opinionated commentary on literary matters - from the complete review

The Literary Saloon Archive

21 - 31 March 2025

21 March: NBCC Awards | Prix des cinq continents de la Francophonie | Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist | Perfection review
22 March: PEN America Literary Awards longlists | Whither the young white men in American letters
23 March: Jnanpith Award | Stefan Weidner Q & A
24 March: Gert-Jonke-Preis | The Amateur review
25 March: The Aesthetics of Resistance, finally complete in English | Windham-Campbell Prizes
26 March: Dublin Literary Award shortlist | De Boon | Your Steps on the Stairs review
27 March: Women's Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist | AI and creative writing in ... China
28 March: Preis(e) der Leipziger Buchmesse | EBRD Literature Prize shortlist | Rana Seif profile
29 March: African Language Literatures in Translation series | Cynthia Ozick Q & A | Mrs. Lilienblum's Cloud Factory review
30 March: Vincenzo Latronico Q & A | 'Ending Radical Indoctrination' at the (US) Naval Academy
31 March: Pramoedya Ananta Toer at 100 | New issue of the Swedish Book Review

go to weblog

return to main archive

       Pramoedya Ananta Toer at 100

       It's the Pramoedya Ananta Toer centenary year and so, for example, Somak Mukherjee profiles Pramoedya Ananta Toer: Hundred years of a fearless Indonesian literary icon.
       Meanwhile, as Nur Janti reports in The Jakarta Post: Pramoedya Ananta Toer's encyclopedia website officially launched -- that would be SeaBadPram.

       (Updated - 6 April): See also The Making of the Buru Quartet by Joel Whitney at The Believer.

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

---

       New issue of the Swedish Book Review

       The new issue of the Swedish Book Review is now available; as usual, a good variety of pieces of interest.

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

       Vincenzo Latronico Q & A

       At The Guardian Anthony Cummins has a Q & A with Author Vincenzo Latronico: 'I left Italy out of sadness', mainly about his novel, Perfection.
       The most interesting observation:

Was the book as rapturously received in Italy ?

Within a month in the UK, it’s sold as many copies as in three years in Italy

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

---

       'Ending Radical Indoctrination' at the (US) Naval Academy

       Among the seemingly countless congressional-action-dodging 'executive orders' the recently installed American president has issued is that of 29 January purporting to act on Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling -- leading to public school libraries removing titles that might be considered ... 'radical indoctrination', presumably. So also the Department of Defense Education Activity -- overseeing 161 schools -- recently went through its library holdings checking for books: "potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics" (and: "identified a small number of items for further review"); presumably, a number of titles have been or will be pulled from the shelves; see Patty Nieberg's report at Task & Purpose, ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ ‘Kite Runner’ among books being reviewed over ‘ideology’ concerns at on-base military schools; Brave New World is also among the titles that have apparently been pulled.....
       As recently as a few days ago it was reported -- for example, by James Matheson at the Baltimore Sun -- that, however, the Naval Academy will not remove DEI-related materials from library [link to the Fox news site because the BS's own version is paywalled], as:

The U.S. Naval Academy will not be forced to remove instructional materials and library books featuring “gender ideology” as it is not affected by orders to do so at schools overseen by the Department of Defense, the academy said in a statement.

       The thinking was that the 'executive order' clearly spelled out (in its title, inter alia, no less) that it (only) applied to K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) schools and that the Naval Academy is, after all, an institution of higher learning (with the overwhelming majority of its students having reached the age of majority -- i.e. adulthood).
       In the new America, however -- guess again !
       Yes, that apparently wasn't good enough for Pete 'Hey-buddy-can-I-share-some-war-plans-with-you-?' Hegseth, the (amazingly still in office, as I write this) American Secretary of Defense.
       In The New York Times John Ismay and Kate Selig now report that, for the guy running things, K-12 didn't go nearly far enough, and so the: Naval Academy Takes Steps to End Diversity Policies in Books and Admissions (presumably paywalled), as:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office has ordered the Naval Academy to identify books related to so-called diversity, equity and inclusion themes that are housed in the school’s Nimitz Library, and to remove them from circulation.

       Yes, Pete 'Never-mind-my-wife-sitting-in-on-these-classified-talks' Hegseth apparently read or was informed of the outrageous (in)action of the Naval Academy as reported in that Baltimore Sun story and so:

This week, according to a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss policy decisions, Mr. Hegseth’s office became aware that the nation’s military service academies did not believe that President Trump’s Jan. 29 executive order to end “radical indoctrination” in kindergarten through 12th-grade classrooms applied to them, as they are colleges. The defense secretary’s office informed the Naval Academy that Mr. Hegseth’s intent was for the order to apply to the academies, and that the secretary expected compliance.

       It seems to be going well:

Thus far, the review of Nimitz Library’s holdings has identified 900 books that may run afoul of the defense secretary’s verbal order. According to a second defense official, they include “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.,” “Einstein on Race and Racism,” and a biography on Jackie Robinson.

       This is, I remind you, an institution of supposed higher learning, with pretensions to academic seriousness -- a (for the moment) very highly regarded one (ranking, for example, fourth among 'national liberal arts colleges' in the most recent US News & World Report rankings). But apparently its students are not mature enough to be able to handle ... well, possibly even Einstein on Race and Racism (see the Rutgers University Press publicity page for more on this threatening and presumably possibly soon-to-be-forbidden-at-Annapolis book).
       I note that the Nimitz Library has several copies of Hitler's Mein Kampf on its shelves -- as any academic library should. There are some twenty-eight books by Lenin, and thirty-six of the writings of Mao available -- as they should be in an academic library. Etc., etc. And yet, oddly (though in this case completely sensibly), Pete 'My-brother's-not-a-DEI-hire-so-that's-OK' Hegseth does not seem to be worried about the 'radical indoctrination'-dangers of these works .....
       It surely does not need saying that availability, or endorsement of availability, should not be equated with endorsement of the actual contents -- and that reading a book does not inevitably lead to mind- and action-altering 'radical indoctrination'.
       Surely, it is beyond obvious that a university library should -- indeed: must ! -- have a wide range of books even on 'controversial' topics, and that it is helpful (I would argue: essential) for students to be exposed to even 'bad' ideas and how those who espouse them argue for them (like Einstein and whatever shocking and untenable thoughts he had on race and racism ...).
       This administration's pathological obsession with wiping out all mention of and engagement with all questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion -- especially regarding race and gender -- is problematic and damaging for any number of reasons, but reaches Soviet levels of absurdity and preposterousness when taken to this (university) level, especially at a military institution with its civic obligations that go far beyond those of other public and private institutions. I think the attempts to 'protect' K-12 students are already deeply misguided and wrong (especially in the over-board way they quickly manifest themselves), but college students ? Come on !
       I would have hoped that the Naval Academy librarians and students protested these actions but I haven't heard of this happening; military culture presumably makes it difficult to voice criticism of and opposition to even the most appalling and foolish policies; hopefully there is at least some going on behind the scenes.

       [I rarely mention/discuss American library/book-banning stories, because they are ... well: so common; usually so similar; and generally well-covered (and properly criticized) elsewhere (e.g. by the American Library Association), but as with so many of the actions of this administration this situation seems to have been under-covered (so far) and also to be more significant in its implications than the usual case; the story also looks, in this case, to (understandably) be swamped by the focus on the Naval Academy's acknowledgement this week that it had also ended its use of so-called 'affirmative action' in admissions. (As readers may/should recall, the recent Supreme Court decision (warning ! dreaded pdf format !) ending the use of race as factor in college admissions quietly made an exception for the American military academies, noting in a footnote that: "No military academy is a party to these cases, however, and none of the courts below addressed the propriety of race-based admissions systems in that context. This opinion also does not address the issue, in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present" -- though a case was making its way to the Supreme Court on the question; as far as the Naval Academy goes, the issue is now moot.)
       Presumably/unfortunately, the other military academies will likely dutifully follow suit, regarding both the book-culling and admissions policies; I hope there will be proper coverage if they do.]

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

       African Language Literatures in Translation series

       In the most exciting publishing news so far this year, the University of Georgia Press has announced a new African Language Literatures in Translation series.
       As they explain:

The works chosen for the series are almost all already in circulation in their original versions, but not currently available to Anglophone readerships. The series is designed to address the current difficulties inherent in accessing African writing, especially works that are originally written in indigenous and underrepresented languages.

       It's been extremely frustrating trying to find African literature written in non-colonial languages in English translation, so this is most welcome -- I can't wait to see these !
       The first titles are expected in Spring 2026, with translations from the Shona, Kiswahili, and Sesotho -- with lots more hopefully to follow !

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

---

       Cynthia Ozick Q & A

       At The Guardian the latest 'The books of my life'-column Q & A features Cynthia Ozick: ‘Alice in Wonderland seems calculatedly cruel’.
       Among her responses:

My comfort read

Jane Austen chick lit: Persuasion.

       Most of Ozick's work is under review at the complete review, but I haven't seen the new collection (of old pieces) In a Yellow Wood.

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

---

       Mrs. Lilienblum's Cloud Factory review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Iddo Gefen's Mrs. Lilienblum's Cloud Factory, just (about) out in English from Astra House.

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

       Preis(e) der Leipziger Buchmesse

       They've announced the winners of this year's Prize(s) of the Leipzig Book Fair in its three categories -- basically: fiction, non, and translation.
       The fiction prize went to Halbinsel, by Kristine Bilkau; see also the Luchterhand publicity page.
       The translation prize went to Thomas Weiler, for his translation from the Belorusian of the documentary volume, Feuerdörfer; see also the Aufbau publicity page.

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

---

       EBRD Literature Prize shortlist

       The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has announced the shortlist (which sounds more like a longlist -- ten titles, with a shorter list of 'finalists' to be announced next month) for this year's EBRD Literature Prize, which is for translations into English of a work of literary fiction from a country where the Bank invests.
       Two of the titles are under review at the complete review: Tanja Maljartschuk's Forgottenness and Olga Tokarczuk's The Empusium.
       The winner will be announced 24 June.

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

---

       Rana Seif profile

       At nippon.com Itakura Kimie profiles Rana Seif: The Translator Bringing Japanese Women's Lit, Manga, and More to Middle East Readers.
       Interestingly:

As Japanese manga publishers have little interest in having their manga published in the Middle East market, it is difficult for publishers in the Arab world to obtain translation rights and gain experience in this area. Right now, the only way to read some popular manga is through pirate editions, which are easy to get hold of. Seif wants to break this vicious circle.

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

       Women's Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist

       They've announced the shortlist for this year's Women's Prize for Non-Fiction.
       The winner will be announced 12 June.

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

---

       AI and creative writing in ... China

       At the Global Times Wu Jie wonders Can AI-created literature touch people's hearts ? getting opinions from a variety of authors.
       See also a variety of pieces (in Chinese) on the subject at the Chinese Writers' Association site.

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

       Dublin Literary Award shortlist

       They've announced the shortlist for this year's Dublin Literary Award, with two of the six books works in translation.
       I assume that Percival Everett's James and Paul Lynch's Prophet Song are the favorites, but I haven't seen any of these.
       The winner will be announced on 22 May.

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

---

       De Boon

       They've announced the winners of de Boon, a €50,000 Dutch (Flemish) prize, and the fiction/non-fiction prize went to Oroppa by Safae el Khannoussi; see also the Dutch Foundation for Literature information page.

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

---

       Your Steps on the Stairs review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Antonio Muñoz Molina's Your Steps on the Stairs, just (about) out from Other Press.

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

       The Aesthetics of Resistance, finally complete in English

       Peter Weiss' The Aesthetics of Resistance was originally published in German in three volumes between 1975 and 1981 (though all subsequent German editions have, appropriately, been one-volume ones -- most recently). An English translation, by Joachim Neugroschel, of the first volume came out from Duke University Press in 2005, but it took another fifteen years until the second volume (translated by Joel Scott) appeared; now, another five years later, the novel is finally available in a complete translation, as the third volume, again translated by Scott, is coming out today ! See the Duke University Press publicity page -- and get your copy ! Disappointingly, there's no one-volume, mass-market-paperback-sized edition (yet ...), but Duke University Press is offering the book as a three-volume set as well; see their publicity page.
       This is one the greatest -- and most important -- post-war/pre-unification German novels (along with The Tin Drum and The Life and Adventures of Trobadora Beatrice as Chronicled by her Minstrel Laura (and, yes, Bottom's Dream, though that's a different, hors catégorie beast)); its (complete) publication in English is a major event.

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

---

       Windham-Campbell Prizes

       They've announced the winners of this year's Windham-Campbell Prizes, eight authors getting US$175,000 each: "to support their work and allow them to focus on their creative practice independent of financial concerns".
       The eight are: Sigrid Nunez and Anne Enright for prose; Patricia J. Williams and Rana Dasgupta for non-fiction; Roy Williams and Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini for drama; and Anthony V. Capildeo and Tongo Eisen-Martin for poetry.

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

       Gert-Jonke-Preis

       They've now awarded the biennial Gert Jonke Prize -- named after the Homage to Czerny-author --, which rotates through awarding the prize for a writer of prose, poetry and drama; this was a drama-year and the prize went to Ferdinand Schmalz -- who has previously won the Ingeborg-Bachmann-Preis (2017) and had a book longlisted for the German Book Prize (2021; see also the S.Fischer foreign rights page).

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

---

       The Amateur review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Robert Littell's The Amateur, out in a new edition, from Soho Press -- not least, to coïncide with the soon-upcoming release of a new film version, directed by James Hawes and starring Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne (see e.g.).

       And, yes, Robert Littell is the father of The Kindly Ones-author Jonathan Littell; indeed, this book is co-dedicated to Jonathan (or rather: "jonATHaN octOber", as author Robert extends the novel's cryptographic games to here ...). Not the first father-son duo under review at site, but there aren't that many .....

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

       Jnanpith Award

       They've announced the winner of this year's Jnanpith Award, 'India's highest literary honour' (though not yet at the official site), and it is Vinod Kumar Shukla; see, for example, the report at India Today.

       Several of his work have been translated into English; see, for example, the HarperCollins India author page.

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

---

       Stefan Weidner Q & A

       At Qantara.de Gerrit Wustmann has a Q & A with 'Stefan Weidner on pre-Islamic poetry', in "Poetry in its true fullness".
       Among his responses:

Would you recommend reading several translations to get a better idea of the original ?

It depends on what you want. Reading various versions can cause confusion because you learn more about the translation preferences of earlier eras than about the original, especially as earlier translators often had a poorer textual basis than we do today. Of course, they also made mistakes.

If you want to get as close as possible to the original without knowing Arabic -- and want an idea of how difficult the original is to understand ! -- you can consult an interlinear translation (word-for-word translation, ed.), such as those produced by Arabists a hundred years ago. If you do this, you will find the relevant references in the detailed appendix of my book. But this is more for specialists than for a general readership.

       See also the Die Andere Bibliothek publicity page for the collection Der arabische Diwan.

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

       PEN America Literary Awards longlists

       PEN America has announced the longlists for its Literary Awards, including nine for the US$75,000 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, for: "a book-length work of any genre for its originality, merit, and impact, which has broken new ground by reshaping the boundaries of its form and signaling strong potential for lasting influence".
       The only longlisted title under review at the complete review is one of the ten longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize, awarded for: "a book-length translation of prose from any language into English" -- Antonia Lloyd-Jones' translation of The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk.
       The winners will be announced on 8 May.

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

---

       Whither the young white men in American letters

       At Compact Jacob Savage finds that: "Over the course of the 2010s, the literary pipeline for white men was effectively shut down" in the US, exploring The Vanishing White Male Writer.
       Apparently; "white male millennials are still unable to speak directly to their own condition" .....
       A lot of interesting numbers at least.

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

       NBCC Awards

       The National Book Critics Circle has announced the winners of its 2024 awards, with Hisham Matar's My Friends taking the fiction awrd, and Gwendolyn Harper's translation of Pedro Lemebel's A Last Supper of Queer Apostles winning the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize.

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

---

       Prix des cinq continents de la Francophonie

       They've announced the winner of this year's prix des cinq continents de la Francophonie, and it is Le rêve du pêcheur by Hemley Boum; see also the Gallimard publicity page.

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

---

       Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist

       They've announced the shortlist for this year's Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, "Awarded for the best published literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39".
       The only one of the six finalists under review at the complete review is Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon.
       The winner will be announced 15 May.

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

---

       Perfection review

       The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Vincenzo Latronico's Perfection, recently out from New York Review Books (in the US) and Fitzcarraldo Editions (in the UK); it's also been longlisted for this year's International Booker Prize.

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

previous entries (11 - 20 March 2025)

archive index

- search the site -

- return to top of the page -

© 2025 the complete review


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