Dai Wei, a PhD student and protestor in Tiananmen Square in June 1989, was caught by a soldier's bullet and fell into a deep coma. But as the millennium draws near, he begins to emerge from unconsciousness, and to sense the massive changes in his country. At once a powerful allegory of a rising China, … Continue reading International Banned Book Pick: Beijing Coma by Ma Jian
Anton wants to do some magic. He wants to make something disappear... First Anton tries to make a tree vanish, but it s too big. He manages to make a bird disappear, and even his friend Luke. But where did Luke go? Anton Can Do Magic is a perfectly simple and hilarious picture book about … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Anton Can Do Magic by Ole Könnecke
One night, after the first snowfall of the year, a boy named Jonas wakes up and discovers that his mother has disappeared. Only one trace of her remains: a pink scarf, his Christmas gift to her, now worn by the snowman that inexplicably appeared in their yard earlier that day. Inspector Harry Hole suspects a … Continue reading Title Pick: The Snowman by Jo Nesbø
One Day of Life (Spanish: Un Dia en la Vida) is a novel by Salvadoran author Manlio Argueta. The novel is set in Chalatenango, El Salvador and follows the daily life of Guadalupe Guardado and the women of her family just prior to the Salvadoran Civil War. The book was banned by the government of … Continue reading International Banned Book Pick: One Day of Life by Manlio Argueta
The MacLehose Press is an independently minded imprint of Quercus Books, founded by Christopher MacLehose and publishing the very best, often prize-winning, literature from around the world; mainly in translation but with a few outstanding exceptions as English language originals. We published our first books in January 2008, among them a ground breaking thriller by … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: MacLehose Press
Shi Yu changed into a pink slip then lay down on the massage table. She hadn’t seen Zhu Xiyan this time. When she closed her eyes, the beauty treatment finally began. Just as the beautician was preparing the massage oil, Shi Yu heard felt a vibration on her right, followed by a song wafting out. … Continue reading Paper Republic Story: Metro Line Five by Wu Jun
Three years ago, Stephie and her younger sister, Nellie, escaped the Nazis in Vienna and fled to an island in Sweden, where they were taken in by different families. Now sixteen-year-old Stephie is going to school on the mainland. Stephie enjoys her studies, and rooming with her school friend, May. But life is only getting … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Deep Sea by Annika Thor
The Wounded Soul of a Black Elephant & A Prayer to the Ancestors by Gabriel Mwènè Okoundji is a bilingual edition of the poems of the prize-winning Congolese poet Gabriel Mwènè Okoundji translated into English by Peter Figueroa. “I spent my childhood, like most children brought up in the Congolese bush, among women. Their talk, … Continue reading Title Pick: The Wounded Soul of a Black Elephant & A Prayer to the Ancestors by Gabriel Mwene Okoundji
I didn’t get on with my landlady. Why? Because she was too nice. Perhaps I should explain. August 27, 2015 The morning light was pouring through the window into my bedroom and the lamps in the flat were blazing brightly, but my heart was a solid black, like an abruptly extinguished cigarette. Out late the … Continue reading Paper Republic Story: “Saint Marie” by Da Si
Summary: Little Black Fish may be small, but he has big questions and a determination to find answers to them. While his fellow fish are too scared to do anything different from their set routine, Little Black Fish swims over the edge of the pool, into the stream and river which will show him much … Continue reading International Banned Book: The Little Black Fish by Samad Behrangi
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 