Orhan Pamuk makes Man Booker International shortlist

The panel of five judges also selected works from Angolan, Italian, South Korean, Austrian and Chinese authors for the shortlist for the $71,000 prize, which honors the best foreign book published in English translation by U.K. publishers in 2015, Agence France-Presse reported.

Pamuk’s epic 480-page book tells the story of protagonist Mevlüt, who sells the traditional fermented beverage “boza” on Istanbul’s streets between 1969 and 2012. 

Five of the authors on the shortlist appear for the first time, with Chinese author Yan Lianke appearing for the second time with “The Four Books.” 

“This exhilarating shortlist will take readers both around the globe and to every frontier of fiction,” said Boyd Tonkin, chair of the judging panel.

“These six books tell unforgettable stories from China and Angola, Austria and Turkey, Italy and South Korea. In setting, they range from a Mao-era re-education camp and a remote Alpine valley to the modern tumult and transformation of cities such as Naples and Istanbul,” he added. 

The winner of the 2016 Prize will be announced on May 16 at a dinner at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

Along with Pamuk’s novel, the 2016 Man Booker International shortlist includes “A General Theory of Oblivion” by Jose Eduardo Agualusa, “The Story of the Lost Child” by Elena Ferrante, “The Vegetarian” by Han Kang, “A Whole Life” by Robert Seethaler, and “The Four Books” by Yan Lianke.