Articles

Title Pick: The Wounded Soul of a Black Elephant & A Prayer to the Ancestors by Gabriel Mwene Okoundji

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The Wounded Soul of a Black Elephant & A Prayer to the Ancestors by Gabriel Mwènè Okoundji is a bilingual edition of the poems of the prize-winning Congolese poet Gabriel Mwènè Okoundji translated into English by Peter Figueroa. “I spent my childhood, like most children brought up in the Congolese bush, among women. Their talk, … Continue reading Title Pick: The Wounded Soul of a Black Elephant & A Prayer to the Ancestors by Gabriel Mwene Okoundji

Paper Republic Story: “Saint Marie” by Da Si

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

I didn’t get on with my landlady. Why? Because she was too nice. Perhaps I should explain. August 27, 2015 The morning light was pouring through the window into my bedroom and the lamps in the flat were blazing brightly, but my heart was a solid black, like an abruptly extinguished cigarette. Out late the … Continue reading Paper Republic Story: “Saint Marie” by Da Si

International Banned Book: The Little Black Fish by Samad Behrangi

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Summary: Little Black Fish may be small, but he has big questions and a determination to find answers to them. While his fellow fish are too scared to do anything different from their set routine, Little Black Fish swims over the edge of the pool, into the stream and river which will show him much … Continue reading International Banned Book: The Little Black Fish by Samad Behrangi

Title Pick: Mr. Fix It by Richard Ali A Mutu

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

Ebamba’s name means “mender” in Lingala, but everything in the Congolese twenty-something’s life seems to be falling apart. In the chaotic megacity of Kinshasa, the educated but unemployed young man must navigate the ever widening distance between tradition and modernity—from the payment of his fiancee’s exorbitant dowry to the unexpected sexual confession of his best … Continue reading Title Pick: Mr. Fix It by Richard Ali A Mutu

Publisher Spotlight: Ohio University Press

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"The mission of Ohio University Press is to publish and disseminate the fruits of research and creative endeavor, specifically in the areas of literary studies, regional works, American history, and international studies. Its charge to produce books of value in service to the academic community and for the enrichment of the broader culture is in … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Ohio University Press

Paper Republic Story: “Convince Me” by Jiang Yitan

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

  There were three of us in the lab, and our goal was to extend the life of white mice. To be more precise, we were researching the flaws in the DNA of each mouse, and finding ways to repair them. Ultimately, we hoped to find the secret to giving mus musculus a longer lifespan. … Continue reading Paper Republic Story: “Convince Me” by Jiang Yitan

Excerpt: Grace by Barbara Boswell

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Part 1: 1985 1 “Mary, please open the door.” His voice echoed from behind the locked front door, plaintive, lost – the voice of a man adrift. “Please, my darling, just open the door, one more time. Let me in for five minutes. I just want to talk.” He sounded close to breaking. His careless … Continue reading Excerpt: Grace by Barbara Boswell

USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: I Remember Beirut by Zeina Abirached

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Zeina Abirached, author of the award-winning graphic novel A Game for Swallows, returns with a powerful collection of wartime memories. Abirached was born in Lebanon in 1981. She grew up in Beirut as fighting between Christians and Muslims divided the city streets. Follow her past cars riddled with bullet holes, into taxi cabs that travel … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: I Remember Beirut by Zeina Abirached

Between the Naked Water and the Flower of the Iroko: A book review of My Country Tonight by Josué Guébo

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Guébo’s verse in My Country, Tonight (Mon Pays Ce Soir) often refers to the Iroko, a tree that withstands brush-fire and cannot be razed, because of its deep and study roots. Iroko: the name of the tree is also the name of a guardian-deity, or ancestor-spirit worshiped in West-African traditional religions — the native religions that Guébo insists have … Continue reading Between the Naked Water and the Flower of the Iroko: A book review of My Country Tonight by Josué Guébo

Excerpt: Sacrificed by Chanette Paul

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The U.S. debut of bestselling South African writer Chanette Paul. Rejected by her parents, her sister, her husband, everyone except her extraordinary and unusual daughter, Caz Colijn lives a secluded life in her own little patch of South Africa. But a single phone call from her estranged sister is all it takes to shatter this … Continue reading Excerpt: Sacrificed by Chanette Paul