The Director By Daniel Kehlmann, Translated by Ross Benjamin (Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026)

SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2026 — A DAZZLING, DARKLY FUNNY MASTERPIECE ABOUT ART, POWER, AND COMPROMISE UNDER A MERCILESS REGIME.

“Supple, horrifying and mordantly droll” — New York Times “A dazzling performance and a real page turner” — Salman Rushdie

From Daniel Kehlmann, one of the most brilliant and celebrated writers working today, comes a visionary novel inspired by the turbulent life of legendary 20th-century film director G.W. Pabst. When the Nazis seize power, Pabst is filming in France. To escape the horrors of the new regime, he flees to Hollywood. But beneath the blinding California sun, the world-famous auteur suddenly finds himself a nobody, unable to reclaim his former glory—not even with the help of Greta Garbo, the star he once made famous.

Almost through no fault of his own, Pabst and his family find themselves back in his homeland. Enter Joseph Goebbels, the Reich's minister of propaganda, who wants the cinematic genius at any cost. Believing he can outmaneuver the system and submit to no dictatorship other than art itself, Pabst takes his first fatal steps into a hopeless, chilling entanglement with evil. Praised globally as a triumph of storytelling, The Director is a razor-sharp exploration of the dangerous illusions of the silver screen and the moral compromises of the artist.

Why this book is a must-have:

• Prestigious Accolades: Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026 and named a Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, and more.

• Masterful Storytelling: Written by internationally acclaimed author Daniel Kehlmann and brilliantly translated by Ross Benjamin.

• Profound Thematic Depth: Unpacks the complex, high-stakes relationship between creative genius, political power, and moral survival.

• Critical Acclaimed Pacing: A fast-paced, page-turning psychological drama hailed as "nothing short of brilliant" by the Wall Street Journal.

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