opinionated commentary on literary matters - from the complete review

The Literary Saloon Archive

11 - 20 May 2020

11 May: Linda Boström Knausgård profile | Bookselling in ... the UK
12 May: Best Translated Books Awards shortlists | Jan Michalski Prize longlist | Translation into ... Dutch
13 May: Ockham New Zealand Book Awards | Sami Rohr Prize | Miles Franklin longlist | The Distant Lands review
14 May: Immanuel Kim Q & A | Sophie Kerr Prize finalists | Support for translation from ... the Dutch
15 May: Rolf Hochhuth (1931-2020) | Dylan Thomas Prize | Society of Authors' Awards shortlists | Vāsavadattā review
16 May: Sophie Kerr Prize | Publishing in ... (Francophone) Africa | Reading in ... the UK
17 May: Nihilist Girl review
18 May: The future of ... bookstore browsing | The Wall review
19 May: 'Corona'-books | Daniel Mendelsohn Q & A | Yiddish
20 May: European Union Prizes for Literature | Griffin Poetry Prizes | Caine Prize shortlist | Libri irodalmi díj | The Man Who Died review

go to weblog

return to main archive

       European Union Prizes for Literature

       They've announced this year's thirteen European Union Prizes for Literature.
       Rotating through practically all the European nations in a three-year cycle, these are national prizes, selected by national juries -- but this prize certainly helps get attention for books from countries and languages that aren't that often seen in translation, and we can look forward to seeing some of these in English at some point; indeed, Catalan-writing Spanish winner Irene Solà's Canto jo i la muntanya balla is forthcoming from Graywolf; see also the Anagrama foreign rights page.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Griffin Poetry Prizes

       They've announced the winners of this year's Griffin Poetry Prizes
       The international winner was Time, by Etel Adnan, in Sarah Riggs' translation; see also the Nightboat publicity page, or get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Caine Prize shortlist

       They've announced the five-title shortlist for this year's AKO Caine Prize for African Writing -- a £10,000 short story prize also open to works in translation (though none made the cut this year). All the stories can be found via the links on the announcement page.
       Over two hundred stories were submitted, with 27 countries of origin for the eligible entries.
       There is no set date yet for when the winner will be announced; they hope to announce the winner in the fall.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Libri irodalmi díj

       They've announced the winners of this year's Libri Literary Prize, a leading Hungarian literary prize; see also the hlo report, Zsolt Láng Wins the Libri Literary Prize; Krisztián Grecsó Wins the Libri Audience Award
       Bolyai by Láng Zsolt -- yes, based on the life of the famous mathematician, Bolyai János -- won; see also the Jelenkor publicity page.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       The Man Who Died review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Antti Tuomainen's The Man Who Died.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       'Corona'-books

       In The New York Times Alexandra Alter reports that Publishers Snap Up Corona Books, From Case Studies to Plague Poetry because ... of course .....
       Hey, Slavoj Žižek's Pandemic ! Covid-19 Shakes the World -- see also the OR publicity page, or get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk -- is even due out in (two different) Persian translations in Iran; see the Tehran Times report.

       I have no intention of reading or reviewing any of these in the nearer future; maybe something will catch my eye eventually, but I suspect it will be a long, long, long time before I cover any book related to these times. (Nothing against this specific time, but treatment -- fictional and non -- of these kinds of things tends to benefit from distance; besides, given what I've been reviewing recently, I clearly haven't been very successful in being au courant in any respect anyway.)

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Daniel Mendelsohn Q & A

       In Interview Christopher Bollen has a Q & A with Daniel Mendelsohn.
       He reports that afternoons: "I work on the new translation of the Odyssey that I'm doing".

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Yiddish

       At Deutsche Welle Sertan Sanderson finds: 'Yiddish enthusiasts around the world are kvelling and plotzing at the revival of their favorite language in recent popular culture. But what makes Yiddish so unique and exciting ?' in Yiddish: Celebration of life, language of remembrance.

       It's good to see more interest in availability of Yiddish literature too, with the Yiddish Book Center winning the Literary Translation Initiative Award at this year's London Book Fair and, for example, Syracuse University Press bringing out a variety of Yiddish literature in translation.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       The future of ... bookstore browsing

       At Bloomberg The Emperor of Ocean Park-author Stephen L. Carter makes the (easy, but certainly still worth making) case that Bookstore Browsing Can't Become a Victim of Coronavirus.
       I'm very curious how retail generally will rebound from this -- but if grocery stores are managing then surely bookstores will be able to as well.
       I must admit that I miss shelf-browsing -- in bookstores and libraries -- a great deal, especially given that far fewer review-copies are coming my way these days (publishers understandably having logistics issues). Online bookstore browsing just isn't the same thing .....

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       The Wall review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Marlen Haushofer's 1963 novel, The Wall -- a fairly extreme isolated-living story.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Nihilist Girl review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Sofya Kovalevskaya's only completed novel, Nihilist Girl.
       This is published in the MLA Texts and Translations-series; among the neat things about the series is that beside publishing the translations, they also publish the original versions in separate volumes -- see, for example, their publicity page for Нигилистка

       I pretty much never want novels to be more autobiographical, but this is one where I kind of actually was hoping for that, as Kovalevskaya was a truly fascinating and impressive figure. So I guess I really have to try and find a copy of Michèle Audin's Remembering Sofya Kovalevskaya -- see the Springer publicity page, or get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. (And, yes, that is the Michèle Audin who is a member of Oulipo, the author of One Hundred Twenty-One Days.)

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Sophie Kerr Prize

       They've announced the winner of this year's Sophie Kerr Prize, the US$63,537.65 (this year -- the amount varies slightly, year to year) Washington College prize that is: "the nation's largest literary award for college undergraduates", and it is Mary Sprague.
       Her prize-winning portfolio consisted of: "a collection of short prose pieces most often about interpersonal relationships, sexuality, sexual assault, and isolation".
       Gotta love this:

Sprague is interested in working in the field of editing and publishing, or as a park ranger.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Publishing in ... (Francophone) Africa

       In The Guardian Olivia Snaije reports that 'It's a real battle': African authors fight for publishing independence, as: 'Francophone African books are still very often published by French imprints, which can make them hard to get at home'.
       One certainly hopes the publishing industry in Africa continues to grow -- and this is a good opportunity to remind you of the indispensable African Books Collective; most of the publishers are English-language, but there are also a few Francophone ones among them.

       Meanwhile, in The New York Times Abdi Latif Dahir reports on An African Literary Festival for the Age of Coronavirus -- Afrolit Sans Frontieres.
       James Murua's Literature Blog seems to be the meeting/starting point for this; see also the corresponding Instagram page.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Reading in ... the UK

       Nielsen Book recently surveyed "a nationally-representative sample of 1,000 UK adults" and now report that Reading Increases in Lockdown (warning ! dreaded pdf format !), as:

Two in five UK adults said they were reading more books since the lockdown began, with just 10% of adults reading less, while the nation as a whole has almost doubled the amount of time it spends reading books

       Sounds good ! -- but:

However, the increase in time spent reading has not necessarily led to an increase in book sales. Of the consumers surveyed, 25% said they had bought more books since the lockdown began, compared to their normal buying habits, but 18% had bought fewer books.

       Crime/thrillers and popular fiction are the kinds of books respondents expressed the most interest in; surprisingly: "There is currently little appetite for dystopian fiction" (as apparently, at least in this case, people are finding: if you're living it you don't need to read it ...).

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Rolf Hochhuth (1931-2020)

       German author Rolf Hochhuth has passed away; he is best know for his plays -- above all The Deputy; see, for example Elizabeth Grenier explaining at Deutsche Welle Why the 1963 Holocaust play 'The Deputy' was so explosive.
       See also the Grove Press publicity page for The Deputy, or get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Dylan Thomas Prize

       They've announced the winner of this year's Dylan Thomas Prize -- a £30,000 prize "for the best published literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under" -- and it is the story-collection Lot, by Bryan Washington; get your copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Society of Authors' Awards shortlists

       The British Society of Authors has announced their awards-shortlists, including for the: "inaugural Queen's Knickers Award".
       The Society of Authors' Awards includes prizes for authors under 35 (the Betty Trask Prize and Awards), over 40 (the McKitterick Prize), and over 60 (the Paul Torday Memorial Prize).

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Vāsavadattā review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Subandhu's Vāsavadattā, a ca. sixth century novel.

       This appeared in the short-lived Columbia University Indo-Iranian Series, in 1913; a new translation (and better-annotated edition) is long overdue -- though even in this form the work is certainly of interest.
       (In his The Novel: An Alternative History - Beginnings to 1600 Steven Moore described it as: "almost a Sanskrit Finnegans Wake in the density of its language".)

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Immanuel Kim Q & A

       At the Literary Hub Esther Kim has a Q & A with Immanuel Kim about his translation of The First State-Approved North Korean Novel in English -- that would be Paek Nam-nyong's Friend, just out from Columbia University Press.
       Immanuel Kim gives some idea why we've seen so little North Korean literature in translation:

I went to the North Korean collection at the National Library in Seoul and started reading their number one literary journal. I started from the very beginning and read through the 1960s to the '90s. They were difficult. All my preconceived notions of North Korean lit were coming true, and I was bored out of my mind. I thought, I can't say anything significant about North Korean literature ! It's all propaganda and terrible.

       As to Paek, I'm not quite convinced that: "He's like their Tom Clancy or Stephen King" .....

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Sophie Kerr Prize finalists

       They've announced the six finalists for this year's Sophie Kerr Prize, the US$63,537.65 Washington College prize that is: "the nation's largest literary award for college undergraduates" (indeed, paying out more than most American prizes for full-fledged authors do ...).
       The winner will be announced tomorrow, at 19:30 EST; you can apparently watch it live here.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Support for translation from ... the Dutch

       The Dutch Foundation for Literature is offering Support measures for translators -- they have freed up €100,000 -- and foreign publishers.
       Good to see this sort of thing -- though I suppose not too many other national organizations in other countries will be able to do the same.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

       They've announced the winners of this year's Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.
       The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards' Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction went to Auē, by Becky Manawatu; it also won the Hubert Church Prize for a best first book of Fiction; see also the Mākaro Press publicity page; it does not appear to be readily available in the US/UK (yet).

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Sami Rohr Prize

       They've announced the winner of this year's Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, which alternates between fiction one year and non the next; this was a non year -- and the winner is: Kafka's Last Trial by Benjamin Balint.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Miles Franklin longlist

       They've announced the ten-title longlist for this year's Miles Franklin Literary Award -- a prize for best novel that they call: "Australia's most prestigious and valued literary award".
       Among the titles: a Gerald Murnane, A Season on Earth.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       The Distant Lands review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of the first in Julien Green's 'Dixie'-trilogy, The Distant Lands. (For some reason the Amazon listing also describes this as: "The second volume of Julian Green's autobiography"; please note that it is not.)

       A long review of a long book -- and quite an odd one. Green apparently began this in the 1930s -- he was born in 1900 -- but then pulled back after learning of Gone with the Wind; he returned to it in the 1980s --yes, as an octogenarian -- and this was published in 1987, with The Stars of the South following in 1989 and (the confusingly titled) Dixie in 1994. It was incredibly popular in France -- the jacket copy of the US/UK edition notes 650,000 copies were sold in France alone, something also noted by many of the reviewers, who wondered how on earth that was possible ... -- but doesn't seem to have really found an audience in the US (or UK); the sequel was also published in translation, but the final volume still hasn't been .....
       Not the worst book for readers looking for long leisurely read in lockdown times -- and I definitely will be taking on the next volume in the trilogy. Just not right away .....

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Best Translated Books Awards shortlists

       They've announced the (American) Best Translated Books Awards shortlists.
       The ten fiction finalists are:

• Animalia by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, tr. Frank Wynne
  
  
• Beyond Babylon by Igiaba Scego, tr. Aaron Robertson
  
  
• Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz, tr.Sara Moses and Carolina Orloff
  
  
• A Dream Come True by Juan Carlos Onetti, tr. Katherine Silver
  
  
• Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, tr. Antonia Lloyd-Jones
  
  
• EEG by Daša Drndić, tr. Celia Hawkesworth
  
  
• The Memory Police by Ogawa Yoko, tr. Stephen Snyder
  
  
• 77 by Guillermo Saccomanno, tr. Andrea G. Labinger
  
  
• Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman, tr. Robert and Elizabeth Chandler
  
  
• Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima, tr. Geraldine Harcourt

       The one title I'm most surprised didn't make from the twenty-five-title-strong longlist is Welcome to America -- my favorite of the lot.

       The winning titles will be announced 27 May.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Jan Michalski Prize longlist

       They've announced the sixteen-title longlist for this year's Jan Michalski Prize for Literature, a CHF 50,000 prize for: "a work of world literature [...] fiction or non fiction, irrespective of the language in which it is written" (though certainly favoring titles available in English, French, or German ... with nothing in an Asian language making the list, for example).
       Titles remaining in contention include Fran Ross' Oreo, Philippe Sands' East West Street, and Sergei Lebedev's Oblivion; good also to see a recent Yurii Andrukhovych on the list (Коханці Юстиції; see also the Suhrkamp foreign rights page).

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Translation into ... Dutch

       Via Schwob, the Dutch Foundation for Literature supports translations into Dutch of foreign classics, and they've announced the latest batch of grants, for eight projects (out of a mere eleven submissions ...); always interesting to see what gets translated into other languages.
       The projects include translations of two Tove Ditlevsen titles, D.H.Lawrence's Kangaroo, and Jean de la Ville de Mirmont's The Sundays of Jean Dézert.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

       Linda Boström Knausgård profile

       In The Observer Lisa O'Kelly profiles Linda Boström Knausgård: 'I would like to be seen as a person and author in my own right' -- a tall order, apparently, given that her former husband reached quite the audience with his autobiographical My Struggle-series in which she features prominently, from the first volume to the last.
       A shame, of course, because her books are worth reading in their own right -- notably the recently-released-in-English Welcome to America, which was among the best books I read last year.

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

---

       Bookselling in ... the UK

       In The Observer Rachel Cooke wonders: Could lockdown herald an exciting new chapter for the book trade ?
       I'm not sure 'exciting' is the word we want to use, but it's a good overview of the situation now, and trying to look ahead ......

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -

previous entries (1 - 10 May 2020)

archive index

- return to top of the page -

© 2020 the complete review


Main | the New | the Best | the Rest | Review Index | Links