Israel authors A. B. Yehoshua and Eshkol Nevo have made the final list of candidates for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, Arts Council England announced Thursday according to British media. The books – Nevo's "Homesick" and Yehoshua's "Friendly Fire" – are two of sixteen titles that were chosen out of 126 contenders.
The honor in question, which is accompanied by 10,000 pound prize, is awarded for work of fiction by a living author that has been translated into English and published in the UK in the last year.
This year's list includes such prominent international authors as Jose Eduardo Agualusa (who won the prize in 2007), Celine Curiol, and Yoko Ogawa. Former winners also include Per Petterson, who won in 2006 for 'Out Stealing Horses,' and Paul Verhaeghen, who won last year for 'Omega Minor.'
Both of the Israeli books were published in Hebrew a number of years ago but were only translated into English in the UK in the past year.
"Homesick," Nevo's third book, was published by Zmora-Bitan in 2004 and was recently translated by Sondra Silverston and published by Chatto & Windus. Yehoshua's book, published in Israel in 2007, was translated by Stuart Schoffman and published by Halban.
"I am pleased about this nomination and feel that it's a great compliment and honor," Nevo said Thursday, in response to the announcement. "This is my first book that has been translated and published in Britain. Its reception there has been surprising and heart-warming."
"It's important to note the translator, Sondra Silverston, who kept the lyricism of the book in the translation to English," he added.
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