bythefirelight
Borges’ Manual de zoología fantástica Reviewed at La Jornada
La Jornada has an all too brief review of a Borges curiosity, Manual de zoología fantástica (The Manual of the Fantastical Zoology). It is a mix of his writings about famous characters like the phoenix and those of his own invention. It sounds like an interesting mix. El jardín zoológico borgiano es una recopilación extensa, [...]
Words Without Borders 2012 Graphic Novel Edition Out Now
The new Words Without Borders graphic novel edition is out now. by Mazen Kerbaj Letter to the Mother Because of you I fancied killing a hundred times. Translated by Mazen Kerbaj and Ahmad Gharbieh by Nawel Louerrad Demonsterate I’ve been wearing this tutu since I was a kid. Translated by Canan Marasligil by Héctor [...]
Javier Calvo Wins the Biblioteca Breve de novela Prize
Javier Calvo won the Biblioteca Breve de novela prize for his book El jardín colgante, a provocative take on Spain’s Transition to democacy. Escribió El jardín colgante en 2011. “Un año indescriptible y extraño; vi cosas que nunca había visto antes, como la plaza de Catalunya llena de gente llamando a la revolución, un fugaz [...]
Xingu and Other Stories by Edith Wharton – A Review
Xingu and Other Stories Edith Wharton Charles Scribner’s Sons, October 1916, 436 pg Xingu and Other Stories is an uneven collection of stories from a writer in the midst of her most fertile work. The good stories show similar concerns of her more famous novels such as the house of Mirth. When she is examining [...]
Open Letter Books Spring Summer Catalog Featuring Short Stories from Latin America, and Sergio Chejfec, Kristín Ómarsdóttir, Benjamin Stein
Open Letter has released its Spring Summer 2012 Catalog and there are some interesting books in it. But most exciting of them all are works from young Latin American writers. The only one I have read a fair amount of is Samanta Schweblin, who I like quite a bit. You can read the whole catalog [...]
Mexican Drug War Issues from Words Without Borders Update
I’ve been following the progress of the Words Without Borders fund drive on their Mexican Drug War Issue. They released some information about some of the stories. Although, given their current funding to goal ratio I’m not sure they are going to make it. Hi Everyone, Just got word from our editorial team that some [...]
Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939-1941 – A Review
Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939-1941 Neill Lochery Public Affairs, 2011, 306 pg Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light will tell you just about everything you will ever need to know about Lisbon and Portugal during World War II. Perhaps, too much depending on you interests. [...]
The Guardian Reviews Purgatory by Tomás Eloy Martínez
Tomás Eloy Martínez’s last book Purgatory has been published. “It sounds like another good book. The Guardian has the review: A superb political reporter, Martínez perfected in his novels the blending of strict journalistic fact with the devices of fiction. He said that he had learned the craft when, in the late 60s, the exiled [...]
Hacerse el muerto (Playing Dead) by Andrés Neuman – A Review
Hacerse el muerto Andrés Neuman Páginas de Espuma, 2011, pg 138 Andrés Neuman, one of the 20 selected by Granta last year, is one of the best of the group of the writers and Hacerse el muerto (Playing Dead) a collection of 30 stories is ample proof of that. Although little of his work has [...]
Words without Borders Raising Kick Starter Funds for Mexican Drug War Issue
Words Without Borders has a Kick Starter campaign going for an new issue about the Mexican Drug War. This is going to be a great opportunity to read some of the authors in Mexico who are addressing the topic.Since the Drug War is somewhat recent as far as the translation process goes, not too much [...]
When a Librarian Goes Wrong? Nancy Pearl’s Amazon Deal
The Seattle Times today had a big piece about Seattle’s favorite librarian superstar Nancy Pearl and her new deal to publish a few out of print books every year for just the Kindle. I’ve listened to Pearl off and on for years on KUOW which is my local public radio station. She’s on all the [...]
The Short Stories of Francisco Urondo Reviewed at El Pais
I’ve never heard of Francisco Urondo a Argentine writer and revolutionary who died at 46 in 1976. A collection of his short stories has just been published in Spain and El Pais has a good review of them. While he was a committed leftist revolutionary, something that should lend itself to didactic literature, according to [...]
Interview with António Lobo Antunes at El Pais
El Pais has a long interview with António Lobo Antunes about his writing practices and how he has developed his style. It also mentions that since September when he finished his last book he has not been able to write anything new. P. Siempre dice que los libros incluyen su propia clave para entenderlos y [...]
In Defense of Blogers – The Committe 2 Protect Geeks
O’Reilly Media had a conference recently where Danny O’Brien pointed out some of the harsh treatment bloggers can get at the hands of authoritarian governments. They can get imprisoned even for writing about non political subjects such as technology. Definitely worth a watch.
The Girl on the Firdge by Etgar Keret – A Review
The Girl on the Fridge Etgar Keret Farrar, Straus and Grioux 2008, pg 171 Etgar Keret’s work is often marked by a sense that one is in a slightly different reality. It isn’t surrealism, just a place where you might be able to buy for 9.99 the meaning of life. In the stories of Keret [...]
The Spanish E-Book Wars Have Started
El Pais has an article about the start of the Spanish e-book wars that Amazon has started. It is fairly typical of what we have seen in the US. The One big exception is how the Amazon is getting around the fixed book price law in Spain. Apparently, Amazon claims that they are selling direct [...]
Margaret B. Carson, Translator of Sergio Chejfec, Interviewed at Conversational Reading
There’s a great interview at Conversational Reading with Margaret B. Carson the translator of Sergio Chejfec’s My Two Worlds. It is a book that the more I hear about the more I want to take it off my shelves and read. This in particular caught my eye (once I was accused of writing German sentences [...]
