Articles

Fiji 🇫🇯: A Privileged Life Denied by Sarote Fotfiri Erasito (tr. Sarote Fotfiri Erasito) in Poems from the Edge of Extinction: An Anthology of Poetry in Endangered Languages (Ed. Chris McCabe)

Posted on by jessenana

In 2021, I started a podcast interviewing a different woman each month asking her twenty questions. You can listen to the podcast here. As a thank you gift, I bought each woman a copy of this book. This is one of my favourite discoveries in this project, a wonderful anthology on the world’s languages/dialects that … Continue reading Fiji 🇫🇯: A Privileged Life Denied by Sarote Fotfiri Erasito (tr. Sarote Fotfiri Erasito) in Poems from the Edge of Extinction: An Anthology of Poetry in Endangered Languages (Ed. Chris McCabe)

Azerbaijan 🇦🇿: Days in the Caucasus by Banine, tr. by Anne Thompson-Ahmadova

Posted on by jessenana

In a Nutshell: Days in the Caucasus, originally published in Paris in 1945, is Banine’s memoir of her childhood in Baku, from when she was born (1905) until she left for Paris in 1923. It was translated into English in 2019. Parisian Days, the kind of sequel to Days in the Caucasus was published earlier … Continue reading Azerbaijan 🇦🇿: Days in the Caucasus by Banine, tr. by Anne Thompson-Ahmadova

Italy 🇮🇹: The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg, tr. Dick Davis

Posted on by jessenana

Back in 2o19, I was living in Tanzania. The week before Christmas, my husband and I were visiting family and friends in the UK. On one of the final days of our trips, I went Christmas shopping, the final stop was in Daunt Books in Marylebone, London, I was just about to pay for my … Continue reading Italy 🇮🇹: The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg, tr. Dick Davis

Georgia 🇬🇪: The Eighth Life (for Brilka) by Nino Haratischvili, tr. by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin

Posted on by jessenana

Observations: The Eighth Life (for Brilka) is the 2020 winner of the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation. For more about the prize, read here. I read this wonderful book whilst away on holiday with my husband, I was 3-4 months pregnant, we were on a road trip around Cambodia: visiting Chhlong/Kratie, Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri. This … Continue reading Georgia 🇬🇪: The Eighth Life (for Brilka) by Nino Haratischvili, tr. by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin

Vietnam 🇻🇳: Ru by Kim Thuy, tr. by Sheila Fischman

Posted on by jessenana

In a Nutshell: Translated from French (beautifully translated by Fischman, I may add), Thuy's fictionalised memoir, Ru is her debut novel.  Born into a wealthy Vietnamese family during the Tet Offensive, the main character, as a girl, she flees Vietnam, she endures an arduous boat journey and a Malaysian refugee camp before arriving in Granby, … Continue reading Vietnam 🇻🇳: Ru by Kim Thuy, tr. by Sheila Fischman

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: João by a Thread

Posted on by Planet Picture Book

Dreams can be filled with vibrant adventure and fraught with fear. But often they dissipate when we wake, without leaving a trace. In his picture book João by a Thread, renowned author/illustrator Roger Mello captures the world of nightmares and dreams and commits it to memory in written and illustrated form. The book opens with … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: João by a Thread

Welcome to #WITMonth 2023

Posted on by jessenana

Hello! It is great to be back as a guest curator this year for #WomenInTranslation (WIT) month. A bit about me, my name is Jess Andoh-Thayre. I am from Brixton, South London. I currently live in Cambodia. Before living here in Cambodia, I lived in Tanzania with my husband, who is a diplomat. I have … Continue reading Welcome to #WITMonth 2023

#WorldKidLitWednesday: Terminal 3

Posted on by Karthika G

Set against the backdrop of the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, this young adult graphic novel captures the aspirations of sportspersons from the region and what it costs to pursue their dreams. Dominantly rendered in hues of pastel reds and greens, Terminal 3 tells the story of 17-year-old Khwab Nazir, a young jiu-jitsu player. The book opens … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Terminal 3

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup

Posted on by Nanette McGuinness

Looking for a summertime middle grade adventure tale? Curious to learn about faraway places?  Then Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup* will be just the ticket for you! Set in Kazakhstan, Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup is the opening book in a coming-of-age fantasy series set in today’s world but … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup

#WorldKidLit Wednesday: This Is Our Place

Posted on by Klem-Marí Cajigas

Vitor Martins' tender, funny, and honest YA novels are no stranger to Global Literatures in Libraries Initiative, nor to its Translated YA Book Prize. He returns to us with his newest novel and the 2023 Translated YA Book Prize winner, This Is Our Place. Translated by Larissa Helena (who translated Martins' previous prize winning book), … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: This Is Our Place