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Indo-Canadian translator Padma Viswanathan on Booker longlist
The 50,000-pound prize is divided equally between the author and translator.
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Pranavi Sharma - Wed, 25, Feb 2026
- 00:35 EST
- 15
Padma Viswanathan reading at the 2015 Neustadt Festival. / Wikipedia
Indo-Canadian translator Padma Viswanathan was named Feb. 24 to the 2026 International Booker Prize longlist for her English translation of the Portuguese novel ‘On Earth As It Is Beneath’ by Brazilian author Ana Paula Maia.
The book is among 13 titles selected for the annual prize, which honors a single work of fiction translated into English and published in the U.K. or Ireland. The winner will be announced May 19 at a ceremony at Tate Modern in London.
Judges described the novel as a stark exploration of power and corruption. “On Earth As It Is Beneath is a stark, unsettling exploration of power, violence, destruction and institutional corruption that will linger with readers long after the final page,” the panel said.
ALSO READ: Arundhati Roy longlisted for U.K. Women’s Prize
Viswanathan, 58, is a full professor of creative writing at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. She teaches in the MFA Program in Creative Writing and Translation. A playwright, novelist and memoirist, her novels have been published in eight countries.
The 50,000-pound prize is divided equally between the author and translator. Last year’s award went to Kannada writer-activist Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi for the short story collection ‘Heart Lamp.’
Natasha Brown, chair of the 2026 judging panel, said the submissions reflected the range of translated fiction being published in the U.K. “The calibre and variety of translated fiction being published in the UK is unbelievable,” she said. “As judges, we’ve been spoilt for choice during these past eight months reading this year’s 128 submissions. Our discussions are always lively, and we’ve often been surprised by the myriad ways these books engaged us.”
The 2026 judging panel also includes Indian author Nilanjana S. Roy.
ALSO READ: Nilanjana S Roy named jury for 2026 International Booker Prize
A shortlist of six books will be announced March 31. Each shortlisted title will receive 5,000 pounds, split between the author and translator.
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