Get to know new authors and explore global literature! From Russia to Libya, from Chile to Chechnya, these books combine great authors with their fantastic translators, with one exception: a “translation” of Homer’s Iliad not from the Ancient Greek, but from the more traditional English versions into a brilliant contemporary voice. Cross the language barrier and discover new worlds!
Veteran reporter Seierstad has covered many conflicts, but is drawn back to Chechnya and the generation of children left to grow up amidst violence and war. A heartbreaking examination of this under-reported, ongoing conflict and its impact on those who cannot escape. Riveting.
A solitary nomad, Asouf, protects the moufflon, a wild sheep famous for its meat, from rapacious hunters who have already decimated the once-abundant gazelle population. At once a meditation on desert life, the power of resistance, and a call to protect our fragile environment, The Bleeding of the Stone comes from one of Libya’s best-known novelists.
Prophets, zealots, wizards, terrorists, angels, djinn, hostages, saviors. Such is the cast of characters that bring Hassam Blasim’s collection of short stories to terrifying and exhilarating life in this scorching exploration of what it means to be human in 21st century Iraq. Jonathan Wright has translated closely with Blasim for years, and his effort pulls no punches.
A disgraced aristocrat dies in a Brazilian slum but can’t resist rising from the dead for one last, bawdy night on the town. This quick read is a great introduction to Amado’s work, translated by one of the best.
Written to imitate a Chilean standardized test (kind of like our SATs), this short novel uses multiple choice questions, fill-in-the-blank sentence completions, and reading comprehension quizzes to create a unique reading experience, where we, as readers, participate in the creation of meaning. Heartfelt, humorous, and touching, this is not like anything you’ve ever read before!
Life in the radioactive tundra isn’t all bad if, like Benedikt, you have enough mice to eat. This biting critique of late 20th century Russian culture is filled with mutations, the crime of Freethinking, and the mysterious, howling Slynx, and it comes through in a crackling, deft English rendition.
A dazzling re-imagining of the Greek epic, War Music forsakes the traditional word-for-word translation formula. Shedding new light on the classic characters, themes, and battles, Logue, who never learned Greek, makes the poem immensely accessible and freshly significant through his brilliant verse.