Magma, written by Þóra Hjörleifsdóttir and translated from the Icelandic by alumna Meg Matich ’15, has been named among the seventy titles on the Dublin Literary Award longlist.
Nominations for the €100,000 prize came from 84 libraries in 31 countries, across Africa, Europe, Asia, the US, Canada, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. This year’s longlist features works from celebrated authors Claire Keegan, Colm Tóibín, Elif Shafak, and others, alongside 14 debuts and 29 novels in translation.
Announcing the longlist, Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy said, “This year’s Dublin Literary Award longlist is a fascinating chain of stories unifying readers across cultures and countries, more relevant now than ever before. I encourage you to drop into your local library to explore the list over the next few months, it not only rewards the reader but also has the power to transform you too.”
The nomination for Magma, a lyrical depiction of abuse in young love, comes from the Reykjavík City Library, Iceland. They call the novel, “A very interesting and well written book about a difficult subject that paints a picture of an abusive relationship,” adding, “Magma is the first novel by Þóra Hjörleifsdóttir. In the book, she talks about the dark side of love and invisible violence. The main character Lilja falls in love with a man and is ready to go to great lengths for him. When she stops setting limits for him, Lilja loses control of herself and reality.”
Magma is available for purchase here.
The Dublin Literary Award shortlist will be unveiled on March 28, and the winner will be announced by Caroline Conroy on May 25 as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin.
Meg Matich is the translator of Quake (Dottie Press, 2022) and the author of the poetry collection Cold (Eulalia Books, 2022). She has received support for her literary translation work from DAAD, the Icelandic Literature Centre, PEN, and the Fulbright Commission. She has translated poetry into English and Icelandic for UNESCO, as a representative of Reykjavik UNESCO in Lviv, Ukraine.
