The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.
~ Saint Augustine~
We couldn't let the year end without one more review of books in translation. We love other views of the world, and with so much chaos and strife these days, it is enlightening to gain an understanding of other places through their literature. As the year ends, here is one more trip
into the land of foreign fiction.
The Boy and the Dog by Seishu Hase
Translated from Japanese by Allison Watts
One dog changes the life of everyone who takes him in on his journey to reunite with his first owner in this inspiring novel about the bond between humans and dogs and the life-affirming power of connection.
Is Mother Dead by Vigdis Hjorth
Translated from Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund
A cat and mouse game of surveillance and psychological torment develops between a middle aged artist and her aging mother, as Vigdis Hjorth returns to the themes of her controversial modern classic, Will and Testament.
Saha by Cho Nam-Joo
Translated from Korean by Jamie Chang
Written in Cho Nam-Joo’s signature sharp prose, brilliantly translated by Jamie Chang, Saha is a chilling portrait of what happens when we finally unmask our oppressors.
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke
Translated from German by Edward Snow
A stunning, revelatory new translation of the only novel by one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century, from one of “the most trustworthy and exhilarating of Rilke’s contemporary translators” (Michael Dirda, Washington Post).
Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel
An award-winning international sensation—with a second-act dystopian twist—Time Shelter is a tour de force set in a world clamoring for the past before it forgets.
The Last Days of Terranova by Manuel Rivas
Translated from Galician by Jacob Rogers
A far-reaching story of an outcast and his bookstore: a home to forbidden books, political dissidents, and cultural smugglers all brought to vivid poetic life
A Woman's Battles and Transformation by Édouard Louis
Translated from French by Tash Aw
A Woman's Battles and Transformations is the searing and sympathetic story of one woman’s escape: of mothers and sons, of history and heartbreak, of politics and power.