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
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
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
Ebamba’s name means “mender” in Lingala, but everything in the Congolese twenty-something’s life seems to be falling apart. In the chaotic megacity of Kinshasa, the educated but unemployed young man must navigate the ever widening distance between tradition and modernity—from the payment of his fiancee’s exorbitant dowry to the unexpected sexual confession of his best … Continue reading Title Pick: Mr. Fix It by Richard Ali A Mutu
"The mission of Ohio University Press is to publish and disseminate the fruits of research and creative endeavor, specifically in the areas of literary studies, regional works, American history, and international studies. Its charge to produce books of value in service to the academic community and for the enrichment of the broader culture is in … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Ohio University Press
Part 1: 1985 1 “Mary, please open the door.” His voice echoed from behind the locked front door, plaintive, lost – the voice of a man adrift. “Please, my darling, just open the door, one more time. Let me in for five minutes. I just want to talk.” He sounded close to breaking. His careless … Continue reading Excerpt: Grace by Barbara Boswell
Making rain for southern African women writers Modjaji Books is an independent feminist press that publishes southern African women writers. Modjaji Books fills a gap by providing a platform for serious and ground-breaking writing by new and established women writers with brave voices. We publish short stories, novels, memoir, biography, poetry, essays, narrative non-fiction, reference … Continue reading Publisher Spotlight: Modjaji Books
Banned from publication in his home country of Czechoslovakia, Ivan Klíma's powerful 1986 novel Love and Garbage could not be published until after the Velvet Revolution of 1989. It went on to sell over 100,000 copies in the thaw that followed the end of the Cold War. Summary: The narrator of Ivan Klima's novel has temporarily abandoned his … Continue reading International Banned Book Pick: Love and Garbage by Ivan Klíma
She sat in a taxi, stuck on the main road in the Old Town district. White lines of paint clearly marked six lanes of traffic, but none of them were going anywhere. The road signs reflected the harsh rays of the sun, glowing in every color of the spectrum. The trees on either side … Continue reading Paper Republic Story: “49 Degrees” by Song Aman
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 