Reading along for Women in Translation month is always vastly engaging and illuminating. Not only do I find fabulous book and stories from around the world, but I also enjoy founder Meytal Radzinski's hard work compiling stats and posting information about the state of women in translation.
This year she went even further, and crowdsourced a list of the "100 Best WIT" -- knowing of course that this is a list of favourites with all that entails. There were more than 800 nominations, and she's now posted the top 100, with promises to dig deeper into that list to examine the Eurocentric bent, the bias toward recently published titles, and more. It should be fascinating!
There's already a Goodreads group set up to read and discuss the top 100. If you're on Goodreads, join in -- it should be fun to follow along.
I've read 20 of the top 100 titles so far, and have 2 more started already. And the first 6 of my own nominations made it to the top 100! But to highlight my own choices, I am sharing my own current top ten picks that I nominated this year. I may change or add to this list by next year, but this is what it looks like right at this moment. There are so many great reads it is hard to narrow things down, but here are my picks for my 10 favourites:
I love this brief duo of novellas that was my first introduction to Yoshimoto many years ago. It's simple but really sticks with you.
Read just last year, this new translation is so, so good. Looking at a family living through the Iranian revolution it is just beautifully told.
Although I have enjoyed all of Jenny Erpenbeck's books, this one was particularly memorable for me. I really liked the unusual structure and the haunting 'what-ifs' of this story.
Gorgeous! In Jansson's typical style, this book is a series of brief experiences between a young girl and her grandmother over the course of a summer. It's sharp and realistic; the girl is truly young, the grandmother fully old. Nature is mysterious and overwhelming. A must read.
A classic which I just discovered, this one is poetic, lovely, edgy and violent, dreamy. A moving reading experience.
While this long book took me a while to read, and some patience to adjust to the fragmentary style, it comes together into a powerful and unforgettable read.
Fossum usually writes crime thrillers (also good) but this one is a bit more -- it's an author haunted by her characters who want her to write their story. Fascinating and clever.
This Quebecois novel is a dreamy summer vacation all by itself. Flawed characters but a massively sensory dip into a lake community over one summer, and a young boy's obsession with Harry Potter too
This was a wonderfully discombobulating read, unsettling, creative and thought-provoking. I want more people to read it!
Beautifully written, historically illuminating book about two families in Turkey circa 1980 as coup d'etats and unrest shake their world. Unforgettable images and strong characters make this a powerful read.
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