The Independent foreign Fiction Prize shortlist is now out, and there are a few surprises in store (nothing new there then). Of the sixteen longlisted titles who entered the race, only six remain - ten have been sent back to the sheds to contemplate their shortcomings. In around a month's time, one of these six will be standing on top of the pile, but for now, it's time for all six to enjoy their moment in the sun - drum roll, please...
Official Shortlist for the 2013 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
Of course, another small group of people has been reading the same collection of books, and recently we on the Shadow Panel announced our own shortlist! The Shadow Panel consists of our esteemed chair, Stu, along with Mark, Gary, Lisa and me :) I know you're just itching to compare the two lists, so..
Shadow Panel Shortlist for the 2013 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
So, the lists... Well, we've chosen four of the six the real panel have chosen, and I have to say that, on the whole, it's a better shortlist than was the case in 2012. A couple of caveats though... While I haven't yet read
Satantango, I'm very surprised that it hasn't made the cut. It did make the shortlist of the BTBA (the American version of the IFFP), and it was touted as a potential winner of both prizes - obviously not ;)
The big shock though is the inclusion of
Bundu. While I'm all for difference, this is the one book I hadn't even considered putting on my shortlist. Of course, for those with long memories, IFFP panels obviously love
Alma Books a lot!
Oh well, onward and upward. For a list of all the Shadow Panel's reviews so far, please check out
this page on Lisa's blog which pulls them all together - happy reading :)
