It’s a strange list, one that, for an international award, is remarkably English . . .

1. Galore by Michael Crummey (Canadian). Doubleday Canada
2. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (American). Faber & Faber, HarperCollins, USA
3. The Vagrants by Yiyn Li (Chinese / American) Random House, USA
4. Ransom by David Malouf (Australian) Random House Australia
5. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (Irish) Bloomsbury, UK, Random House, USA
6. Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates (American) Ecco Press, USA
7. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey (Australian) Allen & Unwin
8. Brooklyn by Colm Toibín (Irish) Viking UK, Scribner, USA
9. Love and Summer by William Trevor (Irish) Viking, UK
10. After the Fire, a Still, Small Voice by Evie Wyld (Australian) Pantheon Books, USA

Yeah, no, I’m not sure why these are numbered either, since they’re actually in alphabetical order. But regardless, there you are. The winner (my cash is on Colum) will be announced on June 15th and will receive 100,000 euros.

This book has received heaps of deserved praise—it was a NPR pick for Best Foreign Fiction of the Year, A Powell’s Indiespensable Pick, A School Library Journal Best Adult Book for High School Students, and was shortlisted for the 2010 Best Translated Book Award.

Here’s what the judging panel said about this novel:

Though rich in detail, it’s a sparely written story, with the narrator’s odd small cruelties, laconic humour and surprising tendernesses emerging through a steady, well-paced, unaffected style.

The book convinces from first page to last. With quiet mastery the story draws in the reader. The writing is wonderful: restrained and clear, and studded with detail of farm rhythms in the cold, damp Dutch countryside. The author excels at dialogue, and Helmer’s inner story-telling voice also comes over perfectly as he begins to change everything around him. There are intriguing ambiguities, but no false notes. Nothing and no one is predictable, and yet we believe in them all: the regular tanker driver, the next door neighbour with her two bouncing children, and Jaap, the old farm labourer from the twins’ childhood who comes back to the farm in time for the last great upheaval, as Helmer finally takes charge of what is left of his own life.

This is a really incredible book—surprisingly engrossing, very well written, beautifully produced. And available in paperback on July 1st.

Again, congrats to all involved, and it’s fantastic that the IMPAC award continues to bring great attention to really interesting works of international literature.

¹ OK, can’t we just shorten this FOREVER to the IMPAC award? Is the rest even necessary? Well, I guess maybe, since the is a fucking mess and near mockery of itself. Look, I’m not telling you how to run your award (just how to create a website that doesn’t make me vomit a little bit in my mouth), but as one of the richest literary prizes in the world, don’t you think you could spare a little change to bring your web presence into the 20th century? C’mon, c’mon. BTW, you do fantastic work—keep it up!

• by Junot Díaz

• by Jean Echenoz, translated from the original French by LInda Coverdale

• by Mohsin Hamid

• by Travis Holland

• The Burnt-Out Town of Miracles by Roy Jacobsen, translated from the original Norwegian by Don Shaw and Don Bartlett

• by David Leavitt

• by Indra Sinha

• Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas

has an interesting summary and breaks the list down a bit, pointing out that the longlist includes books from 45 countries and 15 languages, with 27 of the titles in translation.

Michelle Pauli also points out the odd timing of the IMPAC:

Aside from its remarkable diversity and considerable coffers, the Impac also stands out from the crowd for its long lead-time. Books first published in English between January and December 2005, or first published in a language other than English between January 2001 and December 2005, are eligible for consideration.

It’s really unusual for books to have a second chance in the spotlight, but since this is a library-centric award, it makes sense that longevity is favored over the “of the moment” quality present with other awards.

The shortlist will be announced in April 2008 and the winner in June, so if you’re motivated you could read a healthy chunk of these titles beforehand . . .