Scribe is delighted to share that we have had two books longlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize: What I’d Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma, translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey, and Mater 2–10 by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae.
12 March, 2024
Two Scribe titles longlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize
The Booker has stated that this year’s prize was selected from 149 entries — the highest number since the prize was relaunched in 2016. The judging panel for this year’s prize comprised of broadcaster and journalist Eleanor Wachtel, award-winning poet Natalie Diaz, acclaimed novelist Romesh Gunesekera, visual artist William Kentridge, and writer, editor, and translator Aaron Robertson.
The judges commented on What I’d Rather Not Think About to describe it as, ‘A deeply moving exploration of grief and identity through the lives of twins, one of whom dies by suicide. Posthuma delves into the surviving twin’s efforts to understand and come to terms with the loss of her brother, examining the profound complexities of familial bonds. Posthuma navigates delicate themes with sensitivity and formal inventiveness, portraying the nuances of the twins’ relationship and the individual struggles they face. The author skilfully inflects tragedy with unexpected humour and provides a multifaceted look at the search for meaning in the aftermath of suicide. What I’d Rather Not Think About stands out for its empathetic portrayal of love, loss, and resilience.’ A reading guide has been made available by the Booker here.
The judges have described Mater 2–10 as, ‘A sweeping and comprehensive book about a Korea we rarely see in the West, blending the historical narrative of a nation with an individual’s quest for justice. Hwang highlights the political struggles of the working class with the story of a complicated national history of occupation and freedom, all seen through the lens of Jino, from his perch on top of a factory chimney, where he is staging a protest against being unfairly laid off.’ The Booker has also provided a comprehensive reading guide for the book, available here.
Congratulations to all of our writers and translators, as well as to all others on the outstanding longlist. The shortlist will be announced on 9 April.
Related Books
$15.00 USD
What I’d Rather Not Think About
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE
What happens when the person you’ve built your entire life on is suddenly gone?
This question lies at the heart of Jente Posthuma’s deceptively simple What I’d Rather Not Think About. The narrator is a twin whose brother has recently taken his own life. She looks back on their childhood, and tells of their adult lives: how her brother tried to find happiness, but lost himself in various men and the Bhagwan movement, though never completely.
In brief, precise vignettes, full of gentle melancholy and surprising humor, Posthuma tells the story of a depressive brother, viewed from the perspective of the sister who both loves and resents her twin, struggles to understand him, and misses him terribly.
$22.00 USD
Mater 2-10
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE
International Booker–nominated virtuoso Hwang Sok-yong is back with another powerful story—an epic tale that threads together a century of Korean history.
In contemporary Seoul, a laid-off worker stages a months-long sit-in atop a sixteen-story factory chimney. During the long and lonely nights, he talks to his ancestors, chewing on the meaning of life, on wisdom passed down the generations.
Through the lives of those ancestors, three generations of railroad workers, Mater 2-10 vividly portrays the struggles of ordinary Koreans, starting from the Japanese colonial era, continuing through Liberation, and right up to the twenty-first century. It is at once a gripping account of a nation’s longing to be free from oppression, a lyrical folktale that reflects the blood, sweat, and tears shed by modern industrial laborers, and a culmination of Hwang’s career—a masterpiece thirty years in the making.
A true voice of a generation, Hwang shows again why he is unmatched when it comes to depicting the roots and reality of a divided nation and bringing to life the trials and tribulations of the Korean people.
