Review: Sephardic Jews and the Spanish Language by Ángel Pulido

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Sephardic Jews and the Spanish Language offers an incomparable lens into the transnational exchanges between Spanish politician, Ángel Pulido, and a handful of prominent Spanish Jews across Eastern Europe and Turkey. Pulido's acquaintances, whom he met during his travels in the Balkans, were the descendants of the exiled Spanish Jews of the infamous 1493 Inquisition. … Continue reading Review: Sephardic Jews and the Spanish Language by Ángel Pulido

Review: The Three Old Ladies’ Tea by Friedrich Glauser

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The Three Old Ladies’ Tea opens with a young man appearing at a tram stop in the middle of the night, where he begins undressing before collapsing into a coma-like state, all while a policeman looks on uncomprehendingly. And in these opening paragraphs, we find the template by which Friedrich Glauser will continue to draw … Continue reading Review: The Three Old Ladies’ Tea by Friedrich Glauser

Excerpt: The Monk with No Past by Paolo Marrone

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THE JOURNEY “Travel is a sort of door through which one exits reality into an unexplored world that seems like a dream.” - Guy de Maupassant I had dreamt of visiting New York for years. I have always loved travelling and on earlier trips across the Atlantic I’d visited a number of cities, such as … Continue reading Excerpt: The Monk with No Past by Paolo Marrone

Publisher Spotlight: Kurodahan Press

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In mid-2002, a group of language professionals living in Japan began to discuss the need for a new kind of publisher—one that could serve readers in English and Japanese, with titles meant for both general and specialist markets. Reflecting the skills and interests of its founding directors, Kurodahan Press first offered books relating to Japan, … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Kurodahan Press

Publisher Spotlight: Open Letter Books

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Open Letter—the University of Rochester's nonprofit, literary translation press—is one of only a handful of publishing houses dedicated to increasing access to world literature for English readers. Publishing ten titles in translation each year and running an online literary website called Three Percent, Open Letter searches for works that are extraordinary and influential, works that … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Open Letter Books

Excerpt: Sephardic Jews and the Spanish Language by Ángel Pulido

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A SPANIARD TRAVELING almost anywhere in Europe, especially in the East or the South, typically will have this pleasant surprise: On his train or his ship, or at shops in countries and cities with native languages radically different from his own, he will notice strangers eavesdropping on his Spanish with astonishing frequency. They will listen … Continue reading Excerpt: Sephardic Jews and the Spanish Language by Ángel Pulido

Self-Published Title Pick: The Three Old Ladies’ Tea by Friedrich Glauser

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At two a.m. a young man appears in the Geneva city center with symptoms of poisoning. Soon afterward he dies in the hospital, and days later a pharmacist is fatally poisoned as well. Suspicion falls on a prominent professor who enjoys great local esteem, but is addicted to morphine and was in close contact with … Continue reading Self-Published Title Pick: The Three Old Ladies’ Tea by Friedrich Glauser

Excerpt: The Lustful Youth of Rodrigo Borgia by Elena and Michela Martignoni

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1474 I do not appear to be a man of God. My attire—hunting boots, a tunic and heavy belt—does not announce my position within the church and on horseback I resemble a warrior still in his prime. Neither does my face carry the saintly countenance of my uncle, Pope Callixtus III. Indeed, nothing about me … Continue reading Excerpt: The Lustful Youth of Rodrigo Borgia by Elena and Michela Martignoni

Self-Published Title Pick: Contemporary Brazilian Short Stories

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The Contemporary Brazilian Short Stories (CBSS) initiative was conceived in January 2011, when Brazilian authors of different ages, regions and backgrounds were first contacted about the opportunity to have their work translated into English. In June 2011, we started posting the content to BrazilianShortStories.com, which is updated twice a month, with a new story every … Continue reading Self-Published Title Pick: Contemporary Brazilian Short Stories

Excerpt: Silent Shadows by Sanz Irles

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Darkness engulfed the mountain plateau and Aníbal Coloma’s restless sleep. In the bleak and hostile night, terror materialized as two distant points of light. A pair of tired but vigilant eyes caught them as they suddenly appeared, little more than pinpricks, emerging faintly in the dark. The moment he spies them, he tenses and stands … Continue reading Excerpt: Silent Shadows by Sanz Irles