The shortlist has been revealed for the 2013 International Impac Dublin Literary Award, the annual prize based (as the name suggests) in Dublin but awarded to international authors and voted for by libraries in cities around the world. One of the most financially rewarding prizes on the awards circuit, the winning author will take home €100,000 if their novel is written in English, or €75,000 for international work, with the remaining €25,000 going to the work’s translator. The award is open to novels two years after their initial printing in English, meaning that all of this year’s entries first saw publication in 2011.

This year’s ten nominees – the maximum allowable number – are: City of Bohane by Kevin Barry (Jonathan Cape, Irish, also a debut novel); The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq (William Heineman, translated from French by Gavin Bowd); Pure by Andrew Miller (Sceptre, English); 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Harvill Secker and Alfred A. Knopf, translated from Japanese by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel); The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (Alfred A. Knopf, Japanese American); The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips (Random House Inc., American); Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (Alfred A. Knopf, American); From the Mouth of the Whale by Sjón (Telegram Books, translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb); The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am by Kjersti Skomsvold (Dalkey Archive Press, translated from Norwegian by Kerri A. Pierce, also a debut novel); and Caesarion by Tommy Wieringa (Portobello Books, translated from Dutch by Sam Garrett). Presumably, the drinks that night are all on Alfred A. Knopf’s tab.

Both Miller and Houellebecq are previous winners, in 1999 for Ingenious Pain and 2002 for Atomised respectively. Announcing the nominees, Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Naoise Ó Muirí said ‘This is a list of high quality literature that includes five novels in translation which readers might not otherwise get the opportunity to read, and I am delighted to see an Irish author, Kevin Barry, on the list. This is a real tribute from the judges to the quality of Irish contemporary writing.’ Dublin City Librarian Margaret Hayes, meanwhile, confirms that ‘This is the highest number of books in translation on the shortlist since the award began.’ The nominations came from libraries Estonia, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, The Netherlands, and the USA