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.

Bookstack

I’m back on my library book tower building ways!!! This stack is #LiteraryFifteen inspired.

🏆 Ursula K. Le Guin
The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell
Drinking From Graveyard Wells by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu

🏆 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation
Your Wish Is My Command by Deena Mohamed
The Fawn by Magda Szabo
The Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes
What Have You Left Behind? by Bushra Al-Maqtari
Ti Amo by Hanne Ørstavik
A Line In The World: A Year On The North Sea Coast by Dorthe Nors

🏆 Aspen Words
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez

Friendly reminder that Literary Fifteen 2024 is live! The book is for the 2024 longlist (and more books are incoming).

🏆 Jhalak
The Secret Diaries Of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph
Onyeka And The Academy Of The Sun by Tolá Okogwu
I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel

🏆 Jhalak & OCM Bocas
When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

🏆 NBA Translated Fiction
The Most Secret Memory Of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
Abyss by Pilar Quintana

🏆 Nebula & Ursula K. Le Guin
Spear by Nicola Griffith

🏆 Carol Shields
Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades

Leaning onto this stack are today’s purchases: The Antiquarian Sticker Book and The Botanist’s Sticker Anthology. Stickers intended to add that bit of art you need some days when you do not have it in you to draw or paint something yourself.

As for my Literary Fifteen status I’ve completed 8 out of 15 prompts. This stack would allow me to catch up on most of the prompts I have yet to read from: OCM Bocas (I’m working on OCM Bocas as I’m reading my way through Moon Witch Spide King by Marlon James. It is brutal as always but I’m enjoying being back with Sogolon and having James open a new world that deserves is own series in each chapter), Carol Shields, Jhalak, Ursula K. Le Guin.

AKO Caine I’m planning to read all the stories – just like last year – which are available through their website. It was a delight and exploration of different ways to tell a story.

For the Stella and JCB there are no books available for me so I’m guessing I will have to give up or figure out which one to buy. Any suggestions or disappointments?

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!

Warwick prize for WIT buzz

I’ve been browsing the 153 submitted books for this year’s Warwick Prize For Women In Translation and I think there is potential for a really good longlist.

I have read 5 of the books and I think all of them could make it to the longlist, it all depends on what the judges are after. And even if none of them make the longlist I definitely think it is books you should check out in case you are looking for translated fiction.

🇳🇴 Is mother dead by Vigdis Hjorth – A daughter obsesses over her mother as she returns home to Norway after years away.
One of my favourite’s of this year and one I would have selected for the International Booker shortlist. I would be really happy if it makes it onto another longlist because then more readers can discover Hjorth which is an author that always captivates me.

🇸🇪 A system so magnificent it is blinding by Amanda Svensson – Thriplets spread out over the world, all of them struggling in their own way and about to face a secret hidden since the day they were born.
It was an interesting read, it was not on my shortlist for International Booker, although I liked it better than some that did make it. Being a fan of new books on shortlist I do not wish for it to make it to the Warwick longlist but I also wouldn’t object.

🇪🇸 Boulder by Eva Baltasar – Boulder follows her love Samsa to Reykjavik, where Samsa decides she wants to have a child, about lust, sense of self and motherhood.
Short but has a lot to say and I can see why it made the International Booker shortlist. I found it both enchanting and distant, it stood out with its richer language.

🇯🇵 Scattered all over the earth by Yoko Tawada – In a world forever changed by climate disaster people’s language and place in the world has changed forever.
I read this one to get a feel for Ursula K. Le Guin Prize last year and it did not disappoint, but it also had some things that annoyed me and that I struggled to let go of (silly because it is after all fiction). I think there are a lot of worthwhile themes explored and would not be surprised if it is included on the longlist.

🇸🇪 Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius – A young Sámi girl happens open a man who has murdered her reindeer and is threatened to silence, as we follow Elsa the colonialism and oppression of Swedish society becomes abundantly clear.
This isn’t a literary book so I do not think it would win, but it is an important book raising indigenous rights in northern Europe while also being appreciated by international readers. I think it would be a good choice to include in a longlist such as Warwick.

Warwick prize for Women In Translation – submissions 2023

As we are about to enter July, I’m getting excited about the bookish happenings in August. We have the announcement of Booker (which I know will get me, not because of the prize, but because of people’s enthusiasm over the books – that prize has nothing to offer in comparison to its bookish fan base) and it is Women In Translation month.

The somewhat mysterious Warwick prize for Women In Translation recently released their list of submissions (the only prize that I know of that does this). As I want more bookish buzz for more literary prizes there is now a list of all submissions on Goodreads, thanks to Bookstagrammer @bitterpurl for adding books when I reached my maximum of 100 books. I hope you use it for prediction posts and finding inspiration for reading women in translation in August.

A quick glance at what the submission list has to offer:
153 books
32 languages

My personal stats on the submission list:
5 books read
6 books owned
2 books borrowed from the library

Are you excited for women in translation? Warwick? Booker? Something else entirely?