As Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey brings one of literature’s greatest journeys to the big screen, we couldn’t resist revisiting 11 epic tales from the Booker Library that capture the scale, ambition and wonder of Homer’s original masterpiece.
This July, we’re also celebrating South Asian Heritage Month. The region is brimming with stories and storytellers, many of whom have found their way onto the Booker and International Booker Prize lists. Here, we bring you 12 essential reads that showcase its extraordinary histories and cultures.
And, following their second consecutive International Booker Prize win with Taiwan Travelogue in May, we speak to the team at And Other Stories – the small press with big ambition – about the future of independent publishing, their commitment to championing adventurous authors and the ‘special magic’ at the heart of their books.
As always, happy reading!
From the skies to the sea, India to Russia, Jamaica to Korea, the Booker Prizes have seen their fair share of epic tales – tales that span centuries, societies, worlds and myths.
As a new blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey hits the big screen, here’s our list of epic novels that have been nominated for the Booker or International Booker Prize. We’ve defined our ‘epics’ as books that feature sweeping narratives, set on a grand scale, grand settings, with large casts of characters, or with a plot that spans years or generations. Our writers tackle these feats with sparkling brilliance – all different but all compelling.
South Asian Heritage Month aims to honour, recognise and appreciate South Asian culture and history through education, arts and commemoration. And what better way to do that than to immerse yourself in the finest in fiction both from and about the region?
Encompassing countries including India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the region is brimming with stories and storytellers. Grappling with everything from love to war via the streets of London, the villages of India and the shores of Sri Lanka, these 12 books, written by authors of South Asian heritage, celebrate the region and its rich culture.
And Other Stories base their offices in Sheffield’s City Library, behind the Steel City’s metalwork archives. They are a one-of-a-kind independent press. With back-to-back International Booker Prize wins for Heart Lamp in 2025 and Taiwan Travelogue earlier this year, And Other Stories is forging an exciting future for translated fiction on a global stage.
Their readers stretch across the world, with fans including Booker Prize alumni: Ali Smith has said they were ‘inspired’, and Max Porter has called them ‘publisher of the month, of the year, of the decade!’. It’s easy to see why their books have found such a devoted readership.
Following their most recent win, we had a conversation with Stefan Tobler, Founder, and Tara Tobler, Senior Editor, about the impact of these prize wins, the place of independents in the industry today, and much more.
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