Article 0
The Commonwealth Writers' Prize, established in 1987, gave out a prize each year for best book and then also best first book -- first announcing regional finalists, and then picking a winner...
View ArticleDays in the History of Silence review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Merethe Lindstrøm's Nordic Council Literature Prize (2012) winning Days in the History of Silence, coming out from Other Press...
View ArticleFinnish alcoholism subsidizes Estonian literature ?
Apparently looking for a way to spin the fact that 84 per cent of Finns who visit nearby Estonia load up on cheaper liquor there Yle find the silver lining: Finnish booze rally helps fund...
View ArticleDayton Literary Peace Prize finalists
They've announced the finalists for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, in both the fiction and non categories. The idea is for the nominated books to be the best from the past year: "that have...
View ArticleThe Goddess Chronicle review-overview
The most recent addition to the complete review is a review-overview of Kirino Natsuo's The Goddess Chronicle -- her contribution to The Myths-series.
View ArticleLiterature in ... Egypt
Via I'm pointed to the Al-Fanfar piece by Daria Solovieva, in which she finds Universities Missing in Action in a New Egyptian Literary Wave. I'm not sure this is all a bad thing -- but...
View ArticleAdonis and Mo Yan on translation
In China Daily Han Bingbin reports on a recent panel held in Beijing, where bit poet Adonis and Nobel laureate Mo Yan weighed in, arguing Translators need to strike a balance.
View ArticleDelhi Book Fair
The Delhi Book Fair starts tomorrow and runs through 31 August -- and it sounds like it's worth a look if you're in the neighborhood; after all: Delhi Book Fair is playing a pivotal role in...
View ArticleErik Neutsch (1931-2013)
East German author Erik Neutsch has passed away; see, for example, the (German) mention in Die Zeit. His big claim to lasting fame is Spur der Steine -- which, if you had to assign half...
View ArticleIWP fall residency 2013
At the IWP weblog @ Shambaugh House Ashley Davidson reports on the incoming group of thirty-four writers in the fall 2013 residency of the International Writing Program, in The World Comes to...
View ArticleScissors review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Stéphane Michaka's Scissors. A 2012 French novel that's already available in English translation in 2013 -- how is that...
View ArticlePrescient Lem
As widely reported -- here, for example, in USA Today -- Sales of '1984' spike amid NSA spying scandal. In the Neue Zürcher Zeitung Matthias Hennig argues [in German] that Stanisław Lem, in his...
View ArticleLRB does Mo Yan
Rather late in the day the London Review of Books gets to a take-down of 'controversial' Nobel laureate Mo Yan -- rehashing the familiar arguments that his work (and he) are not regime-critical...
View ArticleWhat the Ayatollah read
It's always interesting -- though not always illuminating -- to see what those wielding great political power read, and in Akbar Ganji's look at 'The Worldview of Iran's Supreme Leader' in the...
View ArticleGuardian first book award longlist
They've announced the Guardian first book award 2013 longlist -- eleven titles. It's a bit of an exaggeration that: "The first book award is unique among literary prizes in judging...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When Adam Opens his Eyes review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Jang Jung-il's 1992 novel, When Adam Opens his Eyes, forthcoming soon from Dalkey Archive Press. This is a book that also...
View ArticlePrizes: Science Fiction and Fantasy Translation
They've announced the winners of this year's Science Fiction and Fantasy Translation Awards, and in the long form category the prize went to Atlas: The Archaeology of an Imaginary City, by Dung...
View ArticlePrizes: James Tait Black
They've announced the winners of this year's James Tait Black Prizes, with The Deadman's Pedal, by Alan Warner, winning the fiction prize. See the Vintage publicity page, or get your...
View ArticleThe Infatuations review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Javier Marías' The Infatuations, now available in the US, too. I'm kind of disappointed that Balzac's Colonel Chabert --...
View ArticleAvoiding the classics
At The Guardian's Comment is Free Ashley Thorne discusses Why are American universities shying away from the classics ? summarizing the findings from the fascinating report she co-authored,...
View Article