Crossing the International Line of Literature
March 29, 2009

This week I have been reading First Execution, a book  that is causing me to scratch my head as I work my way through it. A seeming thriller, it has turned into something entirely different and new to me—metafiction. I must admit I am not really liking it. And though I haven't quit yet, I am struggling to make sense of the combination of fantasy and reality, the philosophy, and the changeable narrator/author roles. It’s not easy. I find myself reading and rereading transitions like these:

The professor sat at the kitchen table, staring at the gun and the picture. He reached up to touch his throat, where he could still feel the impression of the doctor’s fingerprints. He discovered in that moment the truth behind the expression: “I am speechless.” He was mute, even inside his brain. I have emotions, feelings, but I can’t sense them flowing through my nervous system. It’s happened, and what’s happened is right here. Bewilderment. Fear, but as if viewed from above and to no one side, as if he were muttering: There, that’s what fear is.

I worked for days on Stasi’s fear, drawing on what I had experienced when I thought the man I’d tangled with on the bus had come boldly to stand outside my house, planning some unthinkable vendetta.  

The book was originally published in Italy, and brought to American readers by Europa Editions, a publisher well known for its translations of world literature in exquisite paperback editions. Reading it has been a reminder to me of how much conscious thought it can take to read internationally, that is, to read books outside our physical, cultural and/or personal borders.

I consider myself fairly well read, yet my homegrown assumptions, knowledge, experiences, and lifestyle have been shaped by reading that has centered mostly in America, England, France and Russia. I’ve never read books from New Zealand, Iceland, Serbia, or from any country in Africa. (I have read books about them, but not from them.) While I have read one or two from the Middle East, I have not ventured into the Nordic countries, to Japan, to Bolivia, or even to Canada. I am frankly embarrassed by my own admission.

I am finding First Execution uncomfortable, but I suspect that is due more to the curious storyline and the violence than to any unconscious cultural prejudices. Whether I will finish it or not is uncertain. Even if I don’t, it is having a positive effect, opening up a wedge of interest in exploring more books from lands far outside my experience.

Two web sites that focus on international literature—Words Without Borders and Three Percent—cite the statistic that “50% of all the books in translation now published worldwide are translated from English, but less than 3% are translated into English.” What that means for us as readers is that even if we consciously seek out international literature we are still getting only a tiny portion of what is being published. (That three percent includes all books in translation; if you want to limit it to literary fiction and poetry, the number dives to a dismal 0.7%.) Some is better than none, though, and it’s nice to see the major award winners get attention. But what about all the other books that may be as good as the winners? How can we discover them? One way is through sites and blogs that specialize in international literature. Not all of the sites I listed below are of equal value; some are obviously labors of love, others of professional-level quality. But what they do have in common is that they are places where the opportunity to learn about literature foreign to many American eyes.

Words Without Borders is probably the finest site for learning about international literature. They do post material on the web, but they also publish anthologies of literature from around the world as well as review books. This place is the perfect antidote for worrisome statistic quoted above.

Salonica is the brainchild of Monica Carter, a bookseller and writer who believes that “reading is a vital tool in exploring and understanding the world around us.” In her blog, she explores themes in and around books that include places, philosophies, movements, eras, genres, and more. 

Three Percent is the University of Rochester’s resource for international literature. It takes its name from the statistic quoted above, but its purpose is to counterbalance that by “bringing readers information about goings-on in the world of international literature, and by providing reviews and samples of books in translation and those that have yet to be translated” since, as they state, “it is a historical truism and will always remain the case that some of the best books ever written were written in a language other than English.”

In Translation is a wonderful site that makes available samples of work of various international writers along with biographies of both the author and translator. Every type of writing is included, and each translation, sufficiently long to give you a good feeling for the writing, is notated with the country of origin, the category (essay, novel, drama, poetry, etc.), and the date of publication.  

SovLit is a different kind of site courtesy of a Harvard University professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures who founded this nonprofit educational organization “dedicated to the study and preservation of Soviet literature.” What you won’t find here is today’s literature but rather a collection of speeches, letters, essays, articles, official decrees, bios, poetry, stories, summaries, etc. It’s quite amazing to read Aleksandr Dovhenko’s 1953 speech to the Union of Soviet Writers on writing screenplays about the earth, or S. Evgenov’s account of the Russian Association of Proletarian Writers 1925 attempt to subvert the policy of legislating all rival literary organizations out of existence.

Polish Writing serves as an index of Polish writing that has been translated into English. It includes extracts of key works from nineteen authors along with descriptions of those works, reviews, and short biographies or interviews of the authors. 

French Book News promotes “French books in Anglophone countries.” In their fictional section are first novels, novels, short stories, thrillers, Francophone, literature, and poetry/drama.” Nonfiction has “history/politics, philosophy/social science,  arts & literature, cinema, biography/autobiography, and travel/leisure.” 

Nordic Voices in Translation is a wonderful blog devoted to “the English translation of the literatures of the Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. And also Estonia.” Their translations include  not only literature but pieces from new works be they fiction, drama, poetry and criticism. This is a rather impressive site.

Books from Finland is a journal designed for people with an interest in Finnish literature. From 1967 through 2008 it was a print journal; it has now gone online and is adding new archive material all the time. It is expected that the site will be fully developed by mid-April and back publishing new material. What you will find here are articles on contemporary writers; poetry, prose, drama, essays in new English translations; features and reappraisals on classic authors; reviews of both fiction and nonfiction; and comments, debates and news—all with a literary bent.

Hungarian Literature Online is an incredible site for learning anything and everything about this country’s literature and the industry that produces it. There are interviews, reviews, excerpts, information on Hungary’s publishers, bookstores, museums, “places of Hungarian literature abroad,” information related to the translation of Hungarian literature, and more. It is wonderfully done.

Detectives Beyond Borders: A Forum for International Crime Fiction and International Noir Fiction are superb blogs for mystery lovers who want to step outside the USA. Both bloggers have a penchant for traveling around the entire literary world. As you will if you join them on the dark side.

The truth, as I am finding out, is that reading international literature intelligently requires more than just discovering the books. It necessitates reframing my references. But the rewards will be great, and I intend to delve deeper into works that challenge both my intellect and my literary borders.

Upcoming Book Festivals:
With spring’s arrival, book festivals are coming fast and furious. This week there are six spread out throughout the country. From the northeast corner to the deep South, back up to the open air of the central north and out to the west coast of California, books will be getting attention this week and into the weekend. 

Beginning March 31 and running through April 4, Grand Forks, hosts the 40th annual University of North Dakota Writers Conference with a series of panel discussions, readings, films, public readings, and Q&As with authors Charles Baxter, Steve Almond, Jacqueline Osherow, and others.

Hattiesburg will be holding the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival from April 1-3 at the University of Southern Mississippi. Among the authors appearing are Judy Blume, Ashley Bryan, Eloise Greenfield, Arthur Yorinks, and storyteller Yuyi Morales. This year’s events, many of which appear to be for adults rather than children, include panels and discussions on literacy development, libraries, online information, banned books, Dewey, illustrating children’s books, and more. There are some autographing sessions with the authors as well as the Keats Luncheon and Lecture. 

Down in New Mexico on Friday April 3 and Saturday, April 4, the Eighteenth Albuquerque Antiquarian Book Fair will be held at the UNM’s Conference Center. In addition to books, attendees will also be able to see and buy postcards, prints, photos, maps, and other printed collectibles. In addition, there will be a silent auction of the library’s surplus on Friday. It’s worth attending these shows because in addition to the very pricey first editions, you can also find lots of reasonably priced books. Even just savoring the sight of beautiful books is worth your time.

The Maine Festival of the Book, April 3-5 is relatively new, begun in 2004 by Maine Reads!, a nonprofit literacy organization. A pre-opening event on Thursday evening, April 2, is the visual presentation, The History of the Book, followed by a reception. The official opening is Friday evening with “A Reception with the Authors” is followed by “An Evening with David Sedaris” (which has already sold out). But Saturday offers a wide range of events including readings, author discussions, signings, book sales, and performances. Sunday is quieter, but it is a goodie—a dramatic reading of selections from Lewis Robinson’s new books by the Portland Stage Company.   

New York City is hosting the famous New York Antiquarian Book Fair from April 3-5 at the Park Avenue Armory over three days. This is probably the most famous antiquarian book fair, and with good reason: the most famous names in rare and antiquarian books exhibit here with astounding books. Unless you have very fortunate financial circumstances, you are unlikely to be able to buy much, but it is definitely worth attending (even at $20 per admission) to delight in the sensual literary atmosphere. 

Finally, on Saturday, April 4, Irvine, California, is hosting Literary Orange, starring authors Stephen J. Cannell, Ron Carlson, and Sandra Tsing Loh. Between the talks by the author stars are three panel presentation sessions with writers, each one offering a choice among five or six genre themes. General admission is $75 (students are $35) and includes a catered breakfast, snacks, and a luncheon. 

The Pub House:
If you think Leapfrog Press sounds like it might publish children’s books, you could be forgiven. Its name may be whimsical, but its books are literary fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, books that “expand our webs of connection with other humans and the natural world; books that illuminate our complexities; tough, unsentimental books about our difficult and sometimes insanely funny choices in life and how we make them.”

Among their current listings are Berlin, a dark, bizarre novel that centers around the fall of the infamous Wall in 1989; Rookie Cop, the story of a cadet in 1970 New York recruited to spy on the Jewish Defense League; and Midnight in the Guest Room, a collection of poetry in which “the bliss of the routine” in women’s lives is explored.

Of Interest:
One of the most peaceful blogs I know is that of Kaye Barley’s Meanderings and Muses. I find myself wandering over there whenever I feel like a bit of comfortable conversation similar to that I get when I meet a friend at a restaurant for a lovely outdoor lunch.

It has a bookish bent, naturally. And though Kaye will often veer off in any literary direction that pleases her, it focuses on her love, mystery and crime fiction. One of the things I most enjoy is that she writes as she (probably) talks. Breezy, chatty, colorful, almost breathless with excitement.

Though her blog is on my list of places to share with you, a recent development prompted me to move it up to this week—Kaye’s decision to bestow BiblioBuffet with the Dardos Award. I am honored. This award is “given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing.” Well, what can one say to that except “Thank you!”

This Week . . .
I  found possibly the worst idea for a bookmark ever! Before I link it I want to ask if you are one of those who likes to remove your books from an overstuffed bookshelf with your finger atop the spine? If so, you might not find it as horrifying as I did. What this P-Hook Bookmark does is double duty. Keep it in the book (or magazine) as a bookmark and use it as a tool to grab the book from an overcrowded shelf. Aside from the damage it is sure to wrought, the idea of having shelves of books with this piece of plastic sticking out is repulsive. Just say “No!” to this one.

Until next week, read well, read often and read on!

Lauren