Yet another selection from my Foyles' A Year of Books (personal) book club. I absolutely loved this and even though I'd heard of Tokarczuk I had read none of her work until this one. Well I'm heading to London (and Foyles) this weekend and so will look out her other books, as well. I also … Continue reading Drive your Plough over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Tag: translated
Maybe Esther: A Family Story by Katja Petrowskaja
Given the prevalence of DNA testing to find out one's ethnic heritage, which I find bizarre by the way, many people will enjoy reading Katja Petrowskaja's story about the search for her family history. When you are searching in the killing fields of Europe, in what Professor Tim Snyder calls the 'bloodlands', the search is … Continue reading Maybe Esther: A Family Story by Katja Petrowskaja
The lady and the little fox fur by Violette Leduc, translated by Derek Coltman
Throughout my reading of this novella, I could not get Katherine Mansfield's short story "Miss Brill" out of my mind. It is not a similar story but still, the love that the old woman has for her little fox fur reminded me of the feelings that Miss Brill had for her little pieces of finery; … Continue reading The lady and the little fox fur by Violette Leduc, translated by Derek Coltman
Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck translated by Susan Bernofsky
Originally published in German in 2015, Erpenbeck's latest novel was published in English in 2017. Given the major refugee and asylum crisis in Europe of 2014, in particular, this book's publication in German was timely. Unfortunately by the time of its English publication 2017 and wider distribution in 2018 it was still vital and contemporary. If … Continue reading Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck translated by Susan Bernofsky
Familiar Things by Hwang Sok-Yong
When my husband gave me the birthday gift of 'A Year of Books' from Foyles' I chose the translated fiction category for a variety of reasons. I love reading and travelling and having lived in several countries now, and I felt that this could continue to open my reading horizons. I'm currently living in a … Continue reading Familiar Things by Hwang Sok-Yong
The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk
As a long time fan of Orhan Pamuk's writing I was thrilled that my first book in the Foyles' 'A Year of Books' was Pamuk's latest The Red-Haired Woman. I was first introduced to Pamuk with Snow which I read just before travelling to Turkey for a month in 2006. While I was in Turkey, … Continue reading The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk