I first read this in French so the quotes below are in French, I have also included the quotes from the translation. In a Nutshell: Sexe et Mensonges (Sex and Lies) is about what it is to be a woman in Morocco today, this isn’t an academic study, but a series of interviews with mostly … Continue reading Day 9: 🇲🇦 Sex and Lies
Day 5: 🇫🇷 Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal, (tr.Jessica Moore)
Observations: There are two English translations of the novel, one for UK audiences (Mend the Living) and one for U.S. audiences (The Heart), which was published in the U.S. in 2017. The Wellcome Book prize rewards exceptional works of literature that illuminate the many ways that health, medicine and illness touch our lives. Mend the … Continue reading Day 5: 🇫🇷 Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal, (tr.Jessica Moore)
The Booktrekker: France
READ The book I read for France, The Heart, by Maylis de Kerangal and translated by Sam Taylor, left me emotionally drained. It chronicles the twenty-four hours following an automobile accident that leaves a young man brain dead, as doctors race through the steps required to remove his organs and transplant them into the bodies of people … Continue reading The Booktrekker: France
Speculative Fiction in Translation: The Cathedral of Mist
The Cathedral of Mist by Paul Willems translated from the French by Edward Gauvin Wakefield Press July 5, 2016 112 pages In this collection of surreal, exquisitely-composed and expertly-translated stories, Belgian fantasist Paul Willems (1912-1997) offers us a multitude of dreamscapes both as delicate as gossamer and tangible as a mountain. Cathedrals made of mist, … Continue reading Speculative Fiction in Translation: The Cathedral of Mist
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Who Left the Light On?
A picture-book ode to the power of creative nonconformity, Who Left the Light On? achieves a rare trifecta: a loosely rhyming book in translation with brilliant illustrations. Mix in important themes—embracing diversity and expressing oneself—add a huge dollop of whimsy, and you have the ingredients to this charming tale. But the sum of the parts … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Who Left the Light On?
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Alya and the Three Cats
Welcoming a new baby into an established household is not always easy, especially when some family members don’t quite understand what is going on. This charming Moroccan import for young children ages 2 and up tells a new baby story from the perspective of three cats: Minouche, Pasha and Amir. Even if, like me, you’re … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Alya and the Three Cats
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: A Winter’s Promise/ The Missing of Clairdelune
Set in a post-Rupture steampunk world, A Winter’s Promise and The Missing of Clairdelune by Christelle Dabos tell the story of Ophelia, a member of the Anima ark who can animate objects. Unassuming, clumsy, and shy, Ophelia has two major talents and life passions. First, she is a superb object “reader,” i.e., she can view … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: A Winter’s Promise/ The Missing of Clairdelune
Literature of Exile: Burundi’s Gaël Faye
I used to think I was exiled from my country. But, in retracing the steps of my past, I have understood that I was exiled from my childhood. Which seems so much crueler. Exile is always a profoundly traumatic experience. But what of those exiled twice? While the world is largely aware of the Rwandan genocide … Continue reading Literature of Exile: Burundi’s Gaël Faye
#TranslatedLit Orenda Books: Not Just Nordic Noir by Karen Sullivan (Publisher)
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)
#TranslatedLit An Introduction to Orenda Books by Karen Sullivan
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
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 