Around the World in 80 Books discussion

I had a lot of fun with the translated language genre challenge last year, so I look forward to finding new books from languages worldwide in 2019.

Languages Encountered in 2019

Afro-Asiatic Languages

— Semitic Languages

Hebrew ☑ ☑
Arabic ☑

Austronesian Languages

— Malayo-Polynesian Languages

Indonesian ☑

Indo-European Languages

— Albanian Languages

Albanian ☑

— Balto-Slavic Languages

Russian ☑
Polish ☑

— Celtic Languages

Old Irish ☑

— Germanic Languages

German ☑ ☑
Danish ☑
Dutch ☑
Afrikaans ☑
Icelandic ☑
Swedish ☑

— Hellenic Languages

Greek ☑

— Indo-Iranian Languages

Dari ☑
Bengali ☑

— Italic (including Romance) Languages

French ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑
Portuguese ☑ ☑
Italian ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑
Spanish ☑

Japonic Languages

Japanese ☑

Koreanic Languages

Korean ☑ ☑ ☑ ☑

Kra-Dai Languages

Thai ☑

Sino-Tibetan Languages

Chinese ☑

Turkic Languages

Turkmen ☑
Turkish ☑ ☑

1. Language: German (Deutsch)

Irmina by Barbara Yelin

Translator: Michael Waaler
Country: Germany

Excellent graphic novel by a young German artist, based on diaries and letters she found from her deceased grandmother. The translation appeared seamless with the panels.

Level: Language Learner

2. Language: Danish (dansk)

Grooks 1 by Piet Hein

Translators: Piet Hein and Jens Arup
Country: Denmark

It’s hard to tell how much of an original poem remains when translated, but when the author is doing the translating, one has to believe the essence remains. These poems, some of which date back to World War II, are a delight!

3. Language: Dutch (Nederlands)

The Winter Garden by Johanna Verweerd

Translator: Helen Richardson-Hewitt
Country: Netherlands

This is a quiet piece dealing with a daughter returning home to care for her dying mother in her last days. Painful life, but not without hope. The translation seemed decent.

4. Language: Afrikaans (Afrikaans)

The Crooked Path by Irma Joubert

Translator: Elsa Silke
Country: South Africa

This is a gentle tale of love and loss in mid-20th century South Africa. The book included a nice glossary of Afrikaner words, and the translation read quite smoothly.

BONUS. Language: German (Deutsch)

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Translator: Susan Bernofsky
Country: Czech Republic

Appropriate horror and bewilderment is conveyed through this recent translation of one of Kafka’s most familiar works.

5. Language: French (français)

So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ

Translator: Modupé Bodé-Thomas
Country: Senegal

This long letter of a novella seemed to be translated well, and I appreciated the retention of some Senegalese words/terms throughout the text (it helped there were endnotes for definitions).

6. Language: Korean (한국어)

The Color of Water by Kim Dong Hwa

Translator: Lauren Na
Country: South Korea

The graphics are lyrical enough to convey the emotions of the story, but the translation of the text also ably captures the poetry and metaphor of the conversations between a mother and her teenage daughter who is growing up and falling in love.

Level: Translator

7. Language: Old Irish (Goídelc)

The Counsels of Cormac: An Ancient Irish Guide to Leadership by Thomas Cleary

Translator: Thomas Cleary
Country: Ireland

These proverbs are easy to read, and rather short, but Cleary has captured a cadence that serves the text well.

8. Language: Turkmen (Türkmençe)

The Tale of Aypi by Ak Welsapar

Translator: W. M. Coulson
Country: Turkmenistan

I'm assuming the translation hewed close to the original text, since it read like a modern fairy tale, even if I'm not sure what moral the vengeful Aypi was meant to impart.

9. Language: Icelandic (íslenska)

The Blue Fox by Sjón

Translator: Victoria Cribb
Country: Iceland

Excellent writing and what I assume is an excellent translation. The hunt, the mystery of Abba, and the way the stories tied together was well told.

10. Language: Russian (русский язык)

Five Plays: Ivanov / The Seagull / Uncle Vanya / The Three Sisters / The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov

Translator: Ronald Hingley
Country: Russia

I have to assume the translation was done well, but I was not particularly impressed with the vapid upper-class characters populating these plays.

11. Language: Portuguese (português)

The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector

Translator: Benjamin Moser
Country: Brazil

Apparently Lispector uses a peculiar style of writing in Portuguese for Brazilians, but I didn’t notice anything too unusual in the translation, so perhaps her style is closer to English?

Level: Interpreter

12. Language: Swedish (svenska)

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Translator: Rod Bradbury
Country: Sweden

The humor was easily conveyed through this novel of adventures, and I enjoyed this translation. The use of Fahrenheit signals a translation directly for American audiences.

BONUS. Language: Portuguese (português)

Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto

Translator: David Brookshaw
Country: Mozambique

This was an intricate tale of the madness of war, but the lyricism and storytelling did seem to show through the translation.

13: Language: Turkish (Türkçe)

The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk

Translator: Maureen Freely
Country: Turkey

The writing is exceptional, even if the subject matter is rather offputting, so I'd have to say this was quite a good translation (like others I've read from Pamuk).

BONUS. Language: French (français)

Deogratias, a Tale of Rwanda by Jean-Philippe Stassen

Translator: Alexis Siegel
Country: Rwanda

The translator provided an invaluable service by writing an introduction to give context to this graphic novel. The art and writing were decent, but for me, the introduction was the best part.

14. Language: Greek (ελληνικά)

The Iliad: by Homer

Translator: Stephen Mitchell
Country: Greece, Turkey

I don't read Greek, but this translation of the Iliad was fresh and vibrant and seemed to keep a good flow. I would definitely consider reading Mitchell's translation of the Odyssey.

BONUS. Language: Korean (한국어)

The Story of Hong Gildong by Unknown

Translator: Minsoo Kang
Country: South Korea

This was an enjoyable folk tale that seemed to be translated well. Bonus points for the copious endnotes clarifying the context for concepts that would otherwise be familiar to native Koreans.

15. Language: Japanese (日本語)

Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima

Translator: Michael Gallagher
Country: Japan

The writing in this Japanese classic came through as very elegant, which makes me wonder what it must be like to read it in Japanese.

16. Language: Indonesian (bahasa Indonesia)

The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata

Translator: Angie Kilbane
Country: Indonesia

The writing wasn’t terribly complex, but the stories had so much heart that poured through. The translator did well with dealing with phrases from at least four different tongues.

Level: Linguist

BONUS. Language: French (français)

Beyond the Rice Fields by Naivo

Translator: Allison M. Charette
Country: Madagascar

I had been rather hoping that this novel was written in Malagasy, but instead it was written in French, and it seemed to have been capably translated, with an index to some Malagasy terms (though a more complete index of names would have been welcome).

17. Language: Dari (دری)

Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi

Translator: Erdağ M. Göknar
Country: Afghanistan

This novella was compelling and seemed well-translated. I think I'd like to read more from Rahimi.

18. Language: Hebrew (עברית)

Badenheim 1939 by Aharon Appelfeld

Translator: Dalya Bilu
Country: Austria

Ably translated and an affecting novella. I only wonder whether references by characters to the "First World War" were an error by the translator or by the author.

19. Language: Arabic (العَرَبِيَّة‎)

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

Translator: Jonathan Wright
Country: Iraq

I felt like I could identify a spare style from this Iraqi author in this translation. Very well written, and definitely thought-provoking.

BONUS. Language: Hebrew (עברית)

A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman

Translator: Jessica Cohen
Country: Israel

This seemed a good translation, but unfortunately no direct translation can fix an awkwardly awful comedy routine. Perhaps others might enjoy this pathos more than I.

20. Language: Bengali (বাংলা)

Final Poems by Rabindranath Tagore

Translators: Wendy Barker and Saranindranath Tagore
Country: India

Nice collection of poems from a Nobel-prizing winning poet, but what is noteworthy about this volume is the preface where the translators explain how they tried to effectively convey complex thoughts in the poems without sacrificing their simplicity.

21. Language: Albanian (shqip)

Spring Flowers, Spring Frost by Ismail Kadare

Translators: Jusuf Vrioni, then David Bellos
Country: Albania

This is an interesting work -- the first I've read this year that has been double-translated, first into French, then into English. Albanian culture still shines through, but I'm not sure how much of the structure has been altered by this double translation.

Level: Polyglot

22. Language: Italian (italiano)

The Infinity of Lists by Umberto Eco

Translator: Alastair McEwen
Country: Italy

The essays were likely easy translations for this non-fiction study on cataloguing, but I'm impressed that the author also managed to translate some reference works not previously translated into English.

23. Language: Polish (polski)

Selected Poems: 1931-2004 by Czesław Miłosz

Translators: Czesław Miłosz, Robert Hass, and others
Country: Poland

Very readable selection of poems that stay lyrical even in translation. It probably helps that the author helped translate many of his own poems into English.

BONUS. Language: Korean (한국어)

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang

Translator: Chi-Young Kim
Country: South Korea

What a great children's story from South Korea; I'm glad it has been translated. I like the use of the name Sprout for the main character; it seems to fit better than the name Leafie, which apparently is used in the animated movie.

BONUS. Language: Italian (italiano)

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Translator: Ann Goldstein
Country: Italy

What a vibrant picture of childhood in a rough neighborhood in Naples; the author is truly a great story-teller, which comes through in this translation.

BONUS. Language: Italian (italiano)

Ciao, America!: An Italian Discovers the U.S. by Beppe Severgnini

Translator: Giles Watson
Country: Italy

I really enjoyed an Italian perspective on life in America, even if it was from over twenty years ago. I was pretty impressed with the word choices and metaphors in this translation; kudos to the translator.

24. Language: Thai (ภาษาไทย)

Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana

Translator: Mui Poopoksakul
Country: Thailand

It's not easy to find Thai books in translation, so I had to pick up this book when I found it at the library. Very nice collection of short stories that seem quite ably translated.

BONUS. Language: French (français)

The Arab of the Future 3: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1985-1987 by Riad Sattouf

Translator: Sam Taylor
Country: Syria

With illustrations like these, translation is almost rendered unnecessary; still, the translator did a great job in bringing the story to life in a second language.

25. Language: Chinese (中文)

The Man with the Compound Eyes by Wu Ming-Yi

Translator: Darryl Sterk
Country: Taiwan

Very engaging translation of a book that is part oral history, part fable, part ecological treatise, and part societal study. I think I understand the gist of the book, and that it wasn't lost in translation.

BONUS. Language: French (français)

Black Sugar by Miguel Bonnefoy

Translator: Emily Boyce
Country: Venezuela

How is it that I am eleven months into the year and have yet to read a book translated from Spanish? This short Venezuelan novel was written in French, but the words are vibrant in this English translation.

BONUS. Language: Italian (italiano)

Adua by Igiaba Scego

Translator: Jamie Richards
Country: Somalia

The fraught relationship between colonizer and colonized is ably presented in this translation about two fictional generations of Somali immigrants to Italy, and the struggles they go through to be accepted by a new country.

BONUS. Language: Turkish (Türkçe)

The Stone Building and Other Places by Aslı Erdoğan

Translator: Sevinc Turkkan
Country: Turkey

A decent and descriptive collection of short stories about political prisoners and exiles. I kept wondering in the novella what Turkish word was originally used to portray the concept that the E in LIFE is silent.

BONUS. Language: Italian (italiano)

The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

Translator: Stephen Sartarelli
Country: Italy

Such a shame that Camilleri died this year. This was a great mystery that seemed to be very well translated, and I may just have to read more in this series.

BONUS. Language: Korean (한국어)

The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong

Translator: Chi-Young Kim
Country: South Korea

I'm rather surprised to find Korean come in third behind Italian and French for my most common languages read in translation in 2019. This was a very readable translation of a South Korean thriller, but I can't say I particularly enjoyed the book.

26. Language: Spanish (español)

Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones

Translator: Nick Caistor
Country: Spain

I'm not sure how I almost made it through all of 2019 without reading a book in translation from Spanish, but at least that has been rectified! Great book, and it seems like it is well translated. I'll have to wait on the next book which isn't in translation yet. Or I'll just have to practice my Spanish...