On November 11, 2019 on behalf of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mary officially launched the Dublin Literary Award 2020.

The Dublin Literary Award is a Dublin City Council initiative recognised internationally for its promotion of excellence in world literature as well as for its promotion of Irish writing internationally.

The 156 books eligible for the 2020 award were nominated by libraries in 119 cities and 40 countries worldwide; 50 are titles in translation, spanning 21 languages and 51 are first novels. There are 8 Irish novels among the 156 books nominated by libraries from around the world.

All the novels nominated for the Award are freely available for readers to borrow from Dublin’s public libraries. The full list of 156 titles can be found HERE.

The final shortlist will be announced on 2nd April 2020, and the Lord Mayor will announce the winner on 10th June 2020. The International DUBLIN Literary Award is a Dublin City Council initiative.