I grew up reading the "Dick and Jane" series. For most children of my generation, we did not have access to reading material that represented us or our own environment. So I was delighted to come across "Tai the Rhino: A Bee in the Nose" which is a children's book that not only serves to … Continue reading #ZimbabweLitMonth: Tai the Rhino: A Bee in the Nose (2022)
#ZimbabweLitMonth: Sunshine and Shadows (2023)
Today I am going to introduce you to Busisekile Khumalo. Her latest novel, Sunshine and Shadows is hot off the printing press. The book is published by Kwela Books, a South African-based publishing imprint. Since the demise of the publishing industry in Zimbabwe, it is not uncommon to find many Zimbabwean authors who are either … Continue reading #ZimbabweLitMonth: Sunshine and Shadows (2023)
Welcome to #ZimbabweLitMonth
Good afternoon all! My name is Sukoluhle Nyathi, affectionately known as Sue Nyathi. I am delighted to assume my role as guest curator for November as we steer the vast world of Zimbabwe Literature. I am a published Zimbabwean author of four fiction titles: The Polygamist (2012), The Gold Diggers (2018), A Family Affair (2020), … Continue reading Welcome to #ZimbabweLitMonth
#Yiddishlitmonth: Dineh
A Bildungsroman of a Different Sort: Ida Maze’s Dineh Reverberates Across the Decades by Yermiyahu Ahron Taub Dineh: An Autobiographical NovelBy Ida MazeTranslated and with an Afterword by Yermiyahu Ahron TaubForeward by Emma GarmanWhite Goat Press, 2022Paperback edition ISBN: 978-1-734872-9-2; Hardcover edition ISBN: 978-8-9852069-0-6; Ebook edition ISBN: 978-8-9852069-1-3 Dineh: An Autobiographical Novel by Ida Maze … Continue reading #Yiddishlitmonth: Dineh
#Yiddishlitmonth: “A Provincial Newspaper” and Other Stories
by Jessica Kirzane A Provincial Newspaper and Other StoriesWritten by Miriam KarpiloveTranslated from the Yiddish by Jessica KirzaneSyracuse University PressISBN: 978-0815611585 Purchase this book or borrow it from a library: Miriam Karpilove’s satirical novella “A Provincial Newspaper,” published in Yiddish in 1926, centers on an overworked writer of popular serialized fiction and journalist for a … Continue reading #Yiddishlitmonth: “A Provincial Newspaper” and Other Stories
End of the road!
Last week, in my capacity as learning support teacher, I taught a lesson to the whole grade 4 cohort about my book project. Why you might ask. The Grade 4s are looking at why we read. I presented my project and blog then set them on their own discovery task, linked here. Thanks to the … Continue reading End of the road!
Spain 🇪🇸: Tell me Who I am by Julia Navarro, tr. by James Womack
In a Nutshell: Dime Quién Soy or Tell Me Who I am in English, is the story of Amelia Garagoya, the great-grandmother of the narrator. The narrator is a journalist, who lacks any ambition and is asked by his aunt to go and research the life of his great-grandmother and write a book on her life. The book … Continue reading Spain 🇪🇸: Tell me Who I am by Julia Navarro, tr. by James Womack
Holland 🇳🇱: The Tree and The Vine by Dola de Jong, tr. by Kristen Gehrman
In a Nutshell: First published in Dutch in 1954, The Tree and The Vine was regarded as groundbreaking and controversial. I read about this book, along with Nine Moons thanks to the wonderful online magazine, Words without Borders. Set in Amsterdam in 1938, the novel explores the tumultuous relationship between two very different women. In the shadow of the Nazi … Continue reading Holland 🇳🇱: The Tree and The Vine by Dola de Jong, tr. by Kristen Gehrman
Sudan 🇸🇩: Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun, tr. Elizabeth Jaquette
In a Nutshell: Thirteen Months of Sunrise depicts the lives of ordinary people living in contemporary Sudan. It is a slim collection of 10 short stories. My personal favourite was the first and the story that gives the collection its title. Themes: Isolation, urban living, human experience, love. A Quote: “Perhaps the abaya I was wearing … Continue reading Sudan 🇸🇩: Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun, tr. Elizabeth Jaquette
Czech Republic 🇨🇿 : Europe Must be for the 99 Per Cent by Apolena Rychliková, tr. by Julia Sherwood, in Europa 28: Writing by Women on the Future of Europe, edited by Sophie Hughes and Sarah Cleave
An Overview: Europa 28 is a brilliant anthology of essays, short stories and play excerpts from women writers, artists, scientists, entrepeneurs and dreamers. In this anthology, one woman from each of the EU states, including the UK, shares their vision for the future of Europe, hence the title Europa 28. Who would have thought a book on … Continue reading Czech Republic 🇨🇿 : Europe Must be for the 99 Per Cent by Apolena Rychliková, tr. by Julia Sherwood, in Europa 28: Writing by Women on the Future of Europe, edited by Sophie Hughes and Sarah Cleave
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 