Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dream Count and Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu’s The Creation of Half-Broken People, appear among 69 titles nominated by public libraries across 36 countries.
Abioye Damilare Samson
Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Zimbabwean novelist, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, have been nominated for the 2026 Dublin Literary Award, one of the world’s most valuable prizes for a single work of fiction. Their novels, Adichie’s Dream Count and Ndlovu’s The Creation of Half-Broken People, appear among 69 titles nominated by public libraries across 36 countries.
The award, endowed with €100,000, recognises both authors and translators. If a translated work wins, the author receives €75,000 while the translator is awarded €25,000. Established in 1994 and sponsored by Dublin City Council, the prize honours exceptional global fiction and is driven by nominations from public libraries worldwide.
Adichie’s Dream Count received three nominations, submitted by libraries in Portugal, the Netherlands, and Egypt. The novel marks her return to long-form fiction after 12 years and follows four women navigating intersecting personal histories across Nigeria and the United States. Critics have praised its emotional precision and narrative richness, with The New York Times calling it “dreamy indeed”.
Ndlovu’s The Creation of Half-Broken People, nominated by the City of Cape Town Library & Information Services, extends the Zimbabwean writer’s exploration of myth, memory, and colonial afterlives. Set in an eerie museum tied to the Good family’s colonial legacy, the novel blends African Gothic with political commentary, tracking a woman haunted by visions and buried histories.
This year’s nominations include 20 debut authors and 30 translated titles across 17 languages. The judging panel features Nigerian performance poet Dike Chukwumerije, novelist Xiaolu Guo, diplomat Daniel Mulhall, translator Clara Ministral, and writer Disha Bose, with Professor Chris Morash as the non-voting chair.
The longlist of up to 20 books will be announced on February 17, 2026, followed by the shortlist on April 7, 2026. The winner will be unveiled on May 21, 2026, during the International Literature Festival Dublin.