Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

Review: You’ve Got Grave Issues by Nilufar Sharipova

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

Nilufar Sharipova's short story collection You've Got Grave Issues depicts hilarious snapshots of the 'Municipal Cemetery Department' and its employees, hence the title's double entendre. You've Got Grave Issues speaks to the sense of control humans believe we wield over our lives. An array of masterfully rendered characters demonstrate the anxieties, concerns, and thrills we … Continue reading Review: You’ve Got Grave Issues by Nilufar Sharipova

USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Life According to Dani by Rose Lagercrantz

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

In Life According to Dani, it’s Dani’s first summer vacation—and the best ever! She is staying on an island with Ella, her best friend in the world. Dad is still in hospital but he calls every day, and Ella and Dani stay busy building huts, fishing, exploring, and swimming. Then Dad turns up, but with … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Life According to Dani by Rose Lagercrantz

Publisher Spotlight: Open Letter Books

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

Open Letter—the University of Rochester's nonprofit, literary translation press—is one of only a handful of publishing houses dedicated to increasing access to world literature for English readers. Publishing ten titles in translation each year and running an online literary website called Three Percent, Open Letter searches for works that are extraordinary and influential, works that … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Open Letter Books

Excerpt: Sephardic Jews and the Spanish Language by Ángel Pulido

Posted on July 20, 2017July 22, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

A SPANIARD TRAVELING almost anywhere in Europe, especially in the East or the South, typically will have this pleasant surprise: On his train or his ship, or at shops in countries and cities with native languages radically different from his own, he will notice strangers eavesdropping on his Spanish with astonishing frequency. They will listen … Continue reading Excerpt: Sephardic Jews and the Spanish Language by Ángel Pulido

Self-Published Title Pick: The Three Old Ladies’ Tea by Friedrich Glauser

Posted on July 18, 2017July 18, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

At two a.m. a young man appears in the Geneva city center with symptoms of poisoning. Soon afterward he dies in the hospital, and days later a pharmacist is fatally poisoned as well. Suspicion falls on a prominent professor who enjoys great local esteem, but is addicted to morphine and was in close contact with … Continue reading Self-Published Title Pick: The Three Old Ladies’ Tea by Friedrich Glauser

Excerpt: The Lustful Youth of Rodrigo Borgia by Elena and Michela Martignoni

Posted on July 15, 2017July 15, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

1474 I do not appear to be a man of God. My attire—hunting boots, a tunic and heavy belt—does not announce my position within the church and on horseback I resemble a warrior still in his prime. Neither does my face carry the saintly countenance of my uncle, Pope Callixtus III. Indeed, nothing about me … Continue reading Excerpt: The Lustful Youth of Rodrigo Borgia by Elena and Michela Martignoni

Publisher Spotlight: Deep Vellum Publishing

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

Deep Vellum Publishing is a not-for-profit literary arts organization that seeks to enhance the open exchange of ideas among cultures and to connect the world’s greatest writers with English-language readers through publishing international literature in translation, while fostering the art and craft of translation, and promoting a more vibrant literary community in the Dallas community … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Deep Vellum Publishing

USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Lines, Squiggles, Letters, Words by Ruth Rocha

Posted on July 13, 2017July 13, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

A child who has not yet learned how to read looks out at the world and sees language as such a child would: as lines and squiggles that don't exactly make pictures but don't seem to make anything else either. Then, when the child starts to go to school and begins to learn his letters, … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Lines, Squiggles, Letters, Words by Ruth Rocha

Self-Published Title Pick: Contemporary Brazilian Short Stories

Posted on July 11, 2017July 11, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

The Contemporary Brazilian Short Stories (CBSS) initiative was conceived in January 2011, when Brazilian authors of different ages, regions and backgrounds were first contacted about the opportunity to have their work translated into English. In June 2011, we started posting the content to BrazilianShortStories.com, which is updated twice a month, with a new story every … Continue reading Self-Published Title Pick: Contemporary Brazilian Short Stories

Excerpt: Silent Shadows by Sanz Irles

Posted on July 10, 2017July 10, 2017 by Rachel Hildebrandt

Darkness engulfed the mountain plateau and Aníbal Coloma’s restless sleep. In the bleak and hostile night, terror materialized as two distant points of light. A pair of tired but vigilant eyes caught them as they suddenly appeared, little more than pinpricks, emerging faintly in the dark. The moment he spies them, he tenses and stands … Continue reading Excerpt: Silent Shadows by Sanz Irles