{"id":300056,"date":"2014-12-15T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-15T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wdev.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent-dev\/2014\/12\/15\/50-50-fifty-books-in-translation-from-fifty-presses-our-2014-year-end-book-list\/"},"modified":"2018-04-16T15:12:29","modified_gmt":"2018-04-16T15:12:29","slug":"50-50-fifty-books-in-translation-from-fifty-presses-our-2014-year-end-book-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/2014\/12\/15\/50-50-fifty-books-in-translation-from-fifty-presses-our-2014-year-end-book-list\/","title":{"rendered":"50\/50: Fifty Books in Translation from Fifty Presses [Our 2014 Year-End Book List]"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week I wrote a post<\/a> that, among other things, included a brief rant on year-end book lists (one of our favorite things to rant about here). Already before the post’s draft stage, I had been scheming up the foundation to a more translation-inclusive year-end list than the other lists out there this year, and soon after started talking to friends and colleagues from across the spectrum of publishing-and-book related occupations. Thus was conceived, completed, and born a list of 50 spectacular books in translation from 50 spectacular (and mostly indie!) presses publishing books in translation.<\/p>\n

To recap, the driving questions were approximately as follows: Why are the same books (and at times presses) always on the lists when there are SO MANY<\/span> AWESOME<\/span> BOOKS<\/span> in translation being published every year by SO MANY<\/span> PRESSES<\/span> that work with books in translation? And when the list is a translation-centric list, why list several books published by the same press when you could branch out? Why hasn’t<\/em> anyone really branched out? And: It can’t be that hard, so, dammit, we’re doing it ourselves. There are too many hardworking and talented people who translate and who publish these works for them to be constantly turned into the red-headed stepchild of literature, shoved into a corner, and made to wear its older sibling’s hand-me-downs.<\/p>\n

And, lo.<\/p>\n

Ideally, I would like to be able to come up with a list this extensive by myself. But I honestly don’t think I could have\u2014although the easiest part was naming 50 presses that do publish books in translation (and remember, I mentioned here<\/a> that a list put together by Barbara Epler contained 86 presses, and was still incomplete). Since we started this list, I’ve personally added some more titles to my to-read pile, and have also confirmed my suspicions or expectations for titles I’ve both wanted to read, and titles I’ve simply heard great things about. The reality, I think, is that better lists would<\/em> be put together by more than one person; it’s one integral aspect of book reading to participate in an information exchange on what we’ve read, liked, disliked, and to go forth from there and read more things.<\/p>\n

That said, this list is not to be taken as a be-all, end-all of lists or of books in 2014. There also were some roadblocks along the way\u2014but that doesn’t mean any press or book not on this list is to be scoffed at\u2014these are just 50 amazing books (fiction, poetry, other) in translation, published by 50 individual presses that publish translations, that we’ve read, or our friends have read, but which have undeniably spoken to us this year and gotten us excited about reading all over again. And we want to share them with you.<\/p>\n

Before getting to the list, I’d like to thank Katrine \u00d8gaard Jensen, Chad W. Post, Tom Roberge, Patrick Smith, Stephen Sparks, and Jeff Waxman (who let me rant about this over empanadas) for their enthusiastic help (and tolerance) in creating the list, their knowledge, and their equally obsessive book-reading tendencies. Second, I’d like to challenge others\u2014bloggers, reviewers, general readers\u2014to make their own, more-inclusive lists. Start with 25 books, a good old standard. Push it to 50. See if 80 is possible. Get to 100 and you’re probably the first. Third, I was going to try and add one-liners built using ISBN<\/span>-13s, but I didn’t. So\u20149780802121110.<\/p>\n

50\/50: FIFTY<\/span> BOOKS<\/span> IN TRANSLATION<\/span> FROM<\/span> FIFTY<\/span> PRESSES<\/span><\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n

And Other Stories<\/strong>: Sworn Virgin<\/em><\/a> by Elvira Dones, trans. Clarissa Botsford<\/p>\n

Antilever Press<\/strong>: Alma Venus<\/em><\/a> by Pere Gimferrer, trans. Adrian West<\/p>\n

Action Books<\/strong>: Sorrowtoothpaste Mirrorcream<\/em><\/a> by Kim Hyesoon, trans. Don Mee Choi<\/p>\n

Archipelago Books<\/strong>: My Struggle: Book Three<\/em><\/a> by Karl Ove Knausgaard; trasn. Don Bartlett<\/p>\n

Bellevue Literary Press<\/strong>: Aaron\u2019s Leap<\/em><\/a> by Magdalen\u00e1 Platzov\u00e1, trans. Craig Cravens<\/p>\n

Biblioasis<\/strong>: Granma Nineteen and the Soviet\u2019s Secret<\/em><\/a> by Ondjaki, trans. Stephen Henighan<\/p>\n

City Lights<\/strong>: Thousand Times Broken<\/em><\/a> by Henri Michaux, trans. Gillian Conoly<\/p>\n

Coach House Books<\/strong>: Guyana<\/em><\/a> (by \u00c9lise Turcotte, trans. Rhonda Mullins<\/p>\n

Coffee House Press<\/strong>: Faces in the Crowd<\/em><\/a> by Valeria Luiselli, trans. Christina MacSweeney<\/p>\n

Contra Mundum Press<\/strong>: Towards the One and Only Metaphor<\/em><\/a> by Mikl\u00f3s Szentkuthy, trans. Tim Wilkinson<\/p>\n

Dalkey Archive Press<\/strong>: Collected Stories<\/em><\/a> by Kjell Askildsen, trans. Se\u00e1n Kinsella<\/p>\n

David R. Godine Press<\/strong>: Temple of the Iconoclasts<\/em><\/a> by J. Rodolfo Wilcock, trans. Lawrence Venuti<\/p>\n

Deep Vellum Publishing<\/strong>: Texas: The Great Theft<\/em><\/a> by Carmen Boullosa, trans. Samantha Schnee<\/p>\n

Dzanc\/DISQUIET Books<\/strong>: Sankya<\/em><\/a> by Zakhar Prilepin, trans. Mariya Gusev & Jeff Parker<\/p>\n

Europa Editions<\/strong>: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay<\/em><\/a> by Elena Ferrante, trans. Ann Goldstein<\/p>\n

Feminist Press<\/strong>: The Silent Woman<\/em><\/a> by Monika Zgustova, trans. Mathew Tree<\/p>\n

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux<\/strong>: The Symmetry Teacher<\/em><\/a> by Andrei Bitov, trans. Polly Gannon<\/p>\n

Graywolf Press<\/strong>: Karate Chop<\/em><\/a> by Dorthe Nors, trans. Martin Aitken<\/p>\n

Grove Atlantic<\/strong>: Twilight of the Eastern Gods<\/em><\/a> Ismail Kadare\/David Bellos<\/p>\n

Hispabooks<\/strong>: Paris<\/em><\/a> by Marcos Giralt Torrente, trans. Margaret Jull Costa<\/p>\n

McSweeney\u2019s<\/strong>: McSweeney\u2019s 46: 13 Crime Stories from Latin America<\/em><\/a> by various, trans. various<\/p>\n

Melville House<\/strong>: The Nose<\/em><\/a> by Nikolai Gogol, trans. Ian Dreiblatt<\/p>\n

New Directions<\/strong>: End of Days<\/em><\/a> by Jenny Erpenbeck, trans. Susan Bernofsky<\/p>\n

New Press<\/strong>: Viviane<\/em><\/a> by Julia Deck, trans. Linda Coverdale<\/p>\n

New Vessel Press<\/strong>: Who is Martha?<\/em><\/a> by Marjana Gaponenko, trans. Arabella Spencer<\/p>\n

Nightboat Books<\/strong>: Mausoleum of Lovers<\/em><\/a> by Herv\u00e9 Guibert, trans. Nathana\u00ebl<\/p>\n

New York Review Books<\/strong>: The Mad and the Bad<\/em><\/a> by Jean-Patrick Manchette, trans. James Sallis<\/p>\n

NYU<\/span> Press<\/strong>: Leg Over Leg [Vol. 2]<\/em><\/a> by Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq, trans. Humphrey Davies<\/p>\n

Oneworld Publications<\/strong>: The Hilltop<\/em><\/a> by Assaf Gavron, trans. Steven Cohen<\/p>\n

Open Letter Books<\/strong>: La Grande<\/em><\/a> by Juan Jos\u00e9 Saer, trans. Steve Dolph<\/p>\n

Other Press<\/strong>: Diary of the Fall<\/em><\/a> by Michel Laub, trans. Margaret Jull Costa<\/p>\n

Otis Books<\/strong>: Panic Cure<\/em><\/a> by various, trans. by Forrest Gander<\/p>\n

Penguin Classics<\/strong>: The Time Regulation Institute<\/em><\/a> by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar, trans. Alexander Dawe & Maureen Freely<\/p>\n

Pushkin Press<\/strong>: The Hunting Gun<\/em><\/a> by Yasushi Inoue, trans. Michael Emmerich<\/p>\n

Seagull Books<\/strong>: Privy Portrait<\/em><\/a> by Jean-Luc Benoziglio, trans. Tess Lewis<\/p>\n

Seven Stories Press<\/strong>: Natural Histories<\/em><\/a> by Guadalupe Nettel, trans. J.T. Lichtenstein<\/p>\n

Serpent\u2019s Tail<\/strong>: Sila\u2019s Fortune<\/em><\/a> by Fabrice Humbert, trans. Frank Wynne<\/p>\n

Siete Vientos (7Vientos)<\/strong>: Flowers and Mishima\u2019s Illustrated Biography<\/em><\/a> by Mario Bellatin, trans. Kolin Jordan<\/p>\n

SOHO<\/span> Press<\/strong>: Last Winter, We Parted<\/em><\/a> by Fuminori Nakamura, trans. Allison Markin Powell<\/p>\n

Sylph Editions<\/strong>: Stalin is Dead<\/em><\/a> by Rachel Shihor, trans. Ornan Rotem<\/p>\n

Talon Books<\/strong>: Birth of a Bridge<\/em><\/a> by Mylis de Kerangal, trans. Jessica Moore<\/p>\n

Tam Tam Books<\/strong>: The Death Instinct<\/em><\/a> by Jacques Mesrine, trans. Robert Greene & Catherine Texier<\/p>\n

Tavern Books<\/strong>: Collected Translations<\/em><\/a> by various, trans. David Wevill<\/p>\n

Twisted Spoon<\/strong>: Miruna, a Tale<\/em><\/a> by Bogdan Suceav\u0103, trans. Alistair Ian Blyth<\/p>\n

Two Lines<\/strong>: Baboon<\/em><\/a> by Naja Marie Aidt, trans. Denise Newman<\/p>\n

Ugly Duckling Presse<\/strong>: Diana\u2019s Tree<\/em><\/a> by Alejandra Pizarnik, trans. Yvette Siegert<\/p>\n

Unnamed Press<\/strong>: Walker on Water<\/em><\/a> by Kristiina Ehin, trans. Ilmar Lehtpere<\/p>\n

Wakefield Press<\/strong>: The Physiology of the Employee<\/em><\/a> by Honor\u00e9 de Balzac, trans. Andr\u00e9 Naffis-Sahely<\/p>\n

Wave Books<\/strong>: Wallless Space<\/em> by Ernst Meister, trans. Graham Faust & Samuel Frederick<\/a><\/p>\n

Yale University Press<\/strong>: Suspended Sentences: Three Novellas<\/em><\/a> by Patrick Modiano, trans. Mark Polizzoti<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week I wrote a post that, among other things, included a brief rant on year-end book lists (one of our favorite things to rant about here). Already before the post’s draft stage, I had been scheming up the foundation to a more translation-inclusive year-end list than the other lists out there this year, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67486],"tags":[1646],"class_list":["post-300056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","tag-review"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300056"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":317036,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300056\/revisions\/317036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/College\/translation\/threepercent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}