“Kürk Mantolu Madonna” by Sabahattin Ali was first published in 48 parts in Hakikat newspaper in 1940, before being published in book form in 1943. In 1998 it was republished by Yapi Kredi Yayinlar and to date has sold over 1.6 million copies in 85 reprints. Sales are reported to be 10-15,000 copies per month, … Continue reading Best Seller for a New Age – ‘Madonna in a Fur Coat’ by Sabahattin Ali
Graphic Novels from Turkey
Foreign teachers of English in Turkey quickly learn that many Turkish parents want their children to grow up to be either a doctor or an engineer. Those were the safest choices in earlier generations, and parents are occasionally reluctant to believe in the new expanded choices available in a booming Turkey. Children are expected to … Continue reading Graphic Novels from Turkey
‘A Tale Within A Tale’ by Ahmet Ümit
The author Ahmet Ümit writes: ‘’The tales in this book, I heard from my mother. My mother heard them from a storyteller nearly sixty years ago. It seems my grandfather never thought twice about hiring a storyteller to warm the cockles of his little girl's heart. She listened to many stories, though she couldn't always … Continue reading ‘A Tale Within A Tale’ by Ahmet Ümit
USBBY Outstanding International Title Pick: The Last Execution by Jesper Wung-Sung
Based on the chilling true story of the last execution in Denmark’s history, this award-winning, mesmerizing novel asks a question that plagues a small Danish town: does a fifteen-year-old boy deserve to be put to death? On February 22, 1853, a fifteen-year-old Niels Nelson is prepared to be executed on Gallows Hill. The master carpenter … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Title Pick: The Last Execution by Jesper Wung-Sung
The Ventriloquist’s Daughter: Between Fantasy and Reality – by Lin Man-chiu
Spring 2017 will see the publication of The Ventriloquist’s Daughter, by Lin Man-chiu, tr. Helen Wang, the fourth Young Adult novel translated from Chinese and published by Balestier Press. Originally from Taiwan, Lin Man-chiu has travelled extensively in South America, and her experiences there inspired this story. The following piece is adapted from the Author’s … Continue reading The Ventriloquist’s Daughter: Between Fantasy and Reality – by Lin Man-chiu
Translations for Teens: Young Adult Literature from the Arabic
Since the middle of the last decade, tens of innovative novels for tweens and teens have started appearing in Arabic each year.
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 