The Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada, has announced the shortlist for its fourth annual award, which celebrates “the commitment of small presses to works of exceptional literary merit.”
The Remembered Soldier, written by Anjet Daanje, translated from Dutch by David McKay, and published by New Vessel Press, was shortlisted for the award; the novel was also a finalist for a National Book Award and appears on the longlist for the International Booker Prize.
Rosalind Belben made the shortlist for Dreaming of Dead People, her novel that was reissued last year by And Other Stories. Michael Bible was named a finalist for his novel Little Lazarus, published by CLASH Books.
Hothouse Bloom by Austyn Wohlers, published by Hub City Press, was shortlisted for the award, alongside The Endless Week, written by Laura Vazquez, translated from French by Alex Niemi and published by Dorothy, a publishing project.
For each of the five books on the shortlist, the sum of $3,000 will be divided equally among the author, publisher, and, if applicable, translator.
The Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada, the North American iteration of a U.K. award, was established in 2022 by critic and bookseller Lori Feathers. The award’s previous winners are God’s Children Are Little Broken Things, written by Arinze Ifeakandu (A Public Space Books); Lojman, written by Ebru Ojen and translated from Turkish by Aron Aji and Selin Gökçesu (City Lights); and Melvill, written by Rodrigo Fresán and translated from Spanish by Will Vanderhyden (Open Letter Books).
The winner of this year’s award will be announced on March 10.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
