international fiction

  • August is Women in Translation Month

    August is coming to a close, but there’s still time to celebrate Women in Translation Month by reading a book written by a woman writing in a language other than English! Choose from the titles below; from this list of select 2024 titles; or strike out on your own. Elevator in Saì Gòn by Thuận,… Continue reading

  • Read the World: Translated Fiction

    For many of us, if we want to read fiction written in a language other than English we need the help of a translator. This past week Frank Wynne, chair of the 2022 International Booker Prize, called for publishers around the world to not only recognize the work of translators with full book cover credit,… Continue reading

  • Dina Rubina, Napoleon Wagon Train – Дина Рубина – «Наполеонов обоз»

    If the name Dina Rubina sounds strange to an American ear, to a Russian it’s a house-hold name. The author of over fifty books; thirteen novels, twenty-nine collections of short stories, and twelve collections of essays, not to mention eight movie scripts is Rubina’s impressive accomplishment. The Seattle Public Library has thirty-seven of Rubina’s books,… Continue reading

  • Book vs. (Foreign) Film

    Book vs. (Foreign) Film

    I don’t know about you but when I read a book and then see a movie based on the book about 90% of the time I like the book better because of where my imagination was able to take me.  I have never really done the comparison though with non English films and the accompanying… Continue reading

  • Intriguing Middle Eastern Fiction

    In a return to our intermittent series on interesting international fiction, enjoy this snapshot of titles by Middle Eastern novelists published in the US in the last year. Beginning in Turkey, check out Elif Shafak’s latest novel The Three Daughters of Eve, a story set over a single evening in contemporary Istanbul, as Peri attends… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2018: Written by an author from another country

    #BookBingoNW2018: Written by an author from another country

    Sitting in the top right corner, the category Written by an author from another country could be vital to making bingo vertically, horizontally, or the elusive diagonal bingo. We’re here to help you get it filled. For inspiration, you could consult previous posts about intriguing African fiction, East Asian fiction, European fiction, Latin American fiction, or Australian… Continue reading

  • Australian mysteries

    Australian mysteries

    Australia has long produced some great mystery writers: Peter Temple, writing the Jack Irish series about a lawyer and gambler turned PI, as well as a number of standalone crime novels; Kerry Greenwood’s post-World War I series featuring private detective Phryne Fisher, to name just two. But in just the last year, authors from Down Under… Continue reading

  • Intriguing East Asian Fiction

    Did you hear the announcement earlier this year, that the National Book Foundation will be adding a new award for the first time in 36 years, honoring works in translation? With that news, it’s a good time to continue highlighting some interesting international fiction published in 2017-18, this time from East Asia – Japan, Korea… Continue reading

  • Intriguing European Fiction Nov 2017

    As part of our intermittent, ongoing series rounding up interesting international fiction, let’s take a tour of European fiction published this fall in the US.  The Dying Game by Asa Avdic (Sweden) In this psychological thriller set on a remote Swedish island, Anna is supposed to fake her death and then spy on the reactions… Continue reading

  • Intriguing Latin American Fiction

    Only about three percent of all books published in the United States are works in translation, and many of those books don’t necessarily garner a lot of mainstream press. As part of our ongoing series highlighting intriguing international fiction, here is a glimpse of some recent, interesting novels from Latin American authors. Continue reading

  • Intriguing African Fiction, 2016

    Sitting down to write about international fiction can be overwhelming simply because there is so much good stuff available, and any entry will inevitably leave so much out. Consider this a glimpse of interesting novels coming from outside our borders – in this case, coming from authors in countries throughout Africa. Nigeria’s literary scene is… Continue reading

  • Rio Reads

    Today begins the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Watching televised coverage of the Games, you will surely see glimpses of life in Rio in the background. If you want to round out your sports viewing with a more robust and nuanced view of life in Rio and in the rest of Brazil,… Continue reading

  • Hey, our pick for the Dublin Literary Award made the shortlist!

    Do you follow the International Dublin Literary Awards? Here’s why you should: Public libraries around the world nominate books for the award, and you love public libraries. A healthy mix of U.S. and international novels make both the longlist and the shortlist, and you’ve been looking for suggestions for some of the best international fiction.… Continue reading