The International Booker Prize 2026 has been awarded to a Taiwanese author and a Taiwanese-American translator for the first time. Yang Shuang-zi and Lin King won the prestigious literary award for Taiwan Travelogue, a novel originally published in Mandarin Chinese in 2020 and translated into English this year.
A Historic Win for Taiwanese Literature
The novel is the first winning book to have been translated from Mandarin Chinese. It follows a Japanese novelist with a 'monstrous appetite' on a culinary tour through 1930s Taiwan under Japanese occupation, accompanied by a local interpreter. The story explores themes of colonialism, power, class, and love.
The award was announced at a ceremony at London's Tate Modern on Tuesday. The £50,000 prize money is divided equally between the author and translator, who also received a trophy presented by chairwoman of the 2026 judges, Natasha Brown.
Judges' Praise
Brown described the novel as 'captivating' and 'slyly sophisticated', noting that it 'doesn't shy away from the complexities of its journey into the English language'. She praised Lin King's 'deft translation' for conveying the nuances of the narrative voices.
Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, called the book 'inventive, playful, witty and profound', adding that it is a 'love story that had the judges' hearts as well as their minds'.
Other Shortlisted Works
Taiwan Travelogue beat five other shortlisted novels: The Nights Are Quiet In Tehran by Shida Bazyar (translated from German by Ruth Martin), She Who Remains by Rene Karabash (translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel), The Director by Daniel Kehlmann (translated from German by Ross Benjamin), On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia (translated from Portuguese by Padma Viswanathan), and The Witch by Marie NDiaye (translated from French by Jordan Stump). Each shortlisted title received £5,000, shared between author and translator.
First awarded in 2016, the International Booker Prize celebrates fiction translated into English. Taiwan Travelogue is the 11th winner of the award.
