@2009 @2019 Review by Musheera Zahra, a student "Like a Diamond in the Sky," written by Shazia Omar, is a powerful and poignant narrative that delves into the complexities of addiction, societal pressure, and personal redemption. Set in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this novel offers an unflinching look at the lives of young people grappling with the … Continue reading #BangladeshiLitMonth: Like a Diamond in the Sky, by Shazia Omar
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Boy from Clearwater, Book 1
Named to the 2024 Global Literature in Libraries Initiative Translated Young Adult Book Prize shortlist, The Boy from Clearwater tells the story of Tsai Kun-Lin, "an ordinary boy" born in Qingshui District on the western coast of Taiwan. Tsai Kun-Lin's story, however, is nothing short of extraordinary. It is a story of surviving military occupation, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Boy from Clearwater, Book 1
#IntlYALitMonth Review: Queen of The Tiles
Review by Kris Feller Queen of the Tiles opens as our protagonist, Najwa Bakri, is dropped off by her family at the annual Word Warrior Weekend, a Scrabble competition which she describes as "part elite tournament, part sleepover, all awkward teen hormones and chaste, chaperoned social events in between." At the previous year’s tournament, Najwa’s … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Queen of The Tiles
#IntlYALitMonth Review: The Ventriloquist’s Daughter
Review by Alice Penfold “I had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen…” Liur is dominated by the fear of “something terrible” happening to her or her father. After her mother dies suddenly, her father disappears to America; although he originally goes there to study, he soon abandons this plan and goes travelling, … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: The Ventriloquist’s Daughter
#IntlYALitMonth Review: Blue Squared
Review by Melitta von Pflug Please be advised that this review includes references to eating disorders and suicide. Silence keeps the structure of us from falling apart. That was how things worked in the unnamed protagonist’s family in this verse novel from Hong Kong by Luna Orchid, Blue Squared. For readers with experience growing up in an Asian household, … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Blue Squared
#Translationthurs: Tomb of Sand, by Geertanjali Shree
I moved on to Booker International in 2022; this is a book I struggle to review, as it is just so rich in its language and poetic voice. I finally tackled it after we, with the Booker shadow panel, just chatted with Daisy Rockwell, the translator of Tomb of Sand. She brought her process in … Continue reading #Translationthurs: Tomb of Sand, by Geertanjali Shree
#EndangeredAlphabets: Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J-lQuyr0Yw&list=PLYG37Sb2buKjaMtjztHjDc5pSS1a1jorr&index=12 My month here is almost over, and I've taken you all to so many places around the world, and brought up so many ideas about the nature and purpose of writing that it's not easy to wrap everything up. So I'm going to steal from myself, and offer you the wrap-up I created for … Continue reading #EndangeredAlphabets: Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been?
#EndangeredAlphabets: How Do You Go About Reviving a Traditional Script? Case Study: Bali
"Suksma," or "Thank you," in the traditional Balinese language and script. Photo and carving by the author. Fairly often I get asked: what does it take to revive a traditional script that has been unused, or largely unused, for years? Decades? Centuries? Much less often, I actually have a clear, detailed answer. In this case, … Continue reading #EndangeredAlphabets: How Do You Go About Reviving a Traditional Script? Case Study: Bali
#EndangeredAlphabets: Impeaching the Ghosts: Writing and Magic
Batak pustaha. Image courtesy of the Incunabula Library. I was on Twitter the other day and came across a tweet from Philip Boyes of the University of Cambridge, an archaeologist and linguist working on the Bronze and Iron Age Levant. He had been researching early Chinese handwriting manuals and came across this passage: “Strangely, it … Continue reading #EndangeredAlphabets: Impeaching the Ghosts: Writing and Magic
International Mother (Written) Language Day
International Mother Language Day, February 21st, is a kind of well-intentioned bureaucratic expansion of the Bangladesh observance of National Martyrs Day, a remembrance of the day in 1952 when five people were killed for protesting their right to speak Bengali (Bangla) rather than Urdu, the official language of the new state of Pakistan. What came … Continue reading International Mother (Written) Language Day
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 