Dutch-Surinamese author Astrid Roemer nominated for International Booker Prize
On a Woman’s Madness, the English translation of a book by Dutch-Surinamese author Astrid Roemer, has been nominated for the 2025 International Booker Prize for the best books that have been translated into English. The Booker Prize Foundation released the long list for the award on Tuesday, which included Lucy Scott's 2024 translation of Roemer's novel, titled Over de gekte van een vrouw in Dutch.
“This classic of queer literature – as electrifying today as it was when it first appeared in 1982 – tells the story of a courageous Black woman trying to live a life of her choosing,” the Booker Prize Foundation wrote about the book. Although Roemer’s book came out over 40 years ago, it was first translated into English last year.
“A modern classic set in Suriname and lyrically rendered into English for the first time, On a Woman’s Madness is a testament to both the resilience of queer lives that exist everywhere and every time and the alchemy of literary translation where a perfect book meets its perfect translator,” the jury for the award wrote.
Born in Suriname, Roemer, 78, moved to the Netherlands in 1966. The Booker Prize Foundation likened her “poetic, unconventional prose” to authors Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, pointing out Roemer’s work on race, gender, culture, personal identity, and family.
Roemer has garnered high praise from audiences, critics, and colleagues in the Netherlands. She was awarded the Dutch Literature Prize in 2021, the country’s most prominent honor given to authors who write in the Dutch language. She also received the acclaimed P.C. Hooft Award in 2016 for lifetime achievement in Dutch writing.
All the nominees for the International Bookers Prize are first-time nominees this year. A total of 13 authors have a chance of winning the award. A total of 50,000 pounds will be awarded to the prize winner, roughly equivalent to 60,300 euros.
Half of the cash award is earmarked for the author, with the other half going to the translator or team of translators involved. Those who worked on books which make the first cut and wind up on the International Bookers Prize shortlist will receive 5,000 pounds, about 6,030 euros, with authors receiving 2,500 pounds and translators earning the rest.
