There was once a town filled with people so wise that a body of Jewish folklore developed around their wisdom. Except, of course, they weren’t wise at all. Indeed, they were absolutely, thigh-slappingly, heart-stoppingly foolish—which is where much of the fun lies in the Chelm stories.* In The Sages of Chelm and the Moon**, Shlomo … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: The Sages of Chelm and the Moon
A cornucopia of literary delights awaits you at Orenda Books! Alongside our English authors from South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, the USA, Wales, Scotland and England, we have breathtakingly original, beautifully written translated offerings from Iceland, Finland, Germany, Norway and France, with more countries lined up for coming years. From Finland, we have … Continue reading #TranslatedLit Orenda Books: Not Just Nordic Noir by Karen Sullivan (Publisher)
This November we turn six … and during the current climate, this feels like a considerable achievement, with more ups and downs that a short blog can possibly do justice. ‘Orenda’ is a Canadian First Nations word – one of those almost-impossible-to-translate terms – meaning ‘the mystical power that drives human accomplishment’. The energy it … Continue reading #TranslatedLit An Introduction to Orenda Books by Karen Sullivan
At the Abu Dhabi Book Fair a few years back, I was asked to give a presentation on publishing translated literature. Knowing that for publishers who publish for the entire Arabic speaking world, or indeed the entire English-speaking world, a publisher that focuses on the ‘small’ languages of the Balkans would seem to have an … Continue reading #TranslatedLit Istros Books: Making the Local Global by Susan Curtis
(Or How – and Why - Does one end up ‘At the Rock face of Niche’?) Having lived and worked in the region (Slovenia, Croatia, Romania) over many years, I became aware of all the writers - both contemporary and from the immediate past - which were revered at home but unknown in the English-speaking … Continue reading #TranslatedLit Istros Books: Publishing the Balkans in English by Susan Curtis
An epistolary novel. A beautiful story with a strong female protagonist. The stand-alone conclusion to a trilogy. Maresi: Red Mantle by Maria Turtschaninoff is all of these. It’s also the co-winner of the 2020 GLLI Translated YA Book Prize—and deservedly so, as it’s a fabulous read. Set in an agrarian, mostly pre-literate, fantasy world, Red … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Maresi: Red Mantle
When I first set up Nordisk Books in 2016, I felt that it would be useful to travel to Stockholm to meet some of the city’s publishers, to get a feel for their contemporary literary scene. Of the major Scandinavian languages, it was at the time the one with which I felt the least au … Continue reading #TranslatedLit Nordisk Books: Publisher perspective by Duncan J. Lewis
“I stroked her cheek and whispered that what we had was amazing, but that it was impossible to describe with words. She turned to me and replied: and yet, now that you’ve said it, it’s gone. During the course of the night I tried to take it back, but it was too late. In the … Continue reading #TranslatedLit Nordisk Book: Introduction by Duncan J. Lewis
Since its inception, Comma Press has aimed to put short stories at the heart of narrative culture. We specialise in the form for a multitude of reasons, but to mention just a few, publishing short stories is an attempt to democratise literature, to call for pluralism, and to identify cutting-edge and often marginalised voices from … Continue reading #TranslatedLit Comma Press: Reading the City Anthologies by Becca Parkinson
Elise is scared of everything, even trees, so she never ventures out. Her house is spotless and totally devoid of color until the day a pale blue paper airplane flies through an open window, bringing with it a shaft of light from the outside world. Then Emil, a young boy dressed in bright red and … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: The Visitor
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 