International Banned Book: Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

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Although it contains passages written in the 1910s and 1920s, Doctor Zhivago was not completed until 1956. The novel was submitted to the literary journal Novy Mir ("Новый Мир"). However, the editors rejected Pasternak's novel because of its implicit rejection of socialist realism. The author, like Zhivago, showed more concern for the welfare of individuals … Continue reading International Banned Book: Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Departure Time by Truus Matti

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A run-down hotel on a bare plain: the only hiding place for a girl in the rain. Once inside, a fox offers her a chair. A suspicious rat acts like he has met her before. But she can't remember anything. Not even her own name.... At the hotel she finds more questions than answers. She … Continue reading USBBY Outstanding International Book Pick: Departure Time by Truus Matti

International Banned Book Pick: Beijing Coma by Ma Jian

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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

International Banned Book Pick: One Day of Life by Manlio Argueta

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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

Publisher Spotlight: MacLehose Press

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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

Paper Republic Story: “Saint Marie” by Da Si

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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

Title Pick: Mr. Fix It by Richard Ali A Mutu

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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

Publisher Spotlight: Ohio University Press

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"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

Excerpt: Grace by Barbara Boswell

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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

Publisher Spotlight: Modjaji Books

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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