2020 was a really excellent year for literature in translation, with some stand-out new Korean books that included the spectacular Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo (tr. Jamie Chang). 2021, however, is looking to top last year’s offering of Korean books by offering us a refreshing selection of genre fiction and queer fiction. Until …
Book Lists
Indonesia, Asia’s largest archipelago, is one of the world’s most ethnically, religiously, and culturally diverse countries. It is a place called home by every kind of human being. And so, Indonesian novels, stories, and poems offer readers that same kind of diversity and excitement. The Indonesian novels, stories, and poems found here do not encompass …
Nobody does horror like Junji Ito, and there is no manga quite like a Junji Ito manga. While scary stories have been told for as long as we’ve had stories, and mythologies across the world are filled with creatures and tales of terror, it’s only within the last century that horror has become cemented as …
African food represents one of the most underappreciated culinary regions of them all and, by even glancing across the cuisine of each country — from north to west, to sub-Saharan Africa — you’ll find dramatically different cooking styles, traditions, and ingredients. Not to mention the huge African-American cuisine that has influenced modern cooking across the …
There are books ideal for reading at Christmas and there are books set at Christmas. The two don’t always cross over, but we wanted to guarantee here that they do. Every one of these books is perfect Christmas reading for the holiday season and they are all, of course, books set at Christmas. Some are …
Where do you start reading an author like Kobo Abe? The post-war Japanese author and playwright has become known, most famously, as Japan’s answer to Franz Kafka. One difference between the two, however, is that Abe was able to finish his works. And of them, which ones are must-read novels? What we have here are …
Many of us grew up with the Harry Potter franchise — be it the books, the films, or both. In the 90s, Harry Potter hit the world harder than any book series in history, and it’s hard to imagine a series ever making that same splash again. However, some of us (this writer included) no …
Daphne du Maurier was known as a legend of atmospheric, unsettling gothic horror. Her magnum opus, Rebecca, is a perfect evolution of Bronte-esque gothic, and her short stories were often chilling nightmare fuel. But, for fans of Rebecca who are wanting more, what classic and modern books like Rebecca are out there to enjoy? Fans …
Language and translation are inescapably tied together. Studying one or both can lead wide-eyed and curious linguists deep down historical, cultural, and even philosophical rabbit holes. When we study language and translation, we study anthropology, geography, history, tradition, and more. Books about language in translation can open doors to new ways of thinking and seeing …
The publishing world, wherever in the world you are, is still dominated by men: male writers, editors, and publishers. This is despite the fact that the majority of readers around the world are women, and that so much of the best writing has always come from women authors. Today, the best Japanese novels are all …