Vincenzo Latronico's Perfection is named among the six books on the 2025 International Booker Prize shortlist, announced Tuesday, April 8. The judge panel calls the book, "a taut, spare sociological novel about the emptiness of contemporary existence – scathing and affecting in equal measure."
The International Booker Prize, which is awarded annually, celebrates the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. The winner will be announced at a ceremony at London’s Tate Modern on Tuesday, May 20.
Deftly translated from the Italian by Sophie Hughes, Perfection was published in the US by NYRB in March 2025 and is Latronico's English language debut.