In Brown, a spare, quirky, satisfying book for middle grade readers, we meet Rusty, aka superhero Brown, at a rocky time in his life. His grandfather dies soon after his family moves to be nearby. A group of three bullies—including the minister’s son—destroy the fort that Rusty and his friend Jack have been building. Rusty … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Brown
Hello again! Many of the authors we will read about this month were exiled in isolation, for their individual acts of dissent or rebellion. Yet there are stories of entire communities exiled and driven from their homelands. One such expulsion that has captured world attention in recent years is that of the Rohingya. Although they … Continue reading Literature of Exile: The Rohingya #ExileLit
The world of books is dominated by the five giants of publishing. Whether we like it or not, these are the continents that define the literary globe. (Noir Press Founder Stephan Collishaw) But sometimes it’s good to go exploring and find something new. Something different. Little islands, overgrown and unknown, where you have to hack … Continue reading #TranslatedLit The Unexplored Island of Literary Lithuania by Stephan Collishaw
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)
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
Currently, we publish three books a year which form a series around a loose theme. To date we’ve published 33 short novels and short story collections from a total of fourteen languages. In addition to these translated works, we have also published the Peirene Now! Series which consists of three specially commissioned works which tackle … Continue reading #TranslatedLit Peirene Press: Our Books by Maddie Rogers
“Many years ago,in a faraway land called Holland, in a city named Delft, I was Fred’s teddy bear. I never had a name. Fred never gave me one. I lived in his bedroom with other toys. I was a happy bear. Little Fred loved me more than any other toy. He took me everywhere he … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Bear and Fred: A World War II Story
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 