Articles

Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Like a New Sun: New Indigenous Mexican Poetry

Like A New Sun showcases the vibrant contemporary poetry being written in indigenous Mexican languages. Featuring poets writing in Huasteca, Nahuatl, Isthmus Zapotec, Mazatec, Tsotsil, Yucatec Maya, and Zoque, this groundbreaking anthology introduces readers to six of the most dynamic indigenous Mexican poets writing today. Co-edited by Isthmus Zapotec poet Víctor Terán and translator David … Continue reading Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Like a New Sun: New Indigenous Mexican Poetry

Publisher Spotlight: Oyate

The amount of bad literature about Native peoples is disgusting. If this is surprising, read a few entries from the American Indians in Children’s Literature blog at https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/. This is because the literature is dominated by non-Natives who do not present accurate or appropriate information. These authors and publishers seem to have the notion that … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Oyate

Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Graveyard Clay by Máirtín Ó Cadhain (Irish)

A brilliant new translation of Ó Cadhain’s modern Irish literature masterpiece, meant to spark debate and comparison with Alan Titley's Dirty Dust, now with bonus materials on its history, reception, interpretations, adaptations, and more In critical opinion and popular polls, Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s Graveyard Clay is invariably ranked the most important prose work in modern … Continue reading Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Graveyard Clay by Máirtín Ó Cadhain (Irish)

World Languages Title Pick: Mejor la ausencia by Edurne Portela (Spain)

Synopsis The novel is set in a town on the industrial outskirts of Bilbao during the 1980s, marked by heroin, unemployment and industrial decline, where the police fight running street battles with local youths, and the walls are covered with threatening slogans. Its narrator, Amaia, is a young child at the start, and progresses through … Continue reading World Languages Title Pick: Mejor la ausencia by Edurne Portela (Spain)

International Banned Book Pick: The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare (Albania)

PLOT: The mysterious palace of dreams stands at the heart of a vast empire. Inside, workers sift, sort, and interpret the dreams the empire’s citizens. They search out Master-Dreams that will provide clues to the destiny of the empire and its Sultan. Mark-Alem, scion of a noble family that has provided viziers to the Sultan … Continue reading International Banned Book Pick: The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare (Albania)

Publisher Spotlight: Talonbooks

I was introduced to Talonbooks via the Governor General’s Awards some years back, though it was hardly Talon’s first time being recognized at the prestigious awards ceremony. The Canadian publisher has a four-decades-long history of book awards to their name, and when you read their catalog, it’s easy to see why. Talonbooks has been a … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Talonbooks

Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Twist by Harkaitz Cano (Basque)

Set in the politically charged climate of the Basque Country in the 1980s, Twist relates the disappearance and brutal murder of two ETA militants at the hands of the Spanish army. The novel centers on their friend and fellow activist Diego Lazkano, who, since revealing his comrades to the authorities, has been tormented by guilt. … Continue reading Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Twist by Harkaitz Cano (Basque)

World Languages Title Pick: Flaetscher – Die Sache Stinkt! by Antje Szillat (Germany)

This is the first post in a new series of title picks for libraries building world languages collections. We will provide links to the foreign rights pages to publishers around the world. The descriptions for these non-translations will be in English and will include, when possible, sample translations, which will give you a flavor of … Continue reading World Languages Title Pick: Flaetscher – Die Sache Stinkt! by Antje Szillat (Germany)

Publisher Spotlight: Wave Books

When I think of the word “contemporary” in relation to poetry, I immediately think of Wave Books. This indie publisher rises above the rest in terms of aesthetics. Their font-first cover art has become so characteristic of the press that one can walk into the poetry section of a bookstore and immediately recognize the careful … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Wave Books

Publisher Spotlight: Akashic Books

  A few years back, I was introduced to Akashic Books, the provocative Brooklyn indie with a taste for urban and political literature. Like many, I found them after they published Go the Fuck to Sleep, the hilariously subversive and now infamous children’s book. It didn’t take long for me to recognize Akashic as a trailblazer … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Akashic Books