As promised, here are some Women in Translation Month recommendations for next month! You’ve probably seen a lot of these on my feed in the last half a year, but I wanted to put them all in one place. I also wanted to include some great books I’ve read over the last few years. I will also be doing a part two as there were just too many great titles I missed here!
Whether you read one book in August or ten, join me in celebrating women in translation!
Disclaimer: Some titles were previously sent to me for free from the publisher in exchange for a review. These have been noted with an asterisk* and, as always, my opinion is unbiased. I’m also an affiliate for Blackwell’s and this post contains affiliate links. If any of my recommendations catch your eye, please consider shopping using my affiliate link beneath each entry. I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you on anything you buy. Any prices I may mention are accurate at the time of posting. Thank you!
So let’s dive in to my Women in Translation Month recommendations for you!
1. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, tr. Italian by Ann Goldstein
It’s no secret that I love this series. It explores everything I love in a book, including motherhood and female friendship. I genuinely think this series only gets better as it goes on. So if you read this and like it but still don’t really get why I can’t stop harping on about it, give book two a go! And August is perfect for picking up the next instalment of the series if you’ve already read My Brilliant Friend.
Buy My Brilliant Friend at Blackwell’s
2. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead* by Olga Tokarczuk, tr. Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
This novel completely hypnotised me last year. Our protagonist is yet another crotchety old lady, this time Janina Duszejko (although she rejects her name) who lives in a remote Polish village. Her usually quiet life is turned upside down when members of the local hunting club start turning up dead. I was gripped from the beginning, entranced by Janina’s dizzying reflections on the meaning of true names, astrology and the merits of animals over people. There are also some truly astounding feats of translation acrobatics involving back translations of poetry that had my mind REELING. Such a unique piece of work that you won’t regret picking up. Bonus: it’s currently only £6.99 at Blackwell’s.
Buy Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead at Blackwell’s
3. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, tr. Spanish by Magda Bogin
If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ll know that I literally never shut up about this book. I probably recommend this book more than I recommend any other book. It’s one of my ALL. TIME. FAVOURITES. And yes, I never shut up about it, but have you read it yet? If not, then clearly it’s not time for me to shut up yet. This book has it all: a sweeping family saga, magical realism, politics, feminism, motherhood. Oh, and all the characters actually have different names so you can tell them apart without referring to a family tree 17 times a minute. (No offence, Márquez, I still love One Hundred Years of Solitude. But this is better.)
Buy The House of the Spirits at Blackwell’s
4. The Discomfort of Evening* by Marieke Lucas Rjineveld, tr. Dutch by Michele Hutchison
Founder of Women in Translation Month stated that it’s been expanded to include transgender and non-binary authors in translation, as it’s about celebrating those whose voices are often underrepresented. With this in mind, why not give The Discomfort of Evening a go in August? Rijneveld uses they/them pronouns and is hugely popular in The Netherlands. Their book is without a doubt one of the most discomfiting books I’ve ever read, and yet I could not put it down for a minute. You can read my full review here.
Buy The Discomfort of Evening at Blackwell’s
5. An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good* by Helene Tursten, tr. Swedish by Marlaine Delargy
I read this one back in 2018 and I thought it was so much fun – and surprisingly dark! I think this one will delight crime fiction fans and those who don’t read much crime alike. Anyone who enjoys an ornery old lady character as much as I do will certainly love reading Maud’s exploits. A series of interconnected short stories, these are perfect for a quick read to while away a Sunday evening.
Buy An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good at Blackwell’s
6. Hurricane Season* by Fernanda Melchor, tr. Spanish by Sophie Hughes
I recently reread this book in preparation for an interview with the author and I was once again struck by the poetic brutality of it. This is up there with The Discomfort of Evening in terms of disturbance levels. Hurricane Season starts with some village children discovering the corpse of ‘The Witch’ in an irrigation canal, and it only gets bleaker and darker from there. Melchor is not afraid to turn over the stones of humanity and expose the blind, writhing worms beneath. Anger and pain pulse through the pages of this novel. It’s one you won’t forget in a hurry.
Buy Hurricane Season at Blackwell’s
7. Loop* by Brenda Lozano, tr. Spanish by Annie McDermott
I love Charco Press for Latin American lit, and this one is possibly one of my favourites from them so far. I love meandering, plotless novels filled with introverted self-reflection, and this one ticks all the boxes. I’d recommend Loop to writers and anyone who loves Ali Smith, as I think they’ll find a lot that resonates with them within these pages. I loved the way Lozano seamlessly wove contemporary issues from Mexico, such a femicide, into the personal musings of the narrator.
8. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree* by Shokoofeh Azar, tr. Anonymous
This book reminded me a lot of The House of the Spirits, so if you liked that book there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree. It stands on its own two feet of course. This book is steeped in Iranian folklore and focuses on one family whose lives are touched by magic over the years. Explanations of the plot do no justice to this book though. You need to read it and experience the richness for yourself. The translator, who remained anonymous for security reasons, has done an incredible job of translating the beautiful flowing language, and it’s full of artfully constructed passages you’ll want to read again and again.
Buy The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree at Blackwell’s
9. Wild Swims* by Dorthe Nors, tr. Danish by Misha Hoekstra
I wanted to include a short story collection in my Women in Translation month recommendations because they are perfect for slowly enjoying over the month! I wouldn’t recommend this one to people who enjoy a faster paced read. Nors focuses on the slower side of life. But rarely have I read short stories that transported me so fully into the lives of others. Each story feels so fully fleshed out that it was almost disconcerting to realise they were only a few pages long.
10. Kim JiYoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo, tr. Korean by Jamie Chang
This is a short, quick little read so it’s perfect if your TBR for August is already bursting at the seams. I really enjoyed the straight-talking writing. This book is a no-frills account of what life is like for a woman in South Korea, with an ending that hits you right in the gut. From the minute she is born, Kim JiYoung (the most popular name for girls born in South Korea in the 80s) represents a disappointment to her family. We follow her as she grows up and encounters sexism in every aspect of her life, from school and at home to her first job. Although set in South Korea, there are experiences recounted here that will resonate with every woman, as sad as it is.
Buy Kim JiYoung, Born 1982 at Blackwell’s
That’s all for this post! I could definitely do ten more Women in Translation month recommendations, so do let me know if you’d like to see a part two!
In the meantime, check out Ten Translated Books You Can Read in a Day, as there are eight books by women in translation in that post!