Walter Scott Prize shortlist
They've announced the shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. I like the prize-premise, and there are some big names left in the running -- though none are under...
View ArticleMan Booker International Prize finalists
They've announced the ten finalists for the biennial Man Booker International Prize (previously won by Lydia Davis (2013), Philip Roth (2011), Alice Munro (2009), Chinua Achebe (2007), and...
View ArticleThe Knight and His Shadow review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Boubacar Boris Diop's The Knight and His Shadow. Diop will be part of the PEN World Voices Festival in New York in May,...
View ArticleOrwell Prize longlists
They've announced the Orwell Prize longlists -- which includes the twelve-title book-prize longlist. (The prize(s) are apparently: "Britain's most prestigious prize for political writing".)...
View ArticlePremio Alfaguara de Novela
They've announced the winner of this year's Premio Alfaguara de Novela -- not the biggest Spanish-language book prize, but at US$175,000 and with a solid list of previous winners, certainly...
View ArticlePeter Pišt'anek (1960-2015)
Very sad to hear that Slovak author Peter Pišt'anek is dead, having reportedly: "left the world in silence and voluntarily"; see, for example, the report in The Slovak Spectator. His...
View ArticleHohenemser Literaturpreis
They've announced this year's winner of the biennial Hohenemser Literaturpreis, a prize for German-writing authors whose mother tongue is not German, and this year the €10,000 prize will go to...
View ArticleUday Prakash Q & A
At Music & Literature translator Jason Grunebaum has A Conversation with Uday Prakash. The two Grunebaum-translated works available in English are under review at the complete...
View ArticleTranslating from ... Chinese
At The Millions Barclay Bram Shoemaker writes on Literary Prowess Lost: On Mo Yan's 'Frog' and the Trouble with Translation -- well worth a look. Get your copy of Frog at Amazon.com or...
View ArticleLatvijas Literatūras gada finalists
They've announced the finalists for the Latvijas Literatūras gada -- the Latvian Literary Awards. Always interesting to see what the local talent is doing (among the names: Inga Ābele,...
View ArticleDorthe Nors on short-story-form
Karate Chop-author Dorthe Nors 'reflects on the beauty of the short story form' at PEN Atlas, in A form close to home. I've always been a novel-man, through and through, but I'm...
View ArticleTom McCarthy Q & A
The Globe and Mail has a short Q & A with Tom McCarthy (Remainder, etc.). Fun to see him rag of Thomas Hardy.
View ArticleTomas Tranströmer (1931-2015)
2011 Nobel laureate Tomas Tranströmer has passed away; see, for example, The New York Times' obituary. Only one of his titles is under review at the complete review: Memories Look at Me.
View ArticleThe Librarian review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Mikhail Elizarov's The Librarian, winner of the 2008 Russian Booker Prize and just out in English from Pushkin Press.
View ArticleSpring issue of New Books in German
The Spring 2015 issue of New Books in German is now available online, with reviews of new books (and some 'Forgotten Gems' -- some of which are already available in translation) and a variety...
View ArticleMatchbox Theatre review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Thirty Short Entertainments by Michael Frayn, Matchbox Theatre. While Faber & Faber brought out the UK edition last...
View ArticleTranslating from ... Kannada
Via I'm pointed to the interesting Six lessons on translating the untranslatable at Scroll.in by Susheela Punitha, the translator of U.R.Ananthamurthy's Bharathipura -- her first translation.
View ArticleThe Queen's Caprice review
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Jean Echenoz's The Queen's Caprice, forthcoming from The New Press.
View ArticleWriting in ... Zambia
In the Times of Zambia Davies M.M. Chanda complains that Zambian Literary Works Below Par. Yes, because you probably hadn't noticed: I am hereby announcing the bad news that Zambia is...
View ArticleMiles Franklin Award longlist
They've announced the longlist for the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award, one of the leading Australian book prizes. It includes Elizabeth Harrower's long unpublished In Certain Circles (which...
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