International Booker Prize 2024: Complete list of winners

The 2024 International Booker Prize has once again reminded us why translated fiction deserves a prominent place in our reading lives. This year’s winner, Jenny Erpenbeck’s Kairos, stands as a particularly resonant choice—a spare, devastating novel that traces the collapse of East Germany through the intimate lens of a love affair. Originally written in German, Erpenbeck’s work has already garnered significant acclaim, and the International Booker Prize recognition underscores a growing appetite among English-language readers for ambitious European fiction that grapples with historical trauma and personal rupture.

The International Booker Prize, often celebrated as one of the most prestigious awards for translated fiction, continues to shine a spotlight on works that might otherwise struggle to find international audiences. By honoring Kairos, the 2024 award acknowledges not only Erpenbeck’s literary craftsmanship but also the crucial labor of translation itself—the invisible art that makes such cross-cultural literary conversation possible. The recognition carries particular weight given the novel’s thematic concerns with language, memory, and the slippery nature of historical truth.

Below, you’ll find the complete list of 2024 International Booker Prize winners and finalists, along with details about what makes this year’s selections remarkable.

Translated Fiction

• Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck