Women in Translation Month
Motherhood, the patriarchy and abuse of power: 10 recommendations for 'Women in Translation Month'
Welcome to a little bonus edition of ‘Martha’s Monthly’! (as I promised in my July Reads.)
August is ‘Women in Translation’ Month. It is an annual celebration of women writers from around the world, writing in languages other than English. Less than 31% of translations into English are written by women.1
While I have read plenty of translated books written by women in the last year, I have chosen ten favourites to recommend to you today. These books have a range in genre and span across nine countries. This list is dominated by authors from South America and Europe, with one from Asia.
This two continent domination is reflective of the translation industry as a whole, which translates significantly more books from some continents than others. Translations take significant time, money and resources and these are factors that are more readily available in some languages than others. It is always a work in progress and I believe deeply in the industry - it will only continue to expand.
To read the recommendations from last year’s ‘Women in Translation’ Month, click here. Or to access ‘Martha’s Map’ which maps of all the translated literature I have read, click here.
‘Cousins’ by Aurora Venturini is a strange story about four women from an impoverished, dysfunctional family in Argentina who are forced to suffer through a series of ordeals and misfortunes at the hands of the men around them. ‘Cousins’ is an unapologetic exploration of female identity, family dynamics and the power of art. This book is both horrifying and funny in equal measure. It is not one I would recommend to many, but if you enjoy weird and freaky books, you will really enjoy this. My full review can be found here.
To Read If: You enjoy Eva Baltasar, Ottessa Moshfegh, Elena Ferrante or Mariana Enriquez. You enjoy stories that are unhinged, weird, full of twisted humour and are slightly grotesque. You enjoy books that are dark and confronting, that explore topics like misogyny, abuse or disability. You enjoy reading about deeply dysfunctional families because it makes you feel better about yours, or you feel like you don’t read enough weird and bold fiction. You like provocative novels and would be interested in reading a dark, twisted and outrageous version of ‘Little Women’. You also think art is powerful.
‘The Twilight Zone’ by Nona Fernández is an engrossing and powerful novel about the Pinochet dictatorship and the historical erasure of crimes. ‘The Twilight Zone’ was a gripping read, I flew through it. It discusses a part of Chilean history that I knew nothing about and I learnt so much. Fernández writes such an unsettling and fascinating account of life under the Pinochet dictatorship, full of emotion and unflinching in its discussion of the sudden disappearances of people at the hands of the secret police. Formatted in a unique and experimental way, Fernández questions; how do crimes vanish in plain sight? My full review can be found here.
To Read If: You are interested in learning more about the Pinochet dictatorship or you enjoy reading about dictatorships in general. You have an appetite for learning about history through fiction. You have previously enjoyed ‘1984’ by George Orwell or any books about surveillance states. You don’t know anything about Chile and you want to change that. You are interested in the emotional and psychological impact on a society living amongst secret police. You enjoy books that explore morality and justice. You are intrigued by stories that use a variety of lenses to view a story. You believe pop culture and politics are intimately linked, and are interested in how politics impacts video games and music.
‘December Breeze’ by Marvel Moreno is an expansive and feminist novel that explores womanhood, religion and class in 1950s society in Colombia. ‘December Breeze’ is a dense but poetic political novel. It follows three women who are subjected to punishing romantic and familial relationships with men who ruin their lives in devastating ways. Moreno writes a breathtaking cultural analysis on womanhood in a conservative region in Colombia, exploring the city of Barranquilla’s sexual violence, misogyny, classism and racism in sharp unrelenting detail. Despite the intensity of the novel, it is full of empathy and very funny. I enjoyed reading this so much last year, and felt so grateful that Europa Editions had picked this up and translated it so it could have a new lease of life. My full review can be found here.
To Read If: You enjoy generational stories and family sagas. Stories that explore womanhood, particularly womanhood under patriarchal, conservative and religious societies. You enjoy books that explore 1950s society, and have always wanted to know more about society in Colombia. If you have previously read and enjoyed any of Gabriel García Márquez’s work (Moreno and Márquez were friends). You think you’d enjoy a cultural analysis on the lives of women under religious conservatism. You often think about how generational, embedded in humanity’s DNA, misogyny is and how this affects women throughout their entire lives. You enjoy books that are feminist and full of discussion about equality. You enjoy exuberant, sprawling and poignant writing.
‘Land of Snow and Ashes’ by Petra Rautiainen is a novel that explores the devastating consequences of war, the power of secrets and hidden identities. We follow our protagonist Inkeri to remote Finnish Lapland in 1947 to find out what happened to her husband. It is an absorbing thriller about a less well known aspect of the Second World War. Before reading ‘Land of Snow and Ashes’ I had never come across The Sámi people in any accounts of the war, or any commentary on the Lapland War. Similar to ‘The Twilight Zone’, this novel is full of history that taught me a lot. It was addictive to read, and completely harrowing. It was so good and I have never seen anyone else read this - please, someone read this. My full review can be found here.
To Read If: You enjoy historical fiction, thrillers, feeling unsettled whilst you read, learning about different cultures, stories full of secrets and lies, mystery and the good and the bad of humanity. You have never heard of The Sámi people. You wonder if all mysteries need to be solved? Is it empowering or damaging to uncover incredibly horrific secrets? Are there things better left unsaid? How do people move on from something they so desperately want to forget? You have wondered what living in the Arctic Circle might be like. You enjoy plotted epics.
‘The Details’ by Ia Genberg is a provocative exploration of the human experience, identity and the power of connection. The book consists of letters written to four people who have shaped our protagonist throughout her life. She writes to an ex-girlfriend, a forgotten friend, an old lover and a woman who is consumed by her own anxiety. The small details of the letters create a portrait of our protagonist's life, as it questions the nature of relationships and how we tell stories. The result is a mesmerising exploration of human relationships and the power of memory. Deeply literary and contemplative, ‘The Details’ was a lovely read. My full review can be found here.
To Read If: You enjoy Rachel Cusk and learning about the narrator of a novel through the portraits of others and how they interact with them. If you are interested in how relationships with others intimately affect our lives and who we are. If you enjoy explorations of human relationships and the power of memory. Equally, if you enjoy Sally Rooney’s writing and her exploration of how our relationships and friendships shape our lives. You often think about life as a collection of all the people we surround ourselves with. You love introspective and contemplative novels. You are equally horrified and fascinated with the statement that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with.
‘Cocoon’ by Zhang Yueran is full of layered storytelling as it explores themes of generational trauma, friendship and the enduring power of hope in the face of adversity and communist rule. ‘Cocoon’ tells the story of the generation that came after The Cultural Revolution trying to come to terms with China's past. Two childhood friends learn about a mystery that connects their grandparents. Yueran skilfully explores the confusion, complexity and brutality of life under Mao Zedong. This was a devastating and unique read. I really enjoyed the perspective Yueran explored of the societal aftermath of The Cultural Revolution and how this is interpreted and understood by the generations that come after. My full review can be found here.
To Read If: You are interested in learning about The Cultural Revolution and the society Mao Zedong (Chairman Mao) created in China under his rule. You are interested in communism and the socioeconomic impact that the ideology can have on those living in a communist society. You enjoy family sagas and generational stories. You enjoy child narrators and their unique understanding and perception of political, economic and social challenges. You have never read any translated fiction from China.
‘Will And Testament’ by Vigdis Hjorth is a lyrical and complex story about the intricate and often painful relationships within families. A dispute about the family's summer houses turns bitter and Bergljot is pulled back into the family she cut ties with twenty years ago. What seems like a dispute about inheritance and favouritism turns into a family's attempt to suppress the truth; Bergljot has kept a horrible and traumatic secret since childhood. A hypnotic exploration of mistrust and misunderstanding, ‘Will and Testament’ is an unsettling and beautifully constructed story about complex family dynamics and the devastating effect of trauma on an individual. My full review can be found here
To Read If: You enjoy stories about generational trauma and complex family dynamics. You enjoy reading about dysfunctional and suffocating family dynamics, where secrets and lies have ripped families apart. If you enjoy psychoanalysing the behaviours of others or trying to intimately understand why people act a certain way. You enjoy hypnotic reads that take you inside the mind of the narrator. You enjoy novels that take their time in revealing themselves to you. You love reading about family drama.
‘Abyss’ by Pilar Quintana is about the struggles of growing up in a world where emotions are often left unspoken. ‘Abyss’ follows Claudia as she relays acute observations about her parents. Claudia is not told what has happened between her parents or why her mother wont get out of bed. However, despite not having the terminology for what's going on, Claudia demonstrates that children are incredibly perceptive and know what is happening around them. A poignant and captivating novel about the complexities of childhood, depression and the struggles of growing up. I really enjoyed reading this and I adored how Quintana explored the intense landscape of emotions for children. She captured childlike fascination with the unknown exceptionally. My full review can be found here.
To Read If: You enjoy stories that explore the impact of affixed gender roles on women living in deeply patriarchal and traditional societies. You enjoy stories that explore mental health, specifically depression, and how that can look. You like to read stories about women being suffocated by misogyny and the patriarchy, often forced into motherhood with no agency or choice. You would enjoy a child’s perspective on depression and mental illness. You enjoy stories about mothers and daughters and the intensity of that relationship. You had a childlike fascination with death because it was deemed a taboo topic by the adults around you. You are interested in the aftermath of infidelity within a family and how that plays out. You also feel like you stared into the abyss of unanswered questions as a child.
‘Boulder’ by Eva Baltasar explores the complexities of queer relationships, motherhood and the human experience. Boulder is one of the least maternal fictional characters I have ever read. She ends up in a suffocating relationship where her partner is obsessed with the idea of becoming a mother, but Boulder can’t think of anything worse. Boulder’s inability to communicate her feelings, coupled with the fascinating power dynamic within their relationship, means she gets anchored into this cosplaying of heteronormativity to appease her partner. Through their relationship, Baltasar creates a raw exploration of desire and conflict. ‘Boulder’ was such a wonderfully weird and fun read. I was completely taken aback by Baltasar’s sinister and repulsive description of pregnancy and motherhood. Deeply poetic in nature, the prose is full of lyricism and metaphors. My full review can be found here.
To Read If: You are looking to read a deeply un-maternal novel that rejects the idea of motherhood. You enjoy novels where the protagonist is struggling to communicate their feelings or understand what they want. You like to read books that explore intimacy, miscommunication and autonomy inside romantic relationships. You are looking for novels that ruminate on what it means to be a mother, particularly the perspective of queer mothers who have not given birth. You are intrigued about pregnancy being described in a repulsive and sinister way. You enjoy poetic prose and novels that sharply address societal expectations of women. You love the unhinged and disturbing. You have considered a career of being a cook on a merchant ship. You appreciate honest and unflinching discussions around motherhood/being a parent.
‘Time of the Flies’ by Claudia Piñeiro is a gripping literary crime fiction read that explores complex mother-daughter relationships and the blurred lines between right and wrong. ‘Time of the Flies’ follows the story of Inés after she is released from prison. She sets up a fumigation business with her friend, and gets to work leading a peaceful existence exterminating flies. Until, one of her clients wants her to do more than exterminate flies; she wants her to help get revenge. Inés thinks this is a straightforward opportunity, until her estranged daughter shows up. Claudia Piñeiro is one of my favourite writers and I recommend her to everyone. Piñeiro writes incredibly captivating thrillers that unflinchingly explore the relationship between motherhood and identity. My full review can be found here.
To Read If: You enjoy thrillers and suspense. You enjoy novels that explore ‘bad’ mothers or unconventional mothers. You are interested in feminist political theory; the politicisation of womanhood and motherhood. You enjoy murder, characters with a criminal past and estrangement between mothers and their children. You enjoy smoke and mirrors writing that is full of twists, turns and revenge. You are interested in learning some facts about flies and think that fumigation has the legs to be a completely feminist industry. You are bored of reading thrillers written by men that do not address the complex and nuanced lives of women and the relationships they have with other women; mothers, daughters and friends.
My upcoming ‘August Reads’ will also be full of women in translation recommendations, as I have made sure to only read translated books written by women this month.
Let me know which of these you are most interested in reading, or whether you have a Women in Translation recommendation for me!
Thank you, as always, for reading.
See you very soon for my ‘August Reads’.
Happy Reading! Love Martha
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That stat, along with many others, can be found here: https://www.womenintranslation.org/
Hello! I just found your substack today due to a recommendation from other person I follow here ^^ I've been checking out most of your posts and the way you explain and present these books is incredible! I've been adding most of them to my tbr solely based on your summaries! I added "Time of the flies" to my tbr yesterday so it's a fun coincidence to have it be recommended here, too! Can't wait to read some of these, thank you for putting such a nice and interesting list together!
My TBR is never safe after reading your posts 😔!!! Thank you, yet again, for such a fantastic list. Cant wait to give Time of the Flies a read