World Languages Title Pick: Mejor la ausencia by Edurne Portela (Spain)

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

Synopsis The novel is set in a town on the industrial outskirts of Bilbao during the 1980s, marked by heroin, unemployment and industrial decline, where the police fight running street battles with local youths, and the walls are covered with threatening slogans. Its narrator, Amaia, is a young child at the start, and progresses through … Continue reading World Languages Title Pick: Mejor la ausencia by Edurne Portela (Spain)

International Banned Book Pick: The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare (Albania)

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PLOT: The mysterious palace of dreams stands at the heart of a vast empire. Inside, workers sift, sort, and interpret the dreams the empire’s citizens. They search out Master-Dreams that will provide clues to the destiny of the empire and its Sultan. Mark-Alem, scion of a noble family that has provided viziers to the Sultan … Continue reading International Banned Book Pick: The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare (Albania)

Publisher Spotlight: Talonbooks

Posted on by clscommunications

I was introduced to Talonbooks via the Governor General’s Awards some years back, though it was hardly Talon’s first time being recognized at the prestigious awards ceremony. The Canadian publisher has a four-decades-long history of book awards to their name, and when you read their catalog, it’s easy to see why. Talonbooks has been a … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Talonbooks

Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Twist by Harkaitz Cano (Basque)

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Set in the politically charged climate of the Basque Country in the 1980s, Twist relates the disappearance and brutal murder of two ETA militants at the hands of the Spanish army. The novel centers on their friend and fellow activist Diego Lazkano, who, since revealing his comrades to the authorities, has been tormented by guilt. … Continue reading Minority Languages Translated Book Pick: Twist by Harkaitz Cano (Basque)

World Languages Title Pick: Flaetscher – Die Sache Stinkt! by Antje Szillat (Germany)

Posted on by Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

This is the first post in a new series of title picks for libraries building world languages collections. We will provide links to the foreign rights pages to publishers around the world. The descriptions for these non-translations will be in English and will include, when possible, sample translations, which will give you a flavor of … Continue reading World Languages Title Pick: Flaetscher – Die Sache Stinkt! by Antje Szillat (Germany)

Publisher Spotlight: Wave Books

Posted on by clscommunications

When I think of the word “contemporary” in relation to poetry, I immediately think of Wave Books. This indie publisher rises above the rest in terms of aesthetics. Their font-first cover art has become so characteristic of the press that one can walk into the poetry section of a bookstore and immediately recognize the careful … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Wave Books

Publisher Spotlight: Akashic Books

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  A few years back, I was introduced to Akashic Books, the provocative Brooklyn indie with a taste for urban and political literature. Like many, I found them after they published Go the Fuck to Sleep, the hilariously subversive and now infamous children’s book. It didn’t take long for me to recognize Akashic as a trailblazer … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Akashic Books

International Banned Book: Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi

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SUMMARY: The moving, inspiring memoir of one of the great women of our times, Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize and advocate for the oppressed, whose spirit has remained strong in the face of political persecution and despite the challenges she has faced raising a family while pursuing her work. Best known … Continue reading International Banned Book: Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi

Three Novels by Nordic Women for the Last Dark Nights of Winter

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Just as spring arrives in the northern hemisphere, we turn our attention to a region that values limited supplies of sunshine. Here are three novels by three women—two from Norway, one from Iceland—that radiate with a dark energy more reminiscent of the northern lights than the sun’s warm glow. Love by Hanne Ørstavik (Archipelago; translated … Continue reading Three Novels by Nordic Women for the Last Dark Nights of Winter