You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Valentino to sponsor International Booker Prize ceremony for 2024
Maison Valentino will sponsor the International Booker Prize ceremony for 2024 while a new partnership with English PEN will support translators from the global majority.
Valentino will sponsor the award’s ceremony in May and provide a donation of 500 sets of the International Booker Prize shortlist to libraries across the UK via The Reading Agency. Crankstart, a charitable foundation, remains the core funder of the Booker Prizes.
Prize organisers said of the luxury fashion house: “Maison Valentino has a long and successful association with the literary world, and with this sponsorship strengthens its commitment to fostering global arts and culture. For many years, the Maison has affirmed its commitment to great writing by celebrating impactful texts and authors.
“It has re-envisioned the traditional means of fashion communication through campaigns that honour the authentic beauty of words, as well as launching other multidisciplinary initiatives that link fashion to literature.”
Valentino has worked with many authors nominated for the Booker Prizes, including Hanya Yanagihara, Leila Mottley, Elif Shafak and Mieko Kawakami.
Therefore “in recognition of the two organisations’ shared ethos of championing excellence and inclusivity in art and storytelling, Maison Valentino will sponsor the International Booker Prize 2024 ceremony” on 21st May, organisers said.
Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to be embarking on such a meaningful collaboration with Valentino, and are hugely grateful for their support. Together, these two long-standing institutions will bring together imaginations without borders.
“The Valentino team’s energy and enthusiasm are inspiring, as is everything they’ve already done for, and with, great writers. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed discussing books with them – and discovering our shared love of many International Booker authors has been a particular thrill.”
Jacopo Venturini, chief executive of Maison Valentino, said: “We are honoured to partner with the Booker Prize Foundation this year. This collaboration further strengthens our deep connection to the world of literature.”
The livestream of the International Booker Prize ceremony will be hosted by YouTuber Jack Edwards, known as "the internet’s resident librarian", and available at YouTube.com/TheBookerPrizes.
This year the Booker Prize Foundation is also partnering with English PEN on a new round of its PEN Presents programme, which supports emerging translators. The International Booker Prize X PEN Presents programme will have a specific focus on translators from the global majority. Organisers said: “Since 2016, submissions to the International Booker Prize and to English PEN’s PEN Translates programme have told the same story: while the representation of authors of the global majority is increasing, translators from the global majority remain chronically underrepresented.”
The International Booker Prize X PEN Presents programme will launch in October 2024 and aims to enable more literature in translation, created by more people, to reach English-language readers. It will be open to translators from the global majority who want to create samples of previously untranslated work from any language and region.
A shortlist will be awarded grants to create samples, and a selection will receive editorial support and have their projects promoted to UK publishers. More details will be announced this summer.
