Canadian-American writer of Indian heritage, Padma Viswanathan, was named on the 2026 International Booker Prize longlist.
She is recognised for her English translation of Brazilian author Ana Paula Maia’s novel, “On Earth As It Is Beneath”, published by Edinburgh-based Charco Press on August 12, 2025.
Set in a remote penal colony built on land scarred by slavery, the haunting Portuguese-language novel follows a warden who initiates a ritualised full-moon hunt of prisoners. Viswanathan is one of thirteen contenders for the £50,000 prize, which is split equally between author and translator to celebrate the vital role of translation in global literature.
The 2026 judging panel, chaired by Natasha Brown and including Indian author Nilanjana S Roy, selected the “Booker dozen” from 128 submissions representing 34 languages. Viswanathan, a 58-year-old Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Arkansas, is already a decorated novelist, having been a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. The 2026 competition will be whittled down to a shortlist of six books on March 31, with the final winner to be announced at London’s Tate Modern on May 19.
