The shortlist for the second annual Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada, has been revealed, with five books in contention for the annual literary prize that honors works published by small presses.
The Long Form, written by Kate Briggs and published by St. Louis-based press Dorothy, made the shortlist; the novel was a finalist for the 2023 Goldsmiths Prize.
Two Sherpas, written by Sebastián Martínez Daniell, translated by Jennifer Croft, and published by Charco Press, was named a finalist, along with The Birthday Party, written by Laurent Mauvignier, translated by Daniel Levin Becker, and published by Transit Books.
Graywolf Press was represented on the shortlist with The Box, written by Mandy-Suzanne Wong, while City Lights Publishers scored a finalist with Lojman, written by Ebru Ojen and translated by Aron Aji and Selin Gökçesu.
The prize’s founder, Lori Feathers, said in a statement, “It was difficult to narrow our superb longlist to a five-title shortlist. But after careful deliberations, our jury determined that these books best exemplify the creativity and risk taking that makes the work of small publishers so indispensable in today’s literary landscape.”
The Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada—the North American iteration of a British award—was first awarded last year, to God’s Children Are Little Broken Things: Stories, written by Arinze Ifeakandu and published by A Public Space.
The prize has a fund of $35,000, which will be distributed among the books’ publishers, authors, and translators. This year’s winner will be announced on March 19.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
