Armory Square Prize Selects Finalists for its Inaugural Award

April 3, 2023

After close deliberations, the jury for the Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation selected five* finalists to receive its inaugural award, which aims to cultivate a new generation of literary translators working with South Asian languages. All five shortlisted entries, chosen from over fifty submissions, reflect the breadth and linguistic complexity of the region and a robust, modern literature in South Asia. 

The groundbreaking prize, sponsored by Armory Square Ventures, is the first of its kind worldwide. The jury brings together award-winning specialists in South Asian and non-South Asian literary translation. As part of its deliberations, the jury considered several factors including the quality of the translation, the significance of the original work, and the degree of underrepresentation of the language in the US publishing market. The winner, to be announced next week, will be published by Open Letter Books. For more, see “12 Things to Know About the Armory Square Prize Shortlist,” a reference guide to the works, authors and translators the Armory Square jury selected.

Launched in July of last year, the prize is an effort to remedy the stark disparities in literary translation worldwide and support compelling storytellers from the Indian Subcontinent by raising their visibility in the US. Of the nearly 7,600 books published in translation in the United States over the past decade, only 64, or fewer than 1%, originated from a South Asian language, even though these languages are spoken by a full one-fifth of the world’s population.

*Two more entries were part of the original shortlist. They have been removed at the request of the translator, who submitted each of them to the jury for consideration several months ago.