predicting (and reacting to) the international booker prize shortlist 2024

It’s so funny watching Jack try to still be complimentary and hide his surprise when a book he didn’t like gets shortlisted 😂 it’s like when someone accidentally gets you slightly the wrong present and you have to simultaneously try and sound really grateful while also hiding your disappointment 😅

If I had a nickel for every time Jack made the nickel joke…i’d have way more than 2 😂😂😂 love you, Jack

I absolutely LOVED Crooked Plow! I read it earlier this year in the original Portuguese and even got a chance to see Itamar Vieira Junior speak at University of Toronto. It was one of those books that made me feel like I was eating it, chewing the words, consuming every bit of it and sitting with it deep inside me. As a Brazilian myself I love noticing how most Brazilian and South American books in general can be categorized as "magic realism." It all just seems so natural to me. The "magical" aspects, I mean... South America is actually sort of just like that. I'm excited to see what you think about it.

i will never get over how fire of a channel name ‘jack in the books’ is like????? pun ate?????

White nights in Poland was published by Wydawnictwo Czarne. It's one of those publishing companies that you can kinda go blind and buy their books. They publish great things.

poland mentioned! haha i’m glad you like white nights so much. i’m polish and didn’t even know about this book now i got the original in the cart and i’m excited to read it!

I usually don’t pay attention to the booker prize as it doesn’t affect my local market, but MAN i am very very very very excited that a Brazilian contemporary book was shortlisted this year! So proud! ❤❤❤❤

i'm polish but nowadays usually read in english so it's really funny getting polish authors i haven't even heard of recommended from jack fjjsjs also deeply appreciated! need to get my hands on white nights

as a fraternal twin, what i’d rather not think about sounds intriguing (maybe that’s morbid) but all the reviews make me what to add the entire list to my growing tbr pile

Argentinian here. So happy to see Not a river in the shortlist🇦🇷 is a great short novel

loving the setting and LIGHT in this video!! (everything else as well of course but it’s just really pretty looking)

Oooh as a Polish person I'm so happy you liked White Nights! I would love for you to read more Polish literature ❤

Wow it’s been a year! I remember last year Jack was scared he wouldn’t be invited to do it again, good on you!!!!

as a polish person, I decided to read White Nights immediately after I saw you recommend it. I'm now 3 stories into the book and I had to stop reading it because I started uncontrollably bawling on the train. It touched me deeply and uncovered nostalgic feelings I hadn't even known about. I don't recommend reading it in public.

Jack, please read Torto Arado (Crooked Plow). It feels like an instantaneous classic. You will love it!

My prediction is that Jack Edwards is going to be a great host with the livestream. Good luck and bless!

Can't wait to see your opinion about crooked plow! I read it last month and really think it is a new brazilian classic.

Well okay! I'm Polish and also literature student and it made me so so so happy that a polish book made it to the longlist. But when I started reading it I kinda felt like it's not gonna make it. I loved it dearly but it's so polish to the marrow to its bone, and polish cultural subtext is not very well known or appreciated in the western media and I am also always weary of how much of it's character polish books lose in translation, bacuse it's common for polish literature that the most of it's character is hidden in the versatility on the language, so... I'm sad but unfortunately not surprised.

YEESS THE DETAILS

CONGRATULATIONS JACK!! You are amazing and so happy you get to do it again! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉