International Booker excerpts review

Having ranked the books based on their first lines I was curious to see if the impression remained the same after reading the excerpts on the prize website. The inspiration for this post comes from BookTuber Charlotte R Malloy.

Undiscovered – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This does not pull any punches in the opening paragraphs. It is honest and to the point about many of the things that are wrong in today’s society. I’m very intrigued!

Lost on me – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Really liking the prospect of this! It has tone, good writing, relationship focus but within a family, mental health and politics. I want to read this!

Crooked plow – ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This feels very mysterious and ominous, I feel bad vibes oozing of the page. In comparison to the others I’ve sampled at the point I read it this appears more plot driven. Curious to see where this story goes.

The Details – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is my current read and is a book that has a distinct tone as it reflects over life and the relationships that have come and gone. I think the excerpt hints at a book that is conversational and reflective.

Kairos – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I find this similar to The Details in how it appears to reflect on relationships in the past. It has a tone that is its own, but it has aspects to it that I think might annoy me as the chapters go on. Placing it lower than The Details.

Not a river – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I suspect this will discuss masculinity, fatherhood and parenthood. I’m also getting a vibe of nature as a stand-in for mothers or women. A definite improvement compared to the first sentence.

The House On Via Gemito – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I like the reflection on a difficult relationship with a parent and how that affects you. A critical look on masculinity and violence, but at the same time the writing feels heavy to me. Like it is taking turns I’m not expecting.

The silver bone – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Direct, intense, terrifying, and with a drive. The writing is simpler compared to many of the others, yet has a purpose. These first paragraphs hit me hard.

White nights – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I like the writing and want to learn more about the characters.

What I’d rather not think about – ⭐⭐⭐💫

Disturbing and ominous, but I don’t vibe with the writing really. Willing to give it a go though because of its theme.

Mater 2-10 – ⭐⭐⭐

I enjoy the writing and I think it might go somewhere interesting. But I also don’t feel like I have to see how it ends.

A dictator calls – ⭐⭐💫

I’m not drawn in by the writing and not sure I will care to continue. For sure not a purchase. What does intrigue me a little is the references to Tirana, Moscow and politics.

Simpatía – ⭐⭐

This did not work for me, I’m a little surprised. I think I’m not that keen on men dealing with hatred of women, it is important that it happens, but it is not written for me. I also think there is a disadvantage for me to not understand the references, not the book’s fault, and I would absolutely need to give it more time than just a few paragraphs. What did intrigue me is the references to people leaving or staying, the conflict that inevitably holds. I’m also a cat person.

First line review – International Booker longlist

Inspired by BookTube I’ve read the first sentence of each International Booker longlister and this is my ranking.

1. “When I opened the suitcase and took out the knife, wrapped in a grimy old rag tied with a knot and covered in dark stains, I was just over seven years old.” – Crooked plow by Itamar Vieira Junior, translated by Johnny Lorenz. Perfection!
2. “When my father told me he hit my mother only once in twenty-three years of marriage, I didn’t even bother replying.” – The house on via Gemito by Domenico Starnone, translated by Oonagh Stransky.  Tough topic, which I like, and there is something about the tone and the history behind it that makes me want to read more.
3. “When a writer is born into a family, the family is finished, they say.” – Lost on me by Veronica Raimo, translated by Leah Janeczko. Ominous in its own way.
4. “Will you come to my funeral?” – Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann. I have so many questions.
5. “Samson was deafened by the sound of the saber striking his father’s head.” – The Silver Bone by Andrey Kurkov, translated by Boris Dralyuk. Upsetting and hard to read as someone who has immense grief around losing my father.
6. “On the day his wife left the country, Ulises Kan decided to get himself a dog.” – Simpatía by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, translated by Noel Hernández González and Daniel Hahn. Why did the wife leave a guy that likes dogs?
7. “The strangest thing about being alone here in Paris, in an anthropology museum gallery more or less beneath the Eiffel Tower, is the thought that all these statuettes that look like me were wrenched from my country by a man whose last name I inherited.” – Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener, translated by Julia Sanches. I did not see that last punch coming.
8. “A house like a chicken coop, so that if you leaned on it or kicked at it, all the planks would fall to the ground, and some would break in half, everything rotten.” – White nights by Urszula Honek, translated by Kate Webster. I’m very concerned for this house.
9. “Yi Jino set up his toilet on the opposite side of the catwalk, as far away from his tent as possible.” – Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae. I’m confused but intrigued.
10. “After a few days of the virus in my body I come down with a fever, which is followed by an urge to return to a particular novel.” – The details by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson. Peculiar and quirky and my current read.
11. “Waterboarding, I told my mother.” – What I’d rather not think about by Jente Posthuma, translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey. Yeah, I didn’t not remember what waterboarding was when I first read this.
12. “Enero Rey, standing firm on the boat, stocky and beardless, swollen-bellied, legs astride, stares hard at the surface of the river and waits, revolver in hand.” – Not a river by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott. I’m worried we are in for some anti-fatness my friends.
13. “The stop is on the right-hand side of the street.” – A dictator calls by Ismail Kadare, translated by John Hodgson. … …. …. Ok.

Which one is your favourite and least favourite? What are you reading (International Booker or not)?

International Booker – publisher predictions #2

There might be 3 major publishers that take up most of the longlist spots, but the International Booker would be nothing without the never-heard-of-awesome-translated-fic that shows up on announcement day.

And other stories

The past 3 years, And other stories have had 1 book on the longlist each year. Eligible books:

• Veridgris by Michele Mari, translated from Italian by Brian Robert Moore.
• The hunger of women by Marosia Castaldi, translated from Italian by Jamie Richards.
• Star 111 by Lutz Seiler, translated from German by Tess Lewis.
• You, bleeding childhood by Michele Mari, translated from Italian by Brian Robert Moore.
• Shalash, the Iraqi by Salash, translated from Arabic by Luke Leafgren.

Out of these I would pick Shalash, the Iraqi as my longlister. Its origin as scattered blog posts, the importance of storytelling in times of war, would make it an important and unfortunately relevant longlister.

Charco press

Since 2018 Charco Press has had 1 book on the longlist every other year. If the pattern continues then there will be 1 Charco press on this year’s longlist.

• Fresh dirt from the grave by Giovanna Rivero, translated by Juana Adcock.
• A little luck by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle.
• Confession by Martín Kohan, translated by Daniel Hahn.
• The delivery by Margarita García Robayo, translated by Megan McDowell.
• Not a river by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott.
• The dark side of skin by Jeferson Tenório, translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato.

I love the darker vibes of Fresh dirt from the grave so this would be my pick for the longlist.

Honford star

The past 2 years Honford star has had 1 book on the longlist.

• Your Utopia by Bora Chung, translated from Korean by Anton Hur.
• Cannibals by Shinya Tanaka, translated from Japanese by Kalau Almony.
• Finger bone by Hiroki Takahashi, translated from Japanese by Takami Nieda.
• Launch something by Bae Myung-hoon, translated from Korean by Stella Kim.

I loved Cursed Bunny and it is a big part in how I got attached to International Booker, in fact that entire year the longlist was fantastic. So of course I want to see Bora Chung make it onto the longlist!

Lolli editions

Lolli editions missed out on last year’s longlist but had 1 book in 2022 and 2021.

• Tityrus by Duncan Wiese, translated from Danish by Max Minden Ribeiro and Sam Riviere.
• Eunuch by Kristina Carlson, translated from Finnish by Mikko Alapuro.
• My work by Olga Ravn, translated from Danish by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell.
• Sublunar by Harald Voetmann, translated from Danish by Johanne Sorgenfri Ottosen.

I’m going with the popular pick that everyone else is making – My work by Olga Ravn!

Picador Pan Macmillan

Has the same track record as Lolli editions. Their website is an equal to Penguin’s so I can’t be bothered to dig through for potentially eligible books.

Pushkin press

Looking at the past 4 years, the average for Pushkin press is 1 book per year. They had zero books in 2022 but made up for it with 2 books in 2021.

• Harlequin Butterfly by Toh EnJoe, translated by David Boyd.
• 19 claws and black bird by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses.
• Glorious people by Sasha Salzmann, translated by Imogen Taylor.
• Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson, translated by Saskia Vogel.
• The wizard of the Kremlin by Giuliano da Empoli, translated by Willard Wood.

I probably will not surprise anyone by saying I want Ædnan and 19 claws and black bird to make it to the longlist. Leaving out Ædnan will be a devastating blow to my trust in International Booker. This is the one prediction I had to not think about as soon as I saw that it was eligible.

Tilted Axis press

Came out of nowhere with 3 longlisted books in 2022 and surprised many by having zero longlisters in 2023. Is it time for another appearance?

• The end of August by Yu Miri, translated from Japanese by Morgan Giles
• A book, untitled by Shushan Avagyan, translated from Armenian by Deanna Cachoian-Schanz
• DD’s umbrella by Hwang Jungeun, translated from Korean by E. Yaewon
• To hell with poets by Baqytgul Sarmekova, translated from Kazakh by Mirgul Kali

I have to go with one of the few eligible books I own – The end of August.

World editions

Increased their appearance by having 1 longlisted book in 2023 and 2021.

• Fowl eulogies by Lucie Rico, translated from French by Daria Chernysheva
• The drinker of horizons by Mia Couto, translated from Portugese by David Brookshaw
• Selamlik by Khaled Alesmael, translated from Arabic by Leri Price

I’m picking The drinker of horizons, even though it appears to be part of a series.

Disclaimer

Same as the last prediction post.

Do not trust me.

International Booker anticipation stack

A stack of mostly library books as I impatiently wait for International Booker longlist announcement on Monday.

🇧🇷 Of cattle and men by Ana Paula Maia, translated into English by Zoë Perry. Edit: this was eligible last year.

🇺🇸 Postcolonial love poem by International Booker judge Natalie Diaz

🇫🇷  🇸🇳 Vengeance is mine by Marie NDiaye, translated into English by Jordan Stump

🇸🇪 🇮🇷 The singularity by Balsam Karam in the original Swedish

🇦🇷 19 claws and a black bird Agustina Bazterrica, translated into English by Sarah Moses

🇺🇸 When my brother was an Aztec by IB judge Natalie Diaz

🇸🇪 The details by Ia Genberg in its original Swedish

🇸🇪 Hunter in Huskvarna by Sara Stridsberg in its original Swedish

🇮🇸 The mark by Frída Ísberg, translated into Swedish by Arvid Nordh

🇳🇴 The wolves of eternity by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated into Swedish by Staffan Söderblom

🇸🇪 Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson in the original Swedish

🇯🇵 The end of August by Yu Miri, translated into English by Morgan Giles

Have you read any of these? Which ones would you want to see on the longlist on Monday?

Your wish is my command by Deena Mohamed

Translated from Arabic by the author

🏆Literary Fifteen 2023 – winner of Warwick Women in translation prize

Synopsis

This translated graphic novel follows three people who live in a world where wishes are for sale. Wishes are of course heavily regulated and the more expensive ones are more powerful and accurate.

As it happens, there are three first class wishes being sold at a kiosk in Cairo. When Aziza loses her husband and buys herself a wish the full force of bureaucracy comes after her. Nour is a student from a wealthy background who secretly struggles with depression and contemplates how and if a wish could be the solution. For Shokry it is a question of religious convictions when he tries to figure out how to help a friend who doesn’t want to use their wish.

Thoughts

This was such a treat! As a non-Arabic reader it was a gift to experience reading the book in a different order than I’m used to. It really shows that whatever way you are used to reading, there are other ways. A beautiful connection between graphic novel, translation and formatting.

All characters had something important to say and show the reader. The story itself made me reflect on privilege, capitalism, international politics, and colonialism. 

If you are looking for a graphic novel that tackles difficult topics this one comes highly recommended.

International Booker – publisher predictions #1

Many have joked about a certain blue-covered publisher making frequent appearances on the International Booker longlist, which inspired me to take a deeper look at publisher’s track records. Countrary to popular belief, there are actually 3 publishers likely to make an appearance on each year’s longlist.

Fitzcarraldo Editions

Their blue covers appear on the longlist on all years, except in 2016. You can basically count on there being 1 book from them, or more likely 2.

Eligible books for this year’s longlist are:

• Mild vertigo by Mieko Kanai, translated from Japanese by Polly Barton.
• The annual banquet of the gravedigger’s guild by Mathias Enard, translated from French by Frank Wynne. Mathias Enard was longlisted in 2017. The translator is more frequent on the International Booker scene with 3 past longlistings.
• A shining by Jon Fosse, translated from Norwegian by Damion Searls. At 56 or 48 pages depending on edition it might be too short to meet the criteria of “long-form fiction”. But, I did my homework and A cup of rage by Raduan Nassar with its 64 pages was longlisted in 2016. Jon Fosse has been longlisted twice, both times with Damion Searls as translator, and won the Nobel prize in 2023.
• The singularity by Balsam Karam, translated from Swedish by Saskia Vogel.
• The book of all lovers by Agustín Fernández Mallo, translated from Spanish by Thomas Bunstead.

From this list I would be happy to see Mild Vertigo, and The singularity, on the longlist. I would say The annual banquet of the gravedigger’s guild and The book of all lovers have that fuzzy type of synopsis that International Booker loves, but that makes my focus wander.

Hachette

Through its imprints MacLehose Press and Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Hachette is another publisher with a solid record that has an average of over 1 book per longlist. It started out strong with 2 books on the longlist the first couple of years but then fell into a slump, missing the longlist or getting 1 book in there. Hachette is however back in force after last year’s 3 books (Time shelter, Standing heavy, and Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv). Out of the two imprints MacLehose Press is the most frequent, with Weidenfeld & Nicolson making its first appearance last year.

Rudely I’m excluding all genre fiction which means crime fiction (Oliver Bottini, Åsa Larsson, and Karin Smirnoff), and fantasy (Jin Yong). Although these are some of my favourite genres so I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong. Eligible books:

• Hunter in Huskvarna by Sara Stridsberg, translated from Swedish by Deborah Bragan-Turner. Both author and translator have been longlisted together in the past for The faculty of dreams.
• Nothing belongs to you by Natacha Appanah, translated from French by Jeffrey Zuckerman.
• The movieteller by Hernan Rivera Letelier, translated from Spanish by Margaret Jull Costa. The fact that it isn’t on the list of eligible books on Goodreads makes me wonder if I’m missing something. Maybe it is considered too “commercial”? The translator has one previous longlisting.
• Vengeance is mine by Marie NDiaye, translated from French by Jordan Stump. This would be the second longlisting for the pair, they were previously longlisted for Ladivine.
• Canoes by Maylis de Kerangal, translated from French by Jessica Moore. The duo has been longlisted once before for Mend the living in 2016.
• The silver bone by Andrey Kurkov, translated from Russian by Boris Dralyuk. Kurkov was longlisted last year for Jimi Hendrix live in Lviv.
• Your absence is darkness by Jón Kalman Stefánsson, translated from Icelandic by Philip Roughton. The duo were longlisted in 2017 for Fish have no feet.
• Before the queen falls asleep by Huzama Habayeb, translated from Arabic by Kay Heikkinen.
• And the stones cry out by Clara Dupont-Monod, translated from French by Ben Faccini
• The physics of sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov, translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel. Last year’s winning author and translator with Time shelter.

Out of this very long list I would want to see Before the queen falls asleep, Vengeance is mine, and The stones cry out make it.

Penguin

The first couple of years this was the prize’s Fitzcarraldo, having a record of 5 longlisted books in 2017. Their track record includes 5 imprints.

Penguin definitely wins the prize this year for having websites so annoying I couldn’t find a single eligible book.

Disclaimer

This is based on my skills when using an online Excelish sheet and the limited information available about some imprints. If you use this post to make your predictions and they are off, causing you to lose standing in the bookish community, I can not be held responsible.

Literary Fifteen 2024

A reading challenge sampling 15 literary awards and hopefully finding some of your best reads in 2024.

The prizes will take you to several places around the world and offers translated fiction, poetry, non-fiction, short stories, fantasy, political novels, queer lit and much more. The prompts & literary prizes:

1. Aspen Words – longlist is already here!!!

2. Dublin Literary Award

3. OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature

4. International Booker

5. Carol Shields Prize for Fiction

6. Jhalak Prize

7. Lambda Literary Award

8. Ignyte Awards

9. AKO Caine Prize for African Writing

10. The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction

11. Polari Book Prize

12. JCB Prize for Fiction

13. National Book Award for Translated Fiction

14. Warwick Prize for Women in Translation

15. Award of your choice

Rules:
Read (or DNF) at least one story nominated for a literary award.

If you want more, read for 2 or more prizes. Or read 1 or more for a prize.

It doesn’t matter how much you read – any level of participation counts. Read as much or little as you want to – read because you want to.
PS. This is also a reminder to myself to not try to do it all even when you shouldn’t.

Which prize are you most looking forward to in 2024? Which prize would you pick for no 15? Curious to know even if you do not join the challenge!

Cold as hell by Lilja Sigurđadóttir

Tr. by Sara Lindberg into Swedish

🇮🇸 Iceland

Áróra is forced to return to Iceland as her sister Ísafold appears to have gone missing for a couple of weeks. The sisters are no longer on speaking terms but their mother convinces Áróra to reach out once again. Áróra’s search for her sister means confronting Ísafold’s violent boyfriend Björn and raising questions to the neighbours who have their own reasons for not being forthcoming.

In my current not-much-reading state I have found a returning interest for crime fiction. A genre that has always drawn me in, is my mom’s favourite genre and therefore filled with a child’s nostalgia of closeness to a parent, but at the same time pushed me away due to its overuse of harmful stereotypes. Reading it again I’m struck by how the stereotypes are exaggerated but the same as in all types of fiction. Is the criticism towards crime fiction based in it being more dangerous? More extreme and therefore more likely to sway the public’s mind? Or is the criticism sharper because this is a genre that is more accessible to many? Aimed at a group that is not fancy pants readers? Why do we criticise the genre rather than the stereotype?

This was an interesting book that has multiple threads running alongside each other. Life is often many things at once and it left me feeling Áróra was more real than most single-minded characters on a mission. I think the pondering of relationships, to people and place, adds investment into Ísafold and Áróra.

This is an author that has sparked my interest because of the way stereotypes are used in the book. At times I was concerned for the path the book was taking. I think there are a lot of interesting discussions to be had about this book’s use of stereotypes. Was it successful? Did it still miss the mark somewhat? Is that the book or is it a much larger discussion? For me it is clear the author is very aware of various notions in people’s minds and knows how to use that to weave a story. It leaves me curious to see what else the author has written. It is definitely refreshing to identify an awareness of the genre and its most common pitfalls.

Morning reading 📚☕

Inspired by my new-found love for reading vlogs on BookTube I wanted to do a reading update on my current reads.

The way spring arrives
I’ve finished the first story called The Stars We Raised by Xiu Xinyu (tr. Judy Yi Zhou). As the title reveals, in this story stars play a significant role. Stars appear and are “raised” by kids on a yearly basis for a couple of months until the stars are sold by the parents. We follow our narrator and the outcast Jiang Yang as they grew from kids to young adults. I liked the story, I viewed it as a comment on our society and the way we use things without care or consideration.

Jawbone
I’ve finished the first chapter and Fernanda is certainly in trouble. I suspect this will be a book where we get told the current situation and what came before it until it all explodes into some final scenes. High hopes for this being amazing.

Motherland by Paula Ramón – via Netgalley
This is described as powerful memoir from a Venezuelan reporter about one woman’s complicated relationship with her family as her beloved homeland collapses into ruin. I’ve finished the introduction this morning and believe I’m in for some beautiful language and reflections on what it means to lose your home and what home even is.

I’m also finishing Victory City by Salman Rushdie. My first book by Rushdie although I remember reading The Satanic Verses on the beach as a teenager. But I don’t think I ever finished it.

Women in translation TBR

Happy first day of women in translation month!

I never do TBRs really but I’m travelling around Sweden and so had to pick 9 books to bring. After changing my mind many times and even asking for help I ended up going all in for women in translation in August.

What I packed:

🇮🇷 🇫🇷 Persepolis vol I by Marjane Satrapi – a graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

🇬🇪 🇩🇪 Bristen På Ljus [Das Manglende Licht – not yet in English translation] by Nino Haratischwili – 3 women meet again in Brussels decades after their friendship was torn apart in Tbilisi in the 1980s as the Sovet Union was falling apart.

🇨🇳 The Way Spring Arrives And Other Stories by female and nonbinary creators – A collection of Chinese sci fi and fantasy.

🇦🇷 Tender is the flesh by Agustina Bazterrica – Marcos struggles to distance himself from his work at a human meat factory.

🇪🇨 Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda – Fernanda and Annelise are so close they are practically sisters. So how does Fernanda end up bound on the floor of a deserted cabin, held hostage by one of her teachers and estranged from Annelise?

And onto my International Booker inspired books – either they made the list or I found out about them when I tried to figure out predictions.

🇲🇽 Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel – a reckoning of the complex emotions around whether or not to have children.

🇪🇸 Mothers Don’t by Katixa Agirre – Motherhood comes at a price: your own freedom.

🇻🇳 Chinatown by Thuân – As a metro grinds to a halt a woman remembers her life in Hanoi, Leningrad and France, the life of a child, student, immigrant and single mother.

🇧🇫 So Distant From My Life by Monique Ilboudo – Jeanphi, a young man from the fictional West African city Ouabany, has one obsession that will determine his life – migration.

🇬🇵 🇫🇷 The Gospel According To The New World by Maryse Condé – A miracle baby is born on Easter Sunday, rumored to be the child of God.

Have you read any of these? Are you joining in women in translation month? Which books are you reading in August?