HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Lyse Doucet whose Sunday Times-bestselling THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL has been crowned the winner of the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction 2026 👑 In an emotional (if soggy!) ceremony in Bedford Square Gardens last night, Lyse accepted the award, telling The Bookseller thereafter: "I’m truly touched that the judges found in a book – about a country which seems so far away in every way, whose history seems so remote and so dark in many ways – something in it, something of meaning, of joy, that they found in the people in this book something to embrace. I often see my job as a foreign correspondent as narrowing the gaps between you and I and between, and in essence it’s a human story about mothers, fathers, children in streets and neighbourhoods." Chair of the judges, Thangam Debbonaire, said of the winning book: “THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL by Lyse Doucet is a perfect work of narrative non-fiction: it is not only cleverly constructed and brilliantly researched, but each and every element is handled with extraordinary sensitivity and warmth – it will move you to tears or make you laugh, or perhaps both. Informed by decades of excellent reporting, Doucet centres the real-life experiences of people – the staff and guests, alongside the hotel itself – and with the future of Afghanistan still being written, this book’s importance will only get stronger as the years go by.”

Congratulations to Janklow author Lyse Doucet whose Sunday Times bestselling THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL: A People's History of Afghanistan (Hutchinson Heinemann) is shortlisted for The Royal Society of Literature's Ondaatje Prize 2026 🎉 The RSL Ondaatje Prize is 'an annual award of £10,000 for a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, evoking the spirit of a place [...] first awarded in 2004, the premise and broad remit of the Prize creates unique lists of outstanding works and authors that you would not usually find sitting side by side.'  You can find the full shortlist here. The winner, selected by judges Claire Armitstead, Emma Dabiri and Ekow Eshun, will be announced on Monday 1 June 2026. Big congrats to Lyse! 

We’re delighted that both Daisy Fancourt (ART CURE) and Lyse Doucet (THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL) have been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction 2026 🎊 Chair of Judges, Thangam Debbonaire says: “Our shortlist shows the power and necessity of women’s writing at a time when recent statistics suggest a decline in non-fiction print sales in the UK. These books are an urgent antidote to mis- and dis-information, written with high standards of scholarship. They offer rich and original insights, in what often feels like a fragmented and uncertain world. They are six books of authority, told with humanity.” The full shortlist is below; the winner will be revealed on Thursday 11 June 2026 at the Women’s Prize Trust’s summer party in Bedford Square Gardens, London (along with the winner of its sister prize, the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction): The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet (published by Hutchinson Heinemann, Cornerstone, Penguin Random House UK) Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health by Daisy Fancourt (published by Cornerstone Press, Cornerstone, Penguin Random House UK) Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The lives and loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell (published by Picador, Pan Macmillan) Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska (published by Allen Lane, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House UK) Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (published by Hamish Hamilton, Penguin General, Penguin Random House UK) Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century by Ece Temelkuran (published by Canongate)

We’ve become aware of an increase in people and, often, AI bots impersonating both literary agents and editors. Remain vigilant and triple check email addresses; a legitimate literary agent or editor will always use a company domain e.g [at]janklow.co.uk. A legitimate literary agent will never charge you to read your work or introduce you to an ‘editorial consultant’ for advice on how to write a query letter. If in doubt, forward the email to the queries[at]janklow.co.uk for verification.

It is with great excitement that J&N UK is launching our first ever Translation Prize, which will be awarded to a superb translation of fiction into English. We are eager to hear from every corner of the world; from the shores of Lake Baikal to the Peruvian mountains, from the Adriatic Sea to the Sossuvlei Dunes, and far beyond. As an agency that has expanded across the Atlantic, we are fuelled by curiosity to explore other cultures, other thoughts, other histories. Our lists are in a constant state of growth; from nurturing young talents, to building already established writer’s careers and reviving literary Estates. We have always been keen to give a platform to works written in languages other than English. With this prize we hope to give more voice to stories from around the world, foster a global exchange of ideas and introduce English language readers to cultures and places whose literature may be entirely unknown to them. We are dedicating this prize to David Bellos, who died at the end of last year. It is hard to talk about fiction in translation without mentioning David Bellos, who was the Meredith Howland Pyne Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Princeton University. His translations of Georges Perec and Ismail Kadare, to name just two, won many awards including the Man Booker International Prize and his contribution, in introducing the English-speaking world to the meaning of translation and the scale of its power, was immeasurable. The David Bellos Translation Prize will be awarded to the translator of an excerpt from a novel originally written and published in any language other than English. The winning translator will receive £2,000 in prize money. With the support of the author, the translated project will be submitted to publishers in the UK and US by a Janklow & Nesbit UK agent. Please note the application window will open on March 10th 2026 and close on May 10th 2026. An official shortlist will be announced on July 1st 2026. The winner will be announced on August 31st 2026. All submissions must be made via our application portal here. No submissions will be accepted by post. All applications must follow the Terms and Conditions mentioned below to be eligible. Please do reach out to prize@janklow.co.uk if you have any questions regarding your application.