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
“Recommended reading for those looking for a more lighthearted take on a region riven by suffering and war. Voroshilovgrad is yet another example of Ukraine’s cultural uniqueness and its post-Soviet literary scene.” Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: Voroshilovgrad, by Serhiy Zhadan @ nyjb
A fragmentary meditation on death and decay, “Of Darkness” by Josefine Klougart stretches the concept of fictional narrative to its very limits. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: Of Darkness, by Josefine Klougart @ NYJB
EM Cioran on death. Continue reading Commonplace Book: Cioran on Death
Violent, erotic, dreamlike, and weird Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: The Absolute Gravedigger, by Vítěslav Nezval @ NYJB
“For Two Thousand Years” by Mihail Sebastian is a hidden gem in European literature, shining a light on what happened in Romania between the wars. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: For Two Thousand Years @ NYJB
“Abahn Sabana David” by Marguerite Duras is “a fable about ideological extremism under an avant-garde skin.” Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: Abahn Sabana David, by Marguerite Duras @ NYJB
Fouad Laroui casts his eye on Morocco’s dour political legacy with the scalpel-like precision of a social satirist. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: The Curious Case of Dassoukine’s Trousers, by Fouad Laroui @ NYJB
Compelling passages, notable quotables, bon mots, disjecta, ephemera, and miscellany. I admire those very broad people who through the decades become broader and broader yet do not give in. But the unyieldingly narrow are horrible. [1957 – 1959] A ceremonial beast, assembled from tiaras. [1960] That the behavior of dictators is perfidious is no longer surprising. But that mankind still craves authoritarianism, despite their appalling record of failure, is incomprehensible. With these monstrous examples right before our eyes, how are we so stupid, and how it is possible, faced with all that has happened, for us to lie to ourselves … Continue reading Commonplace Book/Translation Tuesdays: Elias Canetti on minds and monsters
Venice, renown the world over for its beauty and riches, becomes the setting for Gabrielle Wittkop’s Murder Most Serene. The slim novella opens in the latter days of the Serene Republic of Venice, in 1796. Corruption, both moral and physical, run rampant, creating a fetid atmosphere of gorgeous decay and depravity. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: Murder Most Serene, by Gabrielle Wittkop @ NYJB
The Driftless Area Review 