ILFD x DLA Shortlist Podcast Ep 4: At Night All Blood Is Black

Nominated by Bibliothèque de Reims, France

The 2022 DUBLIN Literary Award longlist of 79 books has been painstakingly narrowed down to a shortlist of just 6 titles; this exclusive limited podcast series, hosted by Jessica Traynor and Séan Hewitt, is designed to give you access to the authors and translators behind the books. In this episode, Jessica and Seán discuss ‘At Night all Blood is Black’, nominated by Bibliothèque de Reims, France. Their conversation is followed by an interview with the author, David Diop, and translator, Anna Moschovakis.

Born in Paris, David Diop grew up in Senegal. A professor of eighteenth century literature, he draws deeply on his native culture to tell a story steeped in the horrors of war, and the scope of the human soul. Translator Anna Moschovakis is also a poet and an author, whose works include the James Laughlin Award-winning poetry collection You and Three Others Are Approaching a Lake and a novel, Eleanor, or The Rejection of the Progress of Love.

The DUBLIN Literary Award, sponsored by Dublin City Council, is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner. Nominated by libraries around the world, all the books on the shortlist can be read in both physical and digital formats, from libraries around the country and through BorrowBox. Tune in on May 23rd when the winner is announced as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin.
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Jessica Traynor’s debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick was an Irish Times poetry choice. She co-edited Correspondences, an anthology to call for an end to direct provision with actor Stephen Rea.

Seán Hewitt is a poet, lecturer and critic based in Dublin. His debut collection, Tongues of Fire (Jonathan Cape, 2020) won The Laurel Prize in 2021. His memoir, All Down Darkness Wide (Jonathan Cape, 2022), will be published this summer.

Presented in partnership with the DUBLIN Literary Award, a Dublin City Council initiative.