Republic of Consciousness Prize shortlist sees the most works in translation in prize’s history

Titles published by Boiler House Press, Cassava Republic, Charco Press, Scotland Street Press and Tilted Axis Press have been shortlisted for this year’s Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses. 

Organisers said it was “a tough year for the judges” with “a lot of favourite books”. This year’s shortlist also had the most works in translation in the prize’s history, covering four continents. 

Each of the shortlist will receive an additional £1,000 each to the £500 each of the longlist received. The winner will be announced at Foyles on 17th April. 

The shortlist comprises Out of Earth by Sheyla Smanioto (Boiler House Press), translated by Laura Garmeson and Sophie Lewis, which follows four generations of female characters as they navigate the hardships of life in the parched landscape of the Brazilian sertão. Judges said it was "a vivid, mesmerising multigenerational novel, which tackles brutality and violence within familial relationships with tact”. 

It is joined by Avenues by Train (Cassava Republic) by Farai Mudzingwa, which tells the story of Jedza, who witnesses a tragic incident involving a train and the death of his close boyhood friend in his home town Miner’s Drift when he is just seven years old. "Now in his mid-20s, Jedza is a down and out electrician, moving to Harare in the hope that he will escape the darkness and superstitions of the small town.” Judges called it “an assured debut”. 

Of Cattle and Men by Ana Paula Maia (Charco Press), translated by Zoe Perry is also shortlisted, described by judges as a “stunning thriller of sorts”. “So understated. So powerful. So heartbreaking,” they said. It appears alongside Maxim Znack’s The Zekameron (Scotland Street Press), translated by Jim and Ella Dingley, which charts 100 days in prison in Belarus today, and was hailed as “a truly important book” by judges. The End of August by Yu Miri (Tilted Axis Press), translated by Morgan Giles, completes the list, a "a semi-autobiographical investigation into nationhood and family” praised by judges as “ambitious in scope and execution” and “a joy to read”.