I’m always drawn to translated literature because it lets me travel the world from wherever I am. If I could do it physically, I would but books are the next best thing. I haven’t read books in tandem like you did, but I love the idea. It’s fascinating how even with the best translation, some emotions or nuances don’t quite land the same. I’ve noticed English tends to be more concise, while in French, my native language, sentences often meander a bit more. I was recently in Sweden and had planned to read local authors beforehand, but it didn’t happen. While in Stockholm though, I picked up two books by Swedish authors in English, and I’m excited to extend the journey a little through their stories :)
i love that you picked up books in english by swedish authors during your travels! 🤍 yes, it’s always so interesting to think about communicating the “same” meaning in different languages.. and even the choices that translators make to convey a story in different ways! i would love to learn french one day. do you have any contemporary french authors/books translated into english you might recommend? 🥹
That’s the funny thing, I try to read more translated lit, but don’t often reach for French-speaking authors! That said, Annie Ernaux is a favourite, and I highly recommend I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, she was Belgian like me :) If you read any of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
This was a wonderful read! I couldn't agree more with everything! My native languages are Catalan and Spanish and it is true that I mostly read translated lit in English so one of my goals this year is to read more translated lit in my native languages too 🥺 I think reading translated lit opens up so many new possibilities for us and allows us to find even more books and stories to connect with. Can't wait to see more book recommendations from you!
i love that! i think it's also so important for readers like us to be vocal about our reading interests.. there are so many multilingual readers out there who want to see amazing writers from other languages published in english as well!! i'm already a fan of your substack and am looking forward to sharing recs with each other 🥺🙏!!
I love this so much!! I’ve been trying to diversify my reading and want to explore more literature by Asian/diasporic writers. Just added Taiwan Travelogue to my list! I also love the idea of reading at least one piece of literature from a place before visiting it to deepen the experience — will start doing this more. Can’t wait to follow along!
all 4 points, amazing and oh so true! especially # 2 for me. English is my dominant reading language because of work but I’m from the Philippines and I always take away a lot from reading Filipino authors.
Also I read translated literature because I am so tired of Western stories. As of late, they kind of all feel the same to me.
oh, I’m so glad we connected! I feel entirely the same way. I would love to read more Filipino authors and look forward to seeing if you have any recs on your Substack :) An oversaturation of Western stories… and I’m not very interested, at times, in their perspectives, as I’ve heard them enough! I think US UK publishers sometimes underestimate how many English-reading people there are from outside the US/UK that are really wanting new stories!
“I’ve heard them enough” - That’s exactly what I’m feeling. Nothing’s new anymore.
For Filipino authors, I always recommend to anyone who asks, to start with Smaller and Smaller Circles by F. H. Batacan. She’s published by Soho Press so I guess the book should be available if you’re in the US. It was written in English though and not translated from a Philippine language. It’s marketed as a crime novel but my biggest takeaway with that book is the corruption here in the Philippines by the government and the church. There’s a lot of bits about Philippine snacks which I really loved.
thank you so much for the rec! just added it to my list 😍 I love when novels tie in big-picture critiques along with smaller accessible details (like food!). reminds me of Taiwan Travelogue, too, how it’s structured around Taiwanese foods but ultimately about intimate relationships impeded by coloniality..
Compelling! You're right that I probably couldn't name more than 5 non-anglo authors that I've read from recently. Yikes!
In a similar vein, I am always trying to find books to read to my students that have non-white, non-American characters and authors that aren't only themes of diversity or social justice. It's surprisingly challenging so my goal this summer is to put together a list of at least 100 books that have great stories with characters who aren't white Americans. Let me know if you have any suggestions for great Korean or Chinese storybooks from your childhood that I could try and find translations of!!!
what an amazing goal! your students are so lucky to have you!! what grade level are the students you're curating for? let me come up with suggestions!!
i’m still trying to think, but the first picture book that strongly comes to mind is Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall about japanese americans during WWII!!
I’m always drawn to translated literature because it lets me travel the world from wherever I am. If I could do it physically, I would but books are the next best thing. I haven’t read books in tandem like you did, but I love the idea. It’s fascinating how even with the best translation, some emotions or nuances don’t quite land the same. I’ve noticed English tends to be more concise, while in French, my native language, sentences often meander a bit more. I was recently in Sweden and had planned to read local authors beforehand, but it didn’t happen. While in Stockholm though, I picked up two books by Swedish authors in English, and I’m excited to extend the journey a little through their stories :)
i love that you picked up books in english by swedish authors during your travels! 🤍 yes, it’s always so interesting to think about communicating the “same” meaning in different languages.. and even the choices that translators make to convey a story in different ways! i would love to learn french one day. do you have any contemporary french authors/books translated into english you might recommend? 🥹
That’s the funny thing, I try to read more translated lit, but don’t often reach for French-speaking authors! That said, Annie Ernaux is a favourite, and I highly recommend I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, she was Belgian like me :) If you read any of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
oh, I’ve been meaning to try that book! I see it everywhere :) I’ll definitely look into both Ernaux and Harpman. thank you for the rec!! 🙏
This was a wonderful read! I couldn't agree more with everything! My native languages are Catalan and Spanish and it is true that I mostly read translated lit in English so one of my goals this year is to read more translated lit in my native languages too 🥺 I think reading translated lit opens up so many new possibilities for us and allows us to find even more books and stories to connect with. Can't wait to see more book recommendations from you!
i love that! i think it's also so important for readers like us to be vocal about our reading interests.. there are so many multilingual readers out there who want to see amazing writers from other languages published in english as well!! i'm already a fan of your substack and am looking forward to sharing recs with each other 🥺🙏!!
I love this so much!! I’ve been trying to diversify my reading and want to explore more literature by Asian/diasporic writers. Just added Taiwan Travelogue to my list! I also love the idea of reading at least one piece of literature from a place before visiting it to deepen the experience — will start doing this more. Can’t wait to follow along!
so glad our interests align!!! i would love to explore similar reads together 😍 so glad to have you here!!
all 4 points, amazing and oh so true! especially # 2 for me. English is my dominant reading language because of work but I’m from the Philippines and I always take away a lot from reading Filipino authors.
Also I read translated literature because I am so tired of Western stories. As of late, they kind of all feel the same to me.
oh, I’m so glad we connected! I feel entirely the same way. I would love to read more Filipino authors and look forward to seeing if you have any recs on your Substack :) An oversaturation of Western stories… and I’m not very interested, at times, in their perspectives, as I’ve heard them enough! I think US UK publishers sometimes underestimate how many English-reading people there are from outside the US/UK that are really wanting new stories!
“I’ve heard them enough” - That’s exactly what I’m feeling. Nothing’s new anymore.
For Filipino authors, I always recommend to anyone who asks, to start with Smaller and Smaller Circles by F. H. Batacan. She’s published by Soho Press so I guess the book should be available if you’re in the US. It was written in English though and not translated from a Philippine language. It’s marketed as a crime novel but my biggest takeaway with that book is the corruption here in the Philippines by the government and the church. There’s a lot of bits about Philippine snacks which I really loved.
thank you so much for the rec! just added it to my list 😍 I love when novels tie in big-picture critiques along with smaller accessible details (like food!). reminds me of Taiwan Travelogue, too, how it’s structured around Taiwanese foods but ultimately about intimate relationships impeded by coloniality..
I’ll add that in my TBR then!
you are so right! I look forward to your substacks so I can update my TBR!!
inspired by you and your reading tastes too!! also need to hear how you liked i who who have never known men!!
Compelling! You're right that I probably couldn't name more than 5 non-anglo authors that I've read from recently. Yikes!
In a similar vein, I am always trying to find books to read to my students that have non-white, non-American characters and authors that aren't only themes of diversity or social justice. It's surprisingly challenging so my goal this summer is to put together a list of at least 100 books that have great stories with characters who aren't white Americans. Let me know if you have any suggestions for great Korean or Chinese storybooks from your childhood that I could try and find translations of!!!
what an amazing goal! your students are so lucky to have you!! what grade level are the students you're curating for? let me come up with suggestions!!
yes please!!! I'm looking for kindergarten-3rd grade but honestly any picture books could probably be appropriate. thank you 🙏
i’m still trying to think, but the first picture book that strongly comes to mind is Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall about japanese americans during WWII!!