Category Archives: World Literature

**Books translated from the original language to English**

The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden

Posted on May 29, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) It’s 1961, almost twenty years after the war, and it would appear as if the Netherlands has recovered. However, scars linger beneath the surface in unimaginable ways. Isabel, who is almost thirty years old, doesn’t have … Continue reading →

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The Club of True Creators – Milan Tripkovi

Posted on March 17, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “We aren’t criminals! We are authors whose works your children will study in Serbian language classes one day. We are the architects of some of the most refined literary achievements ever committed to the Serbian tongue. … Continue reading →

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Forgottenness – Tanja Maljartschuk, translated by Zenia Tompkins 

Posted on January 23, 2024 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “I was an inconsequential being who had suddenly become deathly afraid of life.” Our present-day narrator suffers from mental/psychological disorders: frequent panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, substance abuse, and changing levels of agoraphobia. Eventually she breaks … Continue reading →

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Many People Die Like You – Lina Wolff, translated by Saskia Vogel

Posted on December 11, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Those who enjoy eclectic short stories that explore human nature are sure to relish the stories in Many People Die Like You. From bizarre relationships to unexpected power dynamics, this collection of fourteen stories takes … Continue reading →

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Violets – Kyung-Sook Shin, translated by Anton Hur

Posted on December 4, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “San’s attraction did not originate this summer. But rather it has lain in wait for millennia before bursting forth all at once. “ San was no stranger to abandonment. Her father left right after she … Continue reading →

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Dogboy v Catfish – Luke Gracias

Posted on November 19, 2023 by J D Jung

Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned When I first read the title, Dogboy v Catfish, I thought that it sounded silly, and was skeptical as to whether I would enjoy the book. I hope others are not turned off by it, … Continue reading →

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January – Sara Gallardo, translated by Frances Riddle

Posted on October 24, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) January (Enero) first published in Spanish in 1958, follows the daily life and thoughts of sixteen-year-old Nefer, who finds she is pregnant after a rape. Nefer works on the family farm, and lives in the shadow … Continue reading →

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Las Biuty Queens: Stories- Iván Monalisa Ojeda, translated by Hannah Kauders

Posted on July 28, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Upon arriving in New York City from Chile, Iván became Monalisa and worked the streets of New York City. She befriended other Latin American transgender prostitutes, and though they were from different countries of origin, … Continue reading →

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Down with the Poor! – Shumona Sinha, translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan 

Posted on July 18, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…the same stories and the same bodies blended in my head, lost all definition and all form, became a dark and shapeless mass of giant bodies, that growled, shouted, demanded, cried, pleaded. Were they inventing a … Continue reading →

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Café Unfiltered- Jean-Philippe Blondel, translated by Alison Anderson

Posted on July 11, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Freedom of movement is what I want more than anything—particularly after eighteen months of restrictions.” Cafes just started to reopen after the release of the Covid-19 vaccines, and José, the waiter at Le Tom’s Café is … Continue reading →

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