The Books of Jacob is one of six books in the race for the prestigious literary award, the other being translations from Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, Spanish and Hindi.
The winner will be announced on May 26.
Tokarczuk’s The Books of Jacob has been translated into English by Jennifer Croft and published last year by Fitzcarraldo Editions.
It is a 900-page historical novel about an 18th-century Eastern European cult leader named Jacob Frank, whose story unfolds through diary entries, poetry, letters and prophecies.
One of Tokarczuk’s earlier books, Flights, won the International Booker Prize in 2018. It was also translated by Jennifer Croft.
Tokarczuk’s other works include Primeval and Other Times, and Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.
Established in 2005, the International Booker Prize honours an author and translator equally for a single work of fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. The winning translator and author will split £50,000.
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