Around the World in 80 Books discussion

I really like this idea from Diane! Here are the genres that I'll have to pull from by December 2018, and, since I'm from the United States, no English.

As sub-goals, I'm going to try not to repeat countries, and to choose selections from at least ten different languages.

Genres (Pick any 16)
Biography
Children's/Fairytales ☑
Classic Fiction (>50 years old) ☑
Contemporary fiction ☑
Fantasy
Folklore/Mythology
Graphic Novels/Manga/Comics ☑
History (Non-fiction)
Horror
Humor ☑
Literary Fiction/Historical Fiction ☑
Memoir/Autobiography ☑
Mystery (Crime, Detective. Cozy, Noir, etc.) ☑
Non-fiction (Essays, Cookbooks, Self-help, True crime, etc.) ☑
Poetry/Epics ☑
Romance ☑
Science Fiction/Dystopia ☑
Short Stories ☑
Thrillers/Suspense/Espionage ☑
Travel Writing ☑
Wildcard (Any genre or sub-genre not mentioned) ☑
Young Adult/New Adult

I love your extra challenge of picking different countries and languages & will follow with interest which books you choose.

1. CLASSIC FICTION

The Radiance of the King by Camara Laye

Original Language: French (français)
Translator: James Kirkup
Country: Guinea

The New York Review of Books publication of this 20th century African classic is worth it if for no other reason than for the fantastic introduction by American Nobel laureate Toni Morrison.

Some have called this book an African take on Heart of Darkness, though the end of this tale serves up a different form of enlightenment for the Frenchman who must reconcile his cultural differences.

2. THRILLER

The Silence of the Sea: A Thriller by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Original Language: Icelandic (íslenska)
Translator: Victoria Cribb
Country: Iceland

This Scandinavian mystery helpfully calls itself a thriller, so who am I to argue? This tale is as bleak as a midwinter noon in the North.

A luxury yacht crashes into port devoid of passengers. Twins dream of a dead woman. Their younger sister dreams of drowned twins. A ghostly perfume permeates the yacht. Where is everybody?

3. POETRY

Maria Nephele: A Poem in Two Voices by Odysseus Elytis

Original Language: Greek (ελληνικά)
Translator: Athan Anagnostopoulos
Country: Greece

Elytis works the same magic for Greece in this poem as Derek Walcott does for St. Lucia in Omeros (some years later), weaving history and culture and mythology into a lyrical discourse.

So that if love is indeed, as they say, the "common denominator"
I must be Maria Nephele* and you, alas, Nephelegeretes**.

*Of clouds; Hera
**Cloud-gatherer; Zeus

4. HISTORICAL FICTION

The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem by Sarit Yishai-Levi

Original Language: Hebrew (עִבְרִית)
Translator: Anthony Berris
Country: Israel

I'll classify this as historical fiction, but it's certainly not the best I've read in the genre. This is mostly a family drama.

While I learned more about Sephardic Jews in Israel, I didn't learn much about the country's history that I hadn't already read in better books like Exodus, The Zion Chronicles Complete Set, or the superb memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness.

5. CONTEMPORARY FICTION

The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez

Original Language: Spanish (español)
Translator: Anne McLean
Country: Colombia

In a world filled with those seeking answers for events beyond their control, it would be hard to classify this novel as anything but contemporary.

Shots ring out on a street in Bogota; a life is ended and another upended. Antonio is determined to learn why his grieving friend was targeted, and revisits the pains of his country's recent past in his quest for answers.

6. SHORT STORIES

In the Jaws of Life and Other Stories by Dubravka Ugrešić

Original Language: Croatian (hrvatski)
Translators: Celia Hawkesworth and Michael Henry Heim
Country: Croatia

Two novellas layered with experimental anecdotes are coupled with a collection of six more short stories for a droll sampling of Ugrešić's style.

For those with a passing knowledge of Eastern European literature, Ugrešić offers a selection of witty parodies, as well as two novellas, including one patchwork piece with its own tailoring guide for the reader. Rather clever.

7. NON-FICTION

Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa by Haruki Murakami

Original Language: Japanese (日本語)
Translator: Jay Rubin
Country: Japan

My only challenge with this book was whether to categorize it as a biography of noted classical conductor Seiji Ozawa or as non-fiction for its broad discussions on music. I opted with the latter.

Interviews of Seiji Ozawa by classical music fan and writer Haruki Murakami? I'm in! This book had fascinating discussions on the role of conductors vs. composers, insights into the personalities of great musicians, and observations on Western vs. Japanese approaches to music and team dynamics.

8. TRAVEL WRITING

Kon-Tiki: Across The Pacific In A Raft by Thor Heyerdahl

Original Language: Norwegian (norsk)
Translator: F.H. Lyon
Country: French Polynesia

This is the type of travel writing I enjoy most -- explorers in search of adventure, of answers, of theories yet to be proved. This is adventure of the highest quality.

Coal-black seas towered up on all sides, and a glittering myriad of tropical stars drew a faint reflection from plankton in the water. The world was simple--stars in the darkness. Whether it was 1947 B.C. or A.D. suddenly became of no significance. We lived, and that we felt with alert intensity.

9. WILDCARD - PLAYS

The Little Clay Cart Mrcchakatika by Sudraka

Original Language: Sanskrit (संस्कृतम्)
Translator: Arthur W. Ryder
Country: India

First, a word of thanks to sites like Project Gutenberg that rescue ancient and forgotten works and preserve them online for posterity. They do a great service for future generations.

Part comedy, part drama, with an appealing cast of characters from different walks of life, this play would not seem out of place to a Shakespearean crowd. I particularly enjoyed the comedy of errors with the stealing of the jewels.

10. MEMOIR

Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk

Original Language: Turkish (Türkçe)
Translator: Maureen Freely
Country: Turkey

Whether this is more a memoir of a city or a youth lost to time, I cannot say, but it clearly is a memoir, and well-told.

Melancholy seeps through every chapter, as Turkey's only Nobel Prize-winning author sorts through his city's place between East and West, his travels through the city, his family's faltering fortunes, and his journey from painter to writer.

11. CHILDREN'S

The Adventures of Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet by Carlo Collodi

Original Language: Italian (italiano)
Translator: Carol della Chiesa
Country: Italy

For this category, why not go with a children's classic I have somehow neglected? As a plus, this edition has fantastic illustrations to complement the story.

It's been a while since I have seen Disney's version, but there were several familiar parts. I was amused by the Morals that Collodi was not so subtly hammering in, such as young boys should Take their Medicine, Go to School, and Do a Good Day's Work.

12. HUMOR

The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna

Original Language: Finnish (suomi)
Translator: Herbert Lomas
Country: Finland

I'd originally planned to save The Good Soldier Švejk for this category, but this works just as well, and I haven't read a Finnish book yet.

Such a carefree life, as Vatanen, a journalist, leaves his responsibilities behind and sets off on a series of misadventures with an injured hare. Forest fires and fishing and bear hunts abound as Vatanen celebrates a simpler life.

Mome_Rath wrote: "12. HUMOR

The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna

Original Language: Finnish (suomi)
Translator: Herbert Lomas
Country: Fin..."
This is the book I have slated for humor. It looks like you enjoyed it, so I look forward to reading it and seeing if I like it as well.

It's a gentle humor. Hope you enjoy it!

13. MYSTERY

The House Of Fear by Ibn-e-Safi

Original Language: Urdu (اُردُو‬)
Translator: Bilal Tanweer
Country: Pakistan

Were it not for this challenge, I'm not sure if I would have found this mystery author famous in Pakistan, so thanks, Translated Lit Genre challenge!

These two tales introduce super spy Ali Imran, who plays the fool only to hide his skill as a detective, in the lines of Shawn Spencer or The Doctor. Of the two light mysteries in this volume, I enjoyed the second one, Shootout at the Rocks, more.

14. GRAPHIC NOVEL

The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa

Original Language: Korean (한국어)
Translator: Lauren Na
Country: South Korea

There are many more graphic novels in translation than I realized, but I chose to go with the first in a recommended trilogy from South Korea.

So much of this book is poetry in panels; it really is a joy to see the rural South Korea of the past so lovingly displayed. The story is simple but timeless for anyone who has been through adolescence, and the mother-daughter relationship is charming.

15. ROMANCE

Child of the River by Irma Joubert

Original Language: Afrikaans (Afrikaans)
Translator: Else Silke
Country: South Africa

I'd intended to use a different book from a different language for this category, but since I likely won't make it back to Afrikaans, I might as well use this one.

Here is a story where romance takes a backseat to a young woman finding her way as a lawyer with principle in apartheid South Africa. Persomi is a strong protagonist, and thankfully the romance did not overshadow her story arc of standing up to injustice.

16. SCIENCE FICTION/DYSTOPIA

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Original Language: Russian (русский язык)
Translator: Mira Ginsburg
Country: Russia

For those who have read Brave New World or Nineteen Eighty-Four, this book serves as the progenitor from which they sprung.

A rebellion is simmering within a transparent society, and a mathematician designing the spacecraft of the future is pulled into it through his infatuation with a mysterious woman. The writing style was sometimes too spare, but the plot remains relevant.

And with that, I've completed 16 books in 16 different languages for this challenge. I think I may continue sporadically with the remaining categories through the rest of this year.

Congrats on completing the challenge and with 16 different languages! I'm doing different languages also. I added a few of your books to my TBR. The only one I have read is We and I thought it was really good!

Congratulations on completing 16 already! I have also added some of your choices to my TBR!

Thanks, Pam and Viv! This is a really fun challenge, and I hope you both find some great books, too. Different languages (Pam) and female authors (Viv) are both challenging, and I look forward to seeing what other books you find!

Grats!!
I've discovered I tend to read the same genres all the time...

That's what made this challenge fun. Hope you find some exciting books and genres in your rewording register!

Mome_Rath wrote: "That's what made this challenge fun. Hope you find some exciting books and genres in your rewording register!"

:D hah Thank you!
I hope so too. I like to jump out of my comfort zone, and like to mix up my reads, so it surprised me that I was struggling with this challenge.
But that's why we do them, right? To identify our habits, and then to throw us in the deep end!

I agree - I could read plenty of translated mysteries or literary fiction but have had to do a bit more research to find other genres. That's what's so great about the challenge. It has really pushed me outside my comfort zone of genres as well as languages. I enjoy seeing what everyone else is reading for each genre too.

Mome_Rath wrote: "16. SCIENCE FICTION/DYSTOPIA

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Original Language: Russian (русский язык)
Translator: Mira Ginsburg
Country: Russia

For tho..."

I noticed some similarities between this book and the later works too. I have also read a collection of his short stories, many years ago.

Rusalka wrote: "But that's why we do them, right?"

Absolutely! I do read a fair bit of non-fiction (I have a annual challenge to read a book from each section of the Dewey decimal system), but this added the fun challenge of finding non-fiction in translation.

Viv wrote: "I enjoy seeing what everyone else is reading for each genre too."

I'm enjoying that, too, and expanding my TBR list at the same time!

Rosemarie wrote: "I have also read a collection of his short stories, many years ago."

This is the only book I've read by Zamyatin. Do you remember if his short stories were written in the same style as We?

Mome_Rath wrote: "And with that, I've completed 16 books in 16 different languages for this challenge. I think I may continue sporadically with the remaining categories through the rest of this year."

Congrats!

I know I enjoyed them, but remember little else.

Mome_Rath wrote: "And with that, I've completed 16 books in 16 different languages for this challenge. I think I may continue sporadically with the remaining categories through the rest of this year."
Congratulations! Félicitations! Parabéns! поздравляю! You have chosen some interesting reads, hope to read some of them too.

Danke! 谢谢! Obrigado! !شكرا

You've had some great reads, too, as you completed the challenge, Ruth!

Rosemarie wrote: "I know I enjoyed them, but remember little else."

Good to know -- thanks!

Diane wrote: "Congrats!"

Thanks -- this challenge was a blast to complete!