I now move to the first year of the Booker International Book Prize, as it is now called, starting with its current format. I have chosen a particular unique little book that happened to be translated by a publisher in his own right, Stefan Tobler. This powerful little book was a different book, a piece … Continue reading #translationthurs: A cup of rage, by Raduan Nassar
#translationthurs: Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras
I have chosen to revisit a number of my favorite books from the years of shadowing, and here we go back to 2011 and Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras. I picked this book because it is a book whose young character I connected with as I was a similar age to him. Also, it was a … Continue reading #translationthurs: Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras
#EndangeredAlphabets: Two Cheers for Rongorongo
Rongorongo. Source: Wikipedia. Even though my work is more about endangered scripts than those no longer in use, I love Rongorongo, a glyph system discovered over a century ago on Rapa Nui, a.k.a. Easter Island., which recently returned to the news through a rather breathless article in Smithsonian magazine. What makes Rongorongo, which has so … Continue reading #EndangeredAlphabets: Two Cheers for Rongorongo
#Veganuary: Tender is the Flesh
By Agustina Bazterrica, Translated from Spanish by Sarah Moses In a world where a virus makes it impossible to eat animal meat, this dystopian novel explores a world in which humans are factory-farmed for meat and where cannibalism is the norm. It is gripping and disturbing, exploring the way in which seemingly "good" people justify … Continue reading #Veganuary: Tender is the Flesh
#DegrowthLitMonth: Hospicing Modernity
Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity's Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism, by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira Published by: North Atlantic Books Pages: 304 Publish date: Sep 21, 2021 ISBN 9781623176242 A challenging yet important book for anyone involved in trying to change the world, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira asks us "are we doing really enough?" … Continue reading #DegrowthLitMonth: Hospicing Modernity
Suriname 🇸🇷 : Love’s Perfumes by Rita Rahman, tr. Paul Vincent
In a Nutshell: Arno, a high-ranking Dutch civil servant meets Myrna, a Caribbean envvironmentalist. Arno suffers from insomnia and Myra can potentially help him to recover from his insomnia through a unique way of storytelling, that she has inherited. Themes: Love, power, colonialism and culture clash. A Quote: “We, the non-Westerners, non-white, non-Eurochristians have a … Continue reading Suriname 🇸🇷 : Love’s Perfumes by Rita Rahman, tr. Paul Vincent
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: This Is Our Place
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
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Different: A Story About the Spanish Civil War
Life can change suddenly and without warning. I know because it happened to me. So begins Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War, a book for upper middle grade and young adult readers based on author Mónica Montañés’ family history. Montañés’ father had resisted Francisco Franco’s forces in Spain when Franco attempted a military coup against … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Different: A Story About the Spanish Civil War
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow/Mañana viene mi tío
I've said it before, and I will say it again: picture books are for everyone. Through relatively simple premises, picture books can shed light on deep truths, or serve as the starting point for nuanced conversations on complex topics. My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow/Mañana viene mi tío is a very simple book that addresses the … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow/Mañana viene mi tío
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Amazona
While most of the Amazon rainforest is found within the borders of Brazil, other South American countries such as Peru and Colombia lay claim to portions of its acreage. The Amazon itself is home to hundreds of indigenous people groups, who find themselves increasingly displaced from their ancestral homes, or even killed, because of mining, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Amazona
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 