The Booker Prize Foundation has postponed the announcement of this year's International Booker Prize winner, originally scheduled for May 19, until August 26 to allow for the six shortlisted titles to be distributed and promoted more widely.
The International Booker Prize will launch a promotion of the shortlist during the week that bookshops are permitted to reopen in England, beginning on June 15. The promotion will begin with a series of films about the shortlisted books, featuring the authors and translators alongside readings from actors including Natalie Haynes, Toby Jones and Elizabeth McGovern.
"With bookshops up and down the country reopening--a vital part of the U.K.'s cultural bounce back--what better moment to celebrate our wonderful shortlist afresh?" said Ted Hodgkinson, chair of the judges. "These are books deserving of an extended time in the spotlight, which reveal greater depths with each rereading. As my fellow judges and I return to them ahead of our final meeting in August, now is the perfect moment to read along with us, and place an order with your local bookshop."