Women in Translation Month

August is 'Women in Translation' month. Here are my recommendations.

August is Women in Translation month! Translated fiction is such a rich and under appreciated genre. It is an opportunity to read beyond the barriers and completely submerge yourself in alternative cultures and worlds. It’s fun and exciting, represents discovery and challenges your view of the world. It is also a genre which can be dominated by men, which is why Women in Translation Month is so important. Some of the best publishers for translated fiction are; Fitzcarraldo Editions, Charco Press, Granta, Tilted Axis Press and Europa Editions. These publishers are really reliable for accessible translated fiction. Their websites offer so many translated works if nothing on this list is to your fancy. To honour this month, here are my Women in Translation recommendations. I have also included some other translated works by women which are on my reading radar and I am itching to get round to.

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Recommendations:

‘Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982’ by Cho Nam-Joo - The story of Jiyoung from childhood to adulthood and how she navigates the world of misogyny and patriarchy.

‘A Little Luck’ by Claudia Piñeiro - A woman who has completely changed her identity returns home, to suburban Argentina, after she fled to escape a dreadful accident 20 years ago.

‘Elena Knows’ by Claudia Piñeiro - A unique tale of a mother determined to find her daughters killer.

‘When I sing, Mountains Dance’ by Irene Solà - A paean to the land of the Pyrenees mountain range and the interconnectedness between all living things.

‘My Pen is the Wing of a Bird’ by 18 Afghan Women - A collection of short stories that are both unique and universal to life in Afghanistan. Stories of family, work, childhood, friendship, war, gender identity and cultural traditions.

‘Havana Year Zero’ by Karla Suárez - The year is 1993. Cuba is at the height of the Special Period, a widespread economic crisis following the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Julia seeks out to prove the telephone was invented in Havana, convinced it is the answer to secure their reputations and give Cuba a purpose.

‘Still Born’ by Guadalupe Nettel - The friendship of two young independent, career driven women in their thirties, neither of whom have built their future around the prospect of a family. The story explores their friendship, maternal ambivalence and the contradictions that make up the lived experiences of women.

‘Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead’ by Olga Tokarczuk - A woman who is regarded as grumpy and a mad recluse inserts herself into a murder investigation, as she is convinced she knows whodunit. But she is dismissed and no one is paying attention to her.

‘Almond’ by Sohn Won-Pyung - A boy who is born with a brain condition that affects his ability to feel emotions witnesses an act of violence which shatters his world. An unlikely friendship blossoms which changes his relationship with his emotions.

‘Convenience Store Woman’ by Sayaka Murata - A woman who feels she doesn’t fit in finds peace and purpose working inside a convenience store. But those around her don’t find it acceptable.

‘Disoriental’ by Négar Djavadi - The story of a girl and her family as they flee from Iran to France. We follow key moments of Iranian history, politics, and culture as they puncture the generational stories of her family with triumph and loss.

‘Dead Girls’ by Selva Almada - The story of three small-town teenage girls murdered in the 1980s that went unresolved. Three un-punishable deaths that occurred before the word ‘femicide’ was even coined. These murders are retold to weave together a portrait of gender violence in Latin America.

‘This is Not Miami’ by Fernanda Melchor - A series of devastating stories, spiralling from real events, set in and around the city of Veracruz, Mexico. These cronicás probe into the motivations of murderers and misfits.

‘The Vegetarian’ by Han Kang - A woman’s decision to become vegetarian is scrutinised, vilified and sexualised by those around her.

‘The Employees’ by Olga Ravn - A workplace novel of the 22nd Century, set on a ship miles away from Earth. Structured as a series of witness statements complied by workplace commission, it wields a fist at corporate productivity in an imaginative way.

‘The Memory Police’ by Yoko Ogawa - On an unnamed island, objects are disappearing. Most of the island’s inhabitants are oblivious to these changes. A few who do remember the lost objects live in fear of the Memory Police, who want them to remain forgotten forever.

If I had to pick just one recommendation out of this entire list, it would be ‘Disoriental’ by Négar Djavadi. It is such a powerful and insightful historical novel with a rich array of themes. It’s remarkable and devastating, educational and fascinating. I hardly ever see it recommended or discussed which I find insane because it was one of the best books I read last year.

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On My Reading Radar:

• ‘Tomb of Sand’ by Geetanjali Shree

• ‘From Another World’ by Evelina Santangelo

• ‘Paradais’ by Fernanda Melchor

• ‘Boulder’ by Eva Baltasar

• ‘The Hour of the Star’ by Clarice Lispector

• ‘Of Cattle and Men’ by Ana Paula Maia

• ‘The Queue’ by Basma Abdel Aziz

• ‘So Distant From My Life’ by Monique Ilboudo

• ‘The Last Quarter of the Moon’ by Chi Zijian

I really hope there is at least one book on here that can inspire you to read some translated fiction this August! I am hoping to get round to reading ‘Boulder’ by Eve Baltasar this month as everyone who has read it won’t stop telling me how great it is.

Happy Reading! Love Martha