Welcome, WITty readers! I am Rebecca, and I am very happy to be joining GLLI as a guest curator this August. A bit about me: I have been a public librarian for 12 years. For the past six years, I have served as the Literature & Language Librarian at Portland Public Library in Portland, Maine, … Continue reading Welcome to #WITMONTH 2025
End of the road!
Last week, in my capacity as learning support teacher, I taught a lesson to the whole grade 4 cohort about my book project. Why you might ask. The Grade 4s are looking at why we read. I presented my project and blog then set them on their own discovery task, linked here. Thanks to the … Continue reading End of the road!
Spain 🇪🇸: Tell me Who I am by Julia Navarro, tr. by James Womack
In a Nutshell: Dime Quién Soy or Tell Me Who I am in English, is the story of Amelia Garagoya, the great-grandmother of the narrator. The narrator is a journalist, who lacks any ambition and is asked by his aunt to go and research the life of his great-grandmother and write a book on her life. The book … Continue reading Spain 🇪🇸: Tell me Who I am by Julia Navarro, tr. by James Womack
Holland 🇳🇱: The Tree and The Vine by Dola de Jong, tr. by Kristen Gehrman
In a Nutshell: First published in Dutch in 1954, The Tree and The Vine was regarded as groundbreaking and controversial. I read about this book, along with Nine Moons thanks to the wonderful online magazine, Words without Borders. Set in Amsterdam in 1938, the novel explores the tumultuous relationship between two very different women. In the shadow of the Nazi … Continue reading Holland 🇳🇱: The Tree and The Vine by Dola de Jong, tr. by Kristen Gehrman
Sudan 🇸🇩: Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun, tr. Elizabeth Jaquette
In a Nutshell: Thirteen Months of Sunrise depicts the lives of ordinary people living in contemporary Sudan. It is a slim collection of 10 short stories. My personal favourite was the first and the story that gives the collection its title. Themes: Isolation, urban living, human experience, love. A Quote: “Perhaps the abaya I was wearing … Continue reading Sudan 🇸🇩: Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun, tr. Elizabeth Jaquette
Czech Republic 🇨🇿 : Europe Must be for the 99 Per Cent by Apolena Rychliková, tr. by Julia Sherwood, in Europa 28: Writing by Women on the Future of Europe, edited by Sophie Hughes and Sarah Cleave
An Overview: Europa 28 is a brilliant anthology of essays, short stories and play excerpts from women writers, artists, scientists, entrepeneurs and dreamers. In this anthology, one woman from each of the EU states, including the UK, shares their vision for the future of Europe, hence the title Europa 28. Who would have thought a book on … Continue reading Czech Republic 🇨🇿 : Europe Must be for the 99 Per Cent by Apolena Rychliková, tr. by Julia Sherwood, in Europa 28: Writing by Women on the Future of Europe, edited by Sophie Hughes and Sarah Cleave
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 🇰🇵: Three Days in That Autumn by Pak Wanseo, tr. Ryu Sukhee
In a Nutshell: This is a slightly upsetting yet beautiful and insightful read with a positive ending. Three Days in That Autumn is a 87 page novella that I raced through. This novella tells the story of a gynaecologist, we meet her as she approaches the final three days of her working life before retiring. She … Continue reading Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 🇰🇵: Three Days in That Autumn by Pak Wanseo, tr. Ryu Sukhee
Germany 🇩🇪: Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck, tr. Susan Bernofsky
In a Nutshell: This book tells the story of Richard, a widow and a recently retired university professor. He lives in Berlin and one day, on his way home, he finds a new community on Oranienplatz- among the African asylum seekers who have set up a tent city there. Richard is hesitant at first but … Continue reading Germany 🇩🇪: Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck, tr. Susan Bernofsky
Armenia 🇦🇲: Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan, tr. Lisa.C. Hayden
I read this book during last year's #WomenInTranslation Month (August 2021), a tradition started 10 years ago by Meytal Radzinki. It is thanks to Meytal and the #WIT twitter community that I have read as many books as I have. If you are on Twitter, look for the hashtag #WiTmonth and follow people like TranslateWomen, MillieMargretta and Read_WIT and @GlobalLitIn. It is especially … Continue reading Armenia 🇦🇲: Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan, tr. Lisa.C. Hayden
Montenegro 🇲🇪: Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knežević, tr. by Paula Gordon and Ellen Elias-Bursać
In a Nutshell: This is a book about the life of Catherine. Split into two sections: Catherine the Small is about her childhood and youth growing up in Montenegro and then studying/living in Belgrade, Serbia. The second half, entitled Catherine the Great is about her time as a mother and wife. The novel takes us … Continue reading Montenegro 🇲🇪: Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knežević, tr. by Paula Gordon and Ellen Elias-Bursać
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 