The 13 books in contention for the £50,000 prize include Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, the first book translated from Hindi to be nominated

Tomb of Sand by Indian writer Geetanjali Shree has become the first book translated from Hindi to be nominated for the International Booker prize. The judges praised the “loud and irresistible” tale of an elderly woman who gains a new lease of life after her husband’s death.

The 64-year-old author’s fifth novel is among 13 titles in competition for the prestigious award for translated fiction, a £50,000 prize split evenly between author and translator. This year, the shortlisted authors and translators will also each receive £2,500, rather than the £1,000 they were given previously. The 2022 longlist includes books from 12 countries and translated from 11 languages.