As you may already know, I like to read. A lot. So for this trip, I thought it would enhance my experience to read books set in the countries I’m visiting (or books by authors from those countries). To share my reading journey with you, I started a Read Around the World series on this blog. Usually I share books inspired by a particular country or geographic area, but today, I wanted to share a different reading list to celebrate Women in Translation Month (August). Enjoy!
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
Translated from Japanese
This short, charming story of a man and his adopted cat is told partially through the cat’s perspective. I recommend to “cat people” and animal people alike. (I’m more of a dog person, and I loved the cat’s voice. He was appropriately snarky.)
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The House of the Spirits
Translated from Spanish
A modern classic, this is perhaps Isabel Allende’s best-known work. Set in an unnamed South American country (presumably based on Chile) during revolutionary times, this novel tells the story of the Trueba family with a healthy dose of magical realism.
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My Brilliant Friend
Translated from Italian
Did you know the HBO series is based on the Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante (a pseudonym)? Well, if not–you do now! My Brilliant Friend is the first book in the series (and the only one I’ve read so far), chronicling the friendship between two young girls in Naples in the 1950s.
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The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
Translated from Swedish
This was one of the first books that got me into “lighthearted” or “feel-good” fiction. I typically read dark, heavy novels, but this one was absolutely delightful. It does start with a suicide but quickly turns into a story about a Swedish woman visiting the U.S. for the first time who opens a bookstore in a non-book-crazy town in Iowa. It’s just as heartwarming as it sounds.
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Persepolis
Translated from French
And now, for one of the books that got me into graphic novels! I love a good graphic memoir, and Marjane Satrapi’s book about growing up during the Iran Revolution is probably one of the best-known in the genre. (At least to those who rarely read graphic novels, like myself.) Also, “graphic novel” seems to be a limiting term; there are also nonfiction graphic books (i.e. not novels), but “graphic books” sounds a little explicit….
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Flights
Translated from Polish
This book is the first Man Booker International Prize winner written by a Polish author (Olga Tokarczuk). It’s a book of short fiction about travels and the human body. That probably sounds weird, but it kind of is–in a good way!
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In Other Words
Translated from Italian
This nonfiction book has a fascinating premise: Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, who speaks Italian, decided to write a memoir in Italian about language learning, then have someone else translate the memoir into English. Lahiri was worried if she translated it herself, she would be tempted to make her writing sound better (as her English is stronger than her Italian). The book includes both the English and Italian versions, so it’s actually quite short (assuming you’ll only read the book in one language), and I recommend the audiobook read by Lahiri herself.
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Convenience Store Woman
Translated from Japanese
Another quick, charming story from a Japanese author. This one features a convenience store employee whose nontraditional lifestyle confounds her family. (It probably would confound her friends, too, but she doesn’t have any!) Why doesn’t she marry? Why doesn’t she have children? Why is she still working in this low-skill, low-wage job?
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Fever Dream
Translated from Spanish
The title describes the contents of this book so well. I don’t actually think I understood this book, but I liked it anyway. So there’s that. Plus, it’s short! So you might as well give it a whirl and see if you can discern the workings of Schweblin’s probably-genius mind.
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Like Water for Chocolate (translated from Spanish) also deserves a mention here, but I’ve already raved about it in a previous Read Around the World post, and I’m trying not to repeat titles. (For now, at least.)
What are you favorite translated books by women? Leave your recommendations in the comments!
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Feature photo: La Increíble Librería, Mexico City
I only just heard of Women in Translation Month this year while simultaneously, accidentally, reading a book that I think qualifies, haha. The Girl in the Tree by Şebnem İşigüzel (Turkish), translated by Mark David Wyers (thanks to Netgalley). I’m only 10% in, but so far I’d recommend 🙂
Sweet! I don’t have any Turkish books on this list, so that’s good for me to consider. 😉 Thanks for sharing!