Finalists for Best Translated Book of 2008

Our blogging colleague from the Frankfurt Book Fair, Chad Post, has orchestrated a wonderful new book prize, via his publishing company -- Open Letter -- and blog -- Three Percent.

While their long list was a bit daunting and seemed to take in fully a third of the translated titles in the US (there really aren't that many). Here is the very fine fiction shortlist, and here is the poetry. The winner will be announced in Brooklyn on February 19 at Melville House books and hosted by Francisco Goldman.

Anyone want to bet against me the Bolano's 2666 is going to take the prize? I fully expect him to win both this prize and the National Book Critics Circle fiction prize as well. That said, I wonder how long interest in Bolano will hold up -- a couple years ago, W.G. Sebald went through a similar arc of interest from readers/critics, who has faded from view today.