Urszula Honek’s White Nights Longlisted for the International Booker Prize
News11.03.2024
We are delighted to announce that the English edition of Polish author Urszula Honek’s debut prose collection, Białe noce, has been longlisted for the International Booker Prize. Honek’s work was one of 13 to make the list this year. Białe noce was published in 2023 by Czarne, with Kate Webster’s English translation published by MTO Press in November of the same year. Suhrkamp’s German edition is planned for early 2025, and we are proud to also be representing the international rights for the work.
In their remarks, the judges had the following to say about White Nights: 'A haunting series of interconnected stories set in a small town in the Beskid Mountains of Poland, a place enveloped by the continuous daylight of the summer months. Through a cast of characters each facing their own existential crises, Honek crafts a narrative mosaic that explores themes of isolation, identity, death, and the longing for connection. The book’s strength lies in its ability to capture the intense, dreamlike quality of its setting, where the natural phenomenon of “white nights” serves as a backdrop for the characters’ introspective journeys. White Nights is a dark, lyrical exploration of the ways in which people seek meaning and belonging in a transient world.’'
The shortlist of six titles will be announced on 9 April 2024. While the winner will be announced at a ceremony on 21 May 2024.
For more information on White Nights, contact the foreign rights manager for your region.
In their remarks, the judges had the following to say about White Nights: 'A haunting series of interconnected stories set in a small town in the Beskid Mountains of Poland, a place enveloped by the continuous daylight of the summer months. Through a cast of characters each facing their own existential crises, Honek crafts a narrative mosaic that explores themes of isolation, identity, death, and the longing for connection. The book’s strength lies in its ability to capture the intense, dreamlike quality of its setting, where the natural phenomenon of “white nights” serves as a backdrop for the characters’ introspective journeys. White Nights is a dark, lyrical exploration of the ways in which people seek meaning and belonging in a transient world.’'
The shortlist of six titles will be announced on 9 April 2024. While the winner will be announced at a ceremony on 21 May 2024.
For more information on White Nights, contact the foreign rights manager for your region.