Hand's up, who knows what an accabadora is? I'd be impressed if you did know. I didn't, but I soon found out when I picked up my lasted read which uses this word as its title. The meaning of accabadora is revealed in the cover blurb (see below). … [Read more...]
Mabanckou Giveaway: And the winner is…
August 25, 2011 By 3 Comments
Well, it's time to reveal the winner of my Alain Mabanckou giveaway, where one lucky reader would pick up a special EdBookFest signed copy of his first novel, Broken Glass (that's Alain signing that copy in the picture above). And that lucky winner, … [Read more...]
Rafik Schami features in new Words Without Borders edition
August 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Words Without Borders have posted the August edition of their online magazine. This month sees a continuation of their 'Arab Spring' theme, which focuses on literature from the countries involved in the Middle Eastern uprisings. This month's … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Bitter Bitch by Maria Sveland
June 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
So I come to my latest translated fiction read - Bitter Bitch (Corsair); a debut novel from Swedish author and journalist, Maria Sveland, which was originally published in 2007 under the title, Bittenfittan. Before I head off into this novel though, … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Monsieur Linh and His Child by Philippe Claudel
May 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
You won't find a review on RobAroundBooks at this time of Philippe Claudel's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize winning novel, Brodeck's Report (it lingers on my 'reviews still to write' list. You can catch my forethoughts on it, HERE), but I can tell … [Read more...]
Three Percent announce longlist for 2011 Best Translated Book Awards
January 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Three Percent, the website dedicated to modern and contemporary international literature, have announced their longlist of 25 titles for this year's Best Translated Book Awards. Founded in 2007 with the purpose of bringing international fiction … [Read more...]
Afterthoughts: Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi
September 16, 2010 By 6 Comments
In a Nutshell: Don’t let the small size of this novel put you off. Atiq Rahimi packs an awful lot of story into a small space, and he does so with much elegance and poise. As far from a ‘feel good’ novel as you’re likely to get, Earth and … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi
September 14, 2010 By 10 Comments
And so I come to the next novel that I'm going to be turning my attention to on RobAroundBooks, and I thought, through fear that you guys may forget that works-in-translation are a big feature around here, that it was about time that I featured a … [Read more...]
Forethoughts: A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheu
June 8, 2010 By 6 Comments
A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheu (Telegram Books) is one of those books that has languished on my bookshelves for a long time now. But it's not a lack of interest that has prevented me from reading it thus far. Ever since I featured this book in … [Read more...]
Daily Bookshot: The Foreign Fiction Prize Six
April 22, 2010 By 10 Comments
Foreign Fiction Prize Six, originally uploaded by Robert Burdock. This if a shot (if you didn't know already), of the six novels shortlisted for this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. I've set myself the task of reading all of them … [Read more...]