Iraqi monster tale in running for international Booker prize

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A monster story set in a Baghdad torn apart by violence is among six contenders for the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for fiction.

The list of finalists announced Thursday includes Iraqi writer Ahmed Saadawi’s “Frankenstein in Baghdad,” which depicts real and imaginary horrors after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

South Korea’s Han Kang, who won in 2016 for “The Vegetarian,” is nominated again for her meditative novel “The White Book.” Novels from France, Spain, Hungary and Poland are also on the list.

The prize is a counterpart to the Man Booker Prize for English-language novels and is open to books published in any language that have been translated into English.

The 50,000-pound ($70,000) award is split evenly between the writer and the translator. The winner will be announced May 22.

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