15 Powerful Women in Translation you must read
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August is when we celebrate Women in Translation Month in the literary world. The point is to promote and read more books from women writers all over the world in all languages. So I just thought, in case any of you would be interested in this, I could create a list of such books written by women in other languages and translated into English, that are absolutely fascinating and eye-opening and those I loved myself.
Unique Book Recommendations to help you find your next read
How many times have we heard the chronicle of the illustrious Ramayana? How Rama returned victorious to Ayodhya after 14 years of banishment and after slaying the vicious demon king- Ravana. After which, he continued to rein over the hearts of his citizens of Ayodhya with a just and kind rule. Is not that the way the narrative goes?
But what about Sita on whom the whole Ramayana ensued? Was Rama just and kind and fair to her, when he banished a pregnant Sita to a hermit's cottage? Or what of the humiliations of Surpankha who became the very spark that burned the fire of revenge and retribution in Ravana's heart and he decided to abduct Sita?
Why did Laxmana's wife Urmila, not escort him to exile as Sita did for Rama?
Did we ever go deep into the mindsets of the women in Ramayana? Not all of their stories turned out as noble and noteworthy as Rama's but they need to be heard.
This a short read to put your thinking gears to work.
Another Korean-translated book that was weird AF. A woman, married and going on about her routine, all of a sudden, has a gruesomely dream about blood and flesh and decides to become a vegetarian for life.
But her vegetarianism takes on a different level when she starts eating lesser and lesser and begins to think she is a tree. Meanwhile, her family - husband, parents, sister, and brother-in-law react to her vegetarianism in ways that leave her in mental and physical chaos and make the story much stranger.
I was hoping to conclude the tale with a happily ever after, but all stories are not fairy tales, and The Vegetarian is not one. But the story is bound to stay with you for long.
The earliest text of the Ramayana consists of seven books. The foremost and the ultimate books, Bala Kanda and Uttara Kanda, the author believes, were subsequent additions to the remaining five Kandas. These 2 texts are narrative and lackluster while the middle five texts have lyrical language and are emotional and creative.
The word Uttara has numerous meanings, among them, ‘ after ’, ‘ epilogue ’, ‘ ultimate ’, and ‘ answer ’. The Uttara Kanda performs the work of all those meanings, the most important of it's to give answers to all the questions that remain unanswered in the antedating texts.
Although the translation seems without errors, the content in itself is unappealing. But the analytics presented by the author of the significant incidents and their aftereffects on all the characters affected feels apt, although the original text doesn't include any reasons whatsoever.
Cursed Bunny is written by Bora Chung and translated from Korean by Anton Hur. The book is an anthology with themes like horror, fantasy, magical realism, and contemporary fiction.
Every story had a twist in the end that I did not see coming. I think the stories were sufficiently weird and sometimes horror-inducing - like Frozen Finger. That one really gave me the creeps. I gave that one and a couple more stories 5 stars. But some stories felt long drawn -like Scars. But overall I think it was generally an unputdownable book. The writing was engrossing, and all the stories had me completely engaged.
A son’s death is reduced to a number labellelabeledd to his body – 1084. The mother believes the son could never do wrong, then why was he killed? The father believes it was the mother’s encouragement and undue favoritism that encouraged the son’s wrongful activities and his involvement in banned groups.
A gem of a book from Bengal's gem of writer - Mahasweta Devi.
Sprout is a hen who lives in a coop laying eggs every day, only for the eggs to be taken away to be sold to the market. She has never seen anything beyond the coop. Heck, she can't even move in there. She is just existing.
But now she has decided, no more laying eggs. She wants to hatch an egg and dreams of seeing the barn the coop is in. But will this dream ever come true?
The beauty of this book is as much in the powerful story-telling as much as it is in the unforgettable characters. Sprout, Straggler, Greentop I feel like I can never forget them, ever! Everything just stood before my eyes, the reservoir, the reeds field, the weasel with the glowing eyes, the flocks of geese.
Absurd. Weird. Outrageous. Strange, really, really strange.
These are the first words that come to my mind. There are themes of child abuse, incest, murder, and cannibalism. So I suppose you get the gist of what to anticipate. It’s a seriously dark book.
Natsuki is a girl who believes she’s an alien. Her mama cares more about her elder sister than she ever did about her. Natsuki loves her cousin Yuu and going to her grandmother’s house in a remote village down from Tokyo and meeting her family is all she ever looks forward to.
Natsuki believes that the town is a factory. A factory for manufacturing babies and she wants to prepare herself for it. But much before she's prepared her teacher takes advantage of her, and her mama doesn’t believe her and that breaks her. What follows is an unbelievable story.
An unexpectedly impressive book.
A high school teacher has lost her young kid. She knows she was murdered by her pupils. How did this happen, and why? What motive would some students have? And more importantly, now the schoolteacher wants her vengeance.
The character study of this genuinely unique plotline is startling. We're taken through the narratives and perspectives of several students and the perpetrators through chapters. And at the end of every chapter, there are some serious twists. I completely enjoyed reading this amazing Japanese work of literature.
I recommend it to anyone looking to explore new authors and Japanese literature.
A refugee comes to India from Lahore, now in Pakistan, looking for a means of livelihood and shelter. She ends up becoming a Governess for a royal heir in Sirohi, Rajasthan.
The novel is promoted as a Partition novel. But I felt it was more a feminist novel about a woman fighting patriarchy and the ways and means of a newly independent country, India.
That's all that I could gather from reading the 270 pages. There wasn't a distinct plot or pace to the novel, but neither were the characters memorable. But what didn't work for me might just work for you, so go ahead and give it a go!
What an unconventional story-telling style.
If these stories are anywhere close to reality you are in for a rude shock. The stories will shake you to the core. Most of the stories are based on paranormal occurrences, but the human element of the stories is also macabre.
Argentine City life mixed with spooky horror.
The ends of the stories especially are so twisted that it will make you sit up in your seat. My favorite (or unfavorite) was When the Kids Came Back, it was also the longest. I had goosebumps all over reading that story. I was sad but spooked. I wonder how the author can evoke so many mixed emotions.
Revolting but fascinating. You are compelled to read every word.
This one is a weird but very entertaining read.
The story happens over a day. Gaspar, the protagonist, and his gang, consisting of Agnes, Pongo, Pingi, Njet, and Kiki are onto a heist. They plan to rob a jewelry store. Intermingled in that story is an interview transcript where a forgetful and old Tati is being interviewed about the murder of a young boy.
The way the two storylines intermingle was a little confusing in the beginning. But a couple of chapters in and the story picked up my interest. I loved The way how the suspense about the robbery was slowly built and taken to an uplifting peak.
Don’t be fooled by the sci-fi description of the story. It’s just set in a future Jakarta that is submerged in water and also there is a motorbike that has a mind of its own. Despite being sci-fi I loved how the folk tales of Indonesia were skillfully woven into the plot.
Anita Agnihotri through her penmanship throws light with a sharp focus on a series of related themes: sex-selective abortion, sexual assault, caste-related violence and brutality, feudal labor relations, farmers’ homicides, and Climate change in all its incarnations.
She does this through the lives of farmers, migrant laborers, and activists in Marathi and Western Maharashtra. Fully fundamental, corrosive, and deeply caring, this novel tells the dark truths about contemporary India.
Kim Jiyoung has a problem no one can explain, not even doctors. Each day she becomes a different woman, a woman known to her in some way, either living or dead.
Although no one can explain what the problem exactly is, maybe we would be able to tell why it exists.
Are patriarchal traditions, and rampant discriminations enough reasons to account for her strange behavior?
Don’t miss out on this revolutionary piece of feminist writing from a place we hardly ever see glimpses of. This South Korean bestseller made it to the 100 must-read books of 2020 curated by The Time Magazine.
An absolutely unexpected find. I was looking for Japanese books to diversify my reading experience and for one of my upcoming blog posts and came across this short book. The author's name and the title of the book intrigued me and I ordered it from my library. I am glad I did.
The book has two love stories that will capture your heart. Both stories are very different from each other but both talk about dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Boat Number Five by Monika Kompanikova is a brilliant novel set in Slovakia. This is the story of twelve-year-old Jarka who wants to find genuine human relationships that mean something and that will fill her loneliness. Her mother is an unchaste woman who is very neglectful towards her. Her grandmother another ill-natured woman wants Jarka to take care of her.
One day while roaming the streets, Jarka chances upon two abandoned twin babies and decides to take them as her own. The consequences are obvious and very sad but the writing shines through and the story is bound to touch some chords in your heart.
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