinctive prose.

What made Rijneveld’s win particularly notable was how it underscored the International Booker Prize’s commitment to elevating literature in translation at a moment when such recognition feels increasingly vital. The award, which celebrates the finest single work of fiction translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland, continues to shine a spotlight on exceptional writers who might otherwise remain unknown to English-language readers. Rijneveld’s victory proved that the prize remains unafraid to champion challenging, unconventional narratives from lesser-known literary traditions—a reminder that the most innovative voices are often those writing outside the Anglo-American mainstream.

Translated Fiction

• The Discomfort of EveningDe avond is ongemak by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld