This novel is one I picked to read during the first quarter of Reading Envy Russia and did research on female authors publishing in the 21st century. This novel is one I picked to read during the first quarter of Reading Envy Russia and did research on female authors publishing in the 21st century. The Time of Women won the Russian Booker Prize in 2009 and was translated into English in 2012.
The story is set in Russia in the mid 20th century, about a factory worker who is an unwed mother. She ends up living with three old women and together they try to navigate the bureaucracy to have enough to eat, to wash, to heat, but also to keep young Suzanna/Sofia at home. I liked how much it shows a daily slice of life for normal people with a little bit of drama, and the old women using their cunning to defeat the bureaucracy.
It's a bit fragmented, especially in library eBook form, so I sometimes struggled to figure out the narrator for a few sentences. The daughter, although she doesn't speak, sometimes writes/thinks in fairy tales in her head, and believes in a mirror world with a more traditional family. The mother is really the only one typically leaving the house both to hold down her job but also to do the shopping, accompanying the older women to the bathhouse, and negotiating for items they need.
I see that others have rated this quite a bit lower but I liked its unique elements....more
CW for violence, harm to children, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, self-harm.
Oof. Well I went looking for books from the new Booker InternationalCW for violence, harm to children, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, self-harm.
Oof. Well I went looking for books from the new Booker International Prize longlist for 2022, and found this one in Hoopla. It was originally published in Japan in 2009, and published in the English translation by Sam Bett and David Boyd, the same team that translated Breasts and Eggs. (I was a bit critical of these two male translators with that book, as all narrators are women and talking about female health and bodies. In this case, the narrator is a teenaged boy, so I had no questions.)
A 14-year old boy with a lazy eye is referred to as "Eyes" by his classmates and is the victim of ongoing, outrageous bullying. He is befriended by a girl in his class, Kojima, who is also a victim of bullying, but admittedly exhibits strange behavior like not bathing or eating, deliberate acts in her own logic to connect to her father who left. They write letters about everything except their experiences at school.
There is a chilling scene where the boy asks one of the bullies WHY and the answer is the most nihilistic darkness I've ever heard - and this serves to mess with the boy even worse than the physical bullying....more
After sticking with this one through the first 3/4 I skimmed the last bit, like, it's really not going anywhere, it's not going to improve, you're stiAfter sticking with this one through the first 3/4 I skimmed the last bit, like, it's really not going anywhere, it's not going to improve, you're still going to randomly italicize four emotion words in the middle of this paragraph, okay.
It's about illness and family and writer's block, and also it's not. Everything is fragmented. Nothing goes anywhere.
But now I can say I have completed the shortlist for the Tournament of Books, although I will always resent that I didn't just skim through this one yesterday so as to finish in February. Ah well....more
I really didn't read anything about this book before I started, so I went in expecting Kafka and ended up with scifi! Humans and humanoids are employeI really didn't read anything about this book before I started, so I went in expecting Kafka and ended up with scifi! Humans and humanoids are employed on ship called the Six-Thousand, and they have also taken in some objects from a nearby planet. The creators, unnamed, have attempted to give the humans what they perceive them as needing - connection, seratonin, comfort - but can someone/thing nonhuman ever fully understand humanity in that sense? The entire very short novel is told in interview transcripts, most less than a page, so it is a short albeit bizarre reading experience. Much is unfolded but I won't spoil it for the reader.
This was on the long but not shortlist for the International Booker Prize; it was indeed on the shortlist for 2021. It's the fourth from the shortlist that I've read, and I'm surprised by the preference for shorter works! I read this in one setting while getting my oil changed.
The translator, Martin Aitken, is known to me for his work with Hanne Ostavik and Karl Ove Knaussgard. ....more
This short book is so much about language - double meanings, puns, innuendo - the translator should receive all prizes for making it work in English.
TThis short book is so much about language - double meanings, puns, innuendo - the translator should receive all prizes for making it work in English.
The narrator is a 12 year old girl living with a father obsessed with concrete so there is a lot about it, but also living in rural areas, tinkering, absorbing beliefs/knowledge from the family surrounding you (some homophobia and racism are included although it's pretty clear the author is putting loaded language in the mouths of a child who doesn't understand it.)
Most of the time I could picture old male readers chuckling about each clever turn of phrase and that made me like it less (does anyone else ever imagine the perfect reader for a book?) plus what 12 year old would ever be able to make these jokes?
This is one of my last reads for the Tournament of Books shortlist (I still have many left on the long list) and as translated works go, I'm still Labatut forever. 4 stars for the book overall, 5 stars to the translator....more
This was on the long but not short list for the Tournament of Books and when I went looking for a shorter beachy read for January in Japan, this seemeThis was on the long but not short list for the Tournament of Books and when I went looking for a shorter beachy read for January in Japan, this seemed perfect.
The narrator has noticed the woman in the purple skirt around the neighborhood, from her weekly cream bun in the park to the cafe she uses to look at job ads. At first it seems harmless and then less so, because nobody notices The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan.
This is an award-winning novel in Japan, was originally published in 2019, and the English language version was translated by Lucy North....more
I slipped this book in from my eARC backlog. I remember reading a previous novel by this author (Love) with the initial response of frustratCW suicide
I slipped this book in from my eARC backlog. I remember reading a previous novel by this author (Love) with the initial response of frustration with the characters for making bad decisions. Well they are back - not the same characters but new ones, pushing forward through bad times and sometimes pulling people down around them.
There is a somewhat strange combination of things going on here. Liv is the central character and she is a pastor. After the loss of her friend to suicide, she has taken a job in a small Norwegian community within eyesight of a fjord. She has frequent flashbacks to her time at a seminary in Germany as well.
Her new gig hasn't gone well - her introductory sermon went an hour and some people stood up and left, and she has already had to deal with too many men who don't think she should be allowed to be a minister. The community she serves is in the midst of a significant legal conflict over land rights with the Sami..her dissertation is about how language inside a religion effect its practice and understanding, and there is a lot going on about the history of forced conversion, Bible translation, and concepts of justice that she thinks about differently from everyone around her.
And her community is struggling too, including the family she lives with, with one daughter that reminds her of her deceased friend. There is a lot of guilt and distraction over those events that make her not an unreliable narrator but an unfocused one....more
This book was on my radar after Ed discussed it on episode 227 of the podcast, but I was still surprised to see it on the Tournament of Books long lisThis book was on my radar after Ed discussed it on episode 227 of the podcast, but I was still surprised to see it on the Tournament of Books long list.
I'm not sure it has aged well. The women are all described body parts first, and the narrator for the audiobook has an old-fashioned voice that made me keep upping the speed. It's like Patricia Highsmith Ripley novels without the high stakes or sociopaths. I'd choose Highsmith first every time!
So this was a miss for me. I had a copy of the audio from the publisher of the new translation....more
I didn't catch this book when it was on the International Booker list, but when it was named a finalist for the translated lit category of the NationaI didn't catch this book when it was on the International Booker list, but when it was named a finalist for the translated lit category of the National Book Award, I finally decided to give it a go, especially once I found the audio in Hoopla and it was under 6 hours.
At first, it feels like non-fiction, well researched information about science and math, death and destruction, the usual. It slowly morphs to include details about the characters that might be true, I guess, but would he unlikely to be known without a detailed journal or analysis records. And as it nears the end, the stories start linking and it feels more like a fictional experience.
I always enjoy books that take me on a journey. The characters do not have to be on a journey, but I like the author to have a clear goal in mind even if I don't know what it is... It's one of those undefinable things that I like and is present here. I also am a sucker for books about math and mathematicians and boy did this qualify. I wish it had won the International Booker and I hope it wins the National Book Award for translation....more
"There is a city in the south that is full of beasts— beasts who rage and love, gather and leave, just as humans do."
That's the last line of this book"There is a city in the south that is full of beasts— beasts who rage and love, gather and leave, just as humans do."
That's the last line of this book, but not really a spoiler. A fantastical creation of beasts in a Chinese city through the eyes of a writer working with a scientist. The beasts blend in with humans and come in a variety of types.
I read two sections of this book through Two Lines Press and I'm so glad the entire work has been translated. They were intriguing as standalone but the through thread of the narrator adds another angle I enjoyed....more
This upcoming translation from Restless Books is so absorbing that I could not put it down. Albania doesn't get a lot of attention and I didn't know mThis upcoming translation from Restless Books is so absorbing that I could not put it down. Albania doesn't get a lot of attention and I didn't know much about it - it turns out that was intentional as the country was cut off from the rest of the world for so long. Scholars consider it the harshest Communist regime. The author conducted years of oral history interviews and used them to tell a larger story of a country under the heaviest heel. She includes a wide range of experiences, but of course interviews can only share the experience of survivors.
The writing and translation are stellar, making a very readable work, apart of course from the violence that is depicted. I've been talking about it to everyone around me since I finished reading it.
I had a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss; it comes out November 2....more
I saw this on the Giller Prize longlist and decided to give it a try - it is a fragmentary portrayal of some of the events near the end of the VietnamI saw this on the Giller Prize longlist and decided to give it a try - it is a fragmentary portrayal of some of the events near the end of the Vietnamese-American war from the perspective of children who are displaced in the process. There were beautiful turns of phrase but if you weren't already pretty familiar with those events it might have been difficult to read, not sure. I liked the author and will try the next book they write!...more
This is one of those novels where you have to get into the routine of it, to read between the lines, to really understand everything going on. It takeThis is one of those novels where you have to get into the routine of it, to read between the lines, to really understand everything going on. It takes place in a small Italian town after World War II, with everyone dealing with losing family members, wondering who to trust, and still needing to move forward. I liked the examination of happiness in relationships vs societal expectations as well. Ginzburg comes from an Italian Jewish family and her husband was tortured to death by Nazis before the end of the war, so surely those experiences were formative to this post-war novel, even though it's not about those events per se.
This came in from my New Directions Classics Club subscription, but I picked it off my shelf to read for Western Europe and the Read the World 21 challenge in Instagram....more
I saw this book on the longlist for the (USA) National Book Award for translated literature. It is translated from the French by an author who was raiI saw this book on the longlist for the (USA) National Book Award for translated literature. It is translated from the French by an author who was raised in various countries, including France and South Korea.
After I saw it on the long list, I found it in Hoopla, and realized it was a short book that I could probably read quickly. It is in fragments and vignettes as well, about a young woman who works in a seasonal hotel, out of season on the border with North Korea. A French comic book artist comes for a visit and the story goes from there. There is a lot about the body and how it is seen by the self and others. I would have liked a longer story but perhaps the mood of it works best in its shortness....more
This novel is about one day for an Argentinian writer who travels to Uruguay to benefit from the exchange rate and to meet up with a woman he met at aThis novel is about one day for an Argentinian writer who travels to Uruguay to benefit from the exchange rate and to meet up with a woman he met at a conference. He of course has a family at home, but suspects his wife has been having an affair. Most of the novel takes place in Montevideo, which is a daytrip via ferry from Buenos Aires.
This is translated by Jennifer Croft. I wonder how many languages she can translate from!...more
I was glad to read Catch the Rabbit during the Balkans month of the Readtheworld21 challenge, plus the exyulit celebration, both in Instagram. And it I was glad to read Catch the Rabbit during the Balkans month of the Readtheworld21 challenge, plus the exyulit celebration, both in Instagram. And it had just showed up last month or so because of my Restless Books subscription! Good timing.
The story is starting to sound familiar, and I think it's because it resonates with the experience of so many- relocating because of the war and forced moves of so many populations in the former Yugoslavia, and finding a reason to return as an adult, without feeling at home with the people, language, or culture, in fact being immediately identifiable by using the old consonants, etc.
Sara left for Dublin 12 years ago and hasn't been in touch with her childhood friend Lejla since. But with one phone call, Lejla pulls her into a road trip to Vienna. This may not seem like a story that fits the return-home trope I mentioned, but in many ways her childhood is most embodied in this person.
The novel is translated by the author and has a few typos, plus each chapter starts with a bracket that never closes, so there are a few challenges for the reader. The ending is another challenge. Still it does feel contemporary and was a nice addition to my Europe 2021 project....more
The Divorce tells about a recently divorced man on vacation in Buenos Aires. One afternoon he encounters a series of the most magical coincidences. WhThe Divorce tells about a recently divorced man on vacation in Buenos Aires. One afternoon he encounters a series of the most magical coincidences. While sitting at an outdoor café, absorbed in conversation with a talented video artist, he sees a young man riding by on a bicycle get thoroughly drenched by a downpour of water—seemingly from rain caught the night before in the overhead awning. The video artist knows the cyclist, who knew a mad hermetic sculptor whose family used to take the Hindu God Krishna for walks in the neighborhood.
This was more whimsical than the other books I've read in translation from this author, but pleasantly so. And at only 100 pages, it's a quick read. This means I read it within a week from its arrival via the New Classics Club from New Directions, which I pay for....more
Jhumpa Lahiri moved to Italy in 2011 and it shifted her writing life as well. This book was published in Italy in 2018 as "Dove mi trovo," which transJhumpa Lahiri moved to Italy in 2011 and it shifted her writing life as well. This book was published in Italy in 2018 as "Dove mi trovo," which translates as "Where I find myself." It was translated into English by the author and published in 2021.
I read it because it was selected for the summer Camp ToB for the Tournament of Books. The audio is only 3.5 hours so the print must be very short.
It feels like Cusk or Levy or anyone who writes short autofiction. It's composed of short slice of life pieces from the point of of view of a woman living in Italy. They form a picture of a whole but I'm not sure how memorable any one piece is. At the same time, as I read this I kept wishing I wrote about my own life this way, at least just for myself. And maybe autofiction isn't quite the right label, maybe observational fiction is more appropriate. ...more
"In Mexico City, a young mother is writing a novel of her days as a translator living in New York. In Harlem, a translator is desperate to publish the"In Mexico City, a young mother is writing a novel of her days as a translator living in New York. In Harlem, a translator is desperate to publish the works of Gilberto Owen, an obscure Mexican poet. And in Philadelphia, Gilberto Owen recalls his friendship with Lorca, and the young woman he saw in the windows of passing trains."
I loved Lost Children Archive by this author, which she wrote in English, and I think you can see early evidence of that author here - themes of husband and two children, the imagined lives of author/scholars she is interacting with, interweaving narratives. I think LCA is the better book, but this was enjoyable enough.
Each of these narrators interacts with even more known names and there is this sense that maybe they are really there, but also maybe not. And all the narratives connect in unexpected ways. With the young boy's ghost obsession, it makes that question more complicated. Owen is friends with Lorca, but also Homer & Langley, Nella Larsen, etc. The young translator sees her husband as Owen even though their places in time are not the same. And so on. A lot of the dropped names will be more enjoyable if you recognize them - I would say I knew 3/4, and that's pretty good, thank goodness I read Doctorow's Homer & Langley at some point eh.
This is translated by Christina MacSweeney so would be a great Women in Translation Month title to read later this year - she also has to try to show multiple translations from English to Spanish in the original as variants in English again, very heady. I wonder how different the writing process is when you switch from writing in Spanish to writing in English. I've picked up from conversation around Moreno-Garcia that it is far more lucrative to publish in English and hard to break into publishing in Mexico....more
Jenny (Reading Envy)
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