While I was travelling in the USA last month, I wanted to read at least one book relating to the regions we were visiting. I started by looking for a novel set in/about the northwest, but then Yuri Herrera's Signs preceding the end of the world, set in the southwest, popped out at me, and … Continue reading Yuri Herrera, Signs preceding the end of the world (#BookReview)
Women translators
Vincenzo Cerami, A very normal man (Review)
And now for something very different from my recent fare here, a modern Italian classic. Originally published in 1976, A very normal man was, the back cover blurb says, Vincenzo Cerami's first novel - and it brought him instant acclaim. I can see why. At least, this is the sort of writing that gets me in, but more … Continue reading Vincenzo Cerami, A very normal man (Review)
Ognjen Spahić, All of that (Review)
Regulars here know that I enjoy short stories, and that I review them regularly. Most of these reviews, though, are of Australian writers. I was therefore pleased when blogger roughghosts, in his review of a novel by Ognjen Spahić, provided a link to a Spahić short story titled "All of that". As I haven't reviewed many Balkan writers … Continue reading Ognjen Spahić, All of that (Review)
Linda Jaivin, Found in translation: In praise of a plural world (Review)
Reading synchronicity strikes again! In the last couple of months, the issue of language, translation and culture has been crossing my path - in Diego Marani's The last of the Vostyachs, in Gabrielle Gouch's Once, only the swallows were free, and on Lisa's blog post about the AALITRA Symposium on Translation. I was consequently more than … Continue reading Linda Jaivin, Found in translation: In praise of a plural world (Review)
Diego Marani, The last of the Vostyachs (Review)
Italian writer Diego Marani's The last of the Vostyachs was originally published in 2002, but the English translation was not published until 10 years later in 2012. How lucky we are that it was, because this book is unlikely to have been written by an English-language writer. Its focus on the relationship between language, culture and … Continue reading Diego Marani, The last of the Vostyachs (Review)
Valeria Luiselli, Faces in the crowd (Review)
Mexican writer Valeria Luiselli's Faces in the crowd was, as regular readers here might remember, one of my two Bah Humbook virtual gifts from Stu of Winston's Dad. I ordered it on Christmas Day for my Kindle - after all, it was a Christmas present - and have now read it. Wow, what a read, … Continue reading Valeria Luiselli, Faces in the crowd (Review)
Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding village (Review for Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
As I started reading Yan Lianke's Dream of Ding Village, I was reminded of a favourite novel of mine, Albert Camus' The plague. However, as I read on, the similarity started to fade - or, perhaps it's just that the particularity of Lianke's conception took over. Both books explore a community living with a highly contagious, … Continue reading Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding village (Review for Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
Kyung-Sook Shin, Please look after mom (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Image by Matt Todd of A Novel Approach Am I right in thinking that mothers are more often the subject of novels and memoirs than fathers? Or, is it just that I'm a woman and am subconsciously (or even consciously, if I'm honest) drawn to the topic? Of course, with the Shadow Man Asian Literary … Continue reading Kyung-Sook Shin, Please look after mom (Review for the Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Mario Vargas Llosa, The feast of the Goat
If Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa's The feast of the goat had been a traditional historical novel, chances are it would have started with the assassins concocting their plan and then worked chronologically to its logical conclusion. But, it is not a traditional historical novel, as is reflected in the structure Vargas Llosa has chosen to tell his … Continue reading Mario Vargas Llosa, The feast of the Goat
Sawako Ariyoshi, The doctor’s wife
The doctor's wife is the third Ariyoshi novel that I've read. The other two - The River Ki and The twilight years - I read well over a decade ago. According to Wikipedia The doctor's wife is considered her best novel. All, though, are fascinating reads providing an insight into a culture which is so different … Continue reading Sawako Ariyoshi, The doctor’s wife
Whispering Gums 