A series dedicated to literature in translation whether classic or contemporary. Originally published in 1945 as Na Drini Ĉuprija Translated from the Serbo-Croat by Lovett F. Edwards A Signet Classic from 1967 Yugoslavian literature, much like the nation forged in … Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: The Bridge on the Drina, by Ivo Adrić
“Young Once is an elegant noir written by a master prose stylist.” Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: Young Once, by Patrick Modiano @ NYJB
Ms. Müller won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2009. The Swedish Academy awarded it because her writing is imbued “with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed.” Despite the spies, surveillance, and tyranny, the Romania she presents appears like a fairy tale. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: The Fox Was Ever the Hunter, by Herta Muller @NYJB
An excerpt from “Tarantula,” Bob Dylan’s only novel. Continue reading Commonplace Book: An excerpt from “Tarantula,” Bob Dylan’s only novel
Patrick Modiano goes beyond the checklist accuracies of historical fiction, fashioning a lush fever dream filled with glamor, mystery, and despair. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: In the Cafe of Lost Youth, by Patrick Modiano @ NYJB
In my latest installment of the NSFW Files, I discuss The Piano Teacher, by Elfriede Jelinek, a relentless attack on the human species by the controversial Austrian Nobel Laureate. Continue reading The NSFW Files: The Piano Teacher, by Elfriede Jelinek
I. Burial of the Dead April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow, feeding A little life with dried tubers. Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade, And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarden, And drank coffee, and talked for an hour. Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch. And when we were children, staying at the archduke’s, My cousin’s, he took me out … Continue reading Commonplace Book: April is the cruelest month …
The Driftless Area Review 