Category Archives: World Literature

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

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 →

Posted in Latin American Literature, Lost and almost forgotten | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on January – Sara Gallardo, translated by Frances Riddle

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 →

Posted in Latin American Literature, Short stories | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Las Biuty Queens: Stories- Iván Monalisa Ojeda, translated by Hannah Kauders

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 →

Posted in French Literature, Immigration, World Issues | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Down with the Poor! – Shumona Sinha, translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan 

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 →

Posted in French Literature | Tagged , | Comments Off on Café Unfiltered- Jean-Philippe Blondel, translated by Alison Anderson

Who is bombing Kyiv?! – Marina Alova

Posted on May 22, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “It was disheartening and revolting to witness the country repeating the same mistakes and going around in circles. Slava believed that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it would be impossible to make the … Continue reading →

Posted in Slavic Literature, World Issues, World Literature | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Who is bombing Kyiv?! – Marina Alova

I’m Not Going Anywhere – Rumena Bužarovska,(translated by Steve Bradbury)

Posted on April 7, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “She cried because her son didn’t love her, because her husband didn’t love her, because she felt lost at work, because the country was a total mess and had no future…” These words of desperation … Continue reading →

Posted in World Literature | Tagged , , | Comments Off on I’m Not Going Anywhere – Rumena Bužarovska,(translated by Steve Bradbury)

Stay This Day and Night With Me – Belén Gopegui, (translated by Mark Schafer)

Posted on April 2, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Don’t think, Google, that the value of human acts can be measured in visits or by keeping track of how much information or money they generate.” Mateo, a twenty-two-year-old Spanish college student wants to apply … Continue reading →

Posted in Spanish Literature, World Literature | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Stay This Day and Night With Me – Belén Gopegui, (translated by Mark Schafer)

Trash – Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny, (translated by JD Pluecker)

Posted on March 21, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Who is the person who makes a life out of our leftovers? And, more specifically, what makes us who we are?” Griselda, a researcher, studies those who inhabit the Juárez city dump. She balances that … Continue reading →

Posted in Latin American Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Trash – Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny, (translated by JD Pluecker)

The Flowers of Buffoonery – Os Amu Dazai, (translated by Sam Bett)

Posted on March 13, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “A man crushed by reality puts on a show of endurance.” This is exactly the case with twenty-five-year-old Yozo Oba, who is sent to a seaside sanitarium to recover from injuries due to failed suicide … Continue reading →

Posted in Far Eastern Literature, Lost and almost forgotten | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Flowers of Buffoonery – Os Amu Dazai, (translated by Sam Bett)

The Words That Remain – Stênio Gardel (Translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato)

Posted on January 17, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “The river calmly flowed and cried its eternal murmur. Raimundo got up and looked at the empty sky. The shadows had taken over the blue as well. The stars must have fallen and become the … Continue reading →

Posted in Latin American Literature, World Literature | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Words That Remain – Stênio Gardel (Translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato)