Recent Reads: Short Fiction & Essays in Translation, Noir Comics & Comic Strips

Books discussed:
A River Dies of Thirst: journals by Mahmoud Darwish, translated by Catherine Cobham
The Glass Palace: Tales by Sabahattin Ali, translated by Ilker Cakmakkaya
The Moment by Nura Bazdulj-Hubijar, translated by Slavica Zecević & Style Writes Now
Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov, translated by James Riordan
Under Pressure by Faruk Šehić, translated by Mirza Purić
Destroy All Monsters: A Reckless Book by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
Yes, I'm Hot in This by Huda Fahmy
That Can Be Arranged by Huda Fahmy

Video mentioned:

#FridayReads and on an actual Friday! 😉

Slightly sloppy [CC] available.

Find me here:

[GuiltyFeat]

This is about as entertaining a video as I can imagine. As well as great reviews, we get really thoughtful and informed commentary about translation choices and a succinct breakdown of Brubaker and Phillips's approach to neo-noir. BookTube heaven for me. Thanks!

[LauraFreyReadinginBed]

Whats wrong with depressing translated fiction? 😅

[Shellyish]

Fascinating commentary on translations. Can you read in any other languages other than English?

[BookishTexan]

Another Sehic novel (interconnected story collection) for me to read!

[jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

Georgian also only has one pronoun for he, she and it.... Under Pressure sounds interesting.

[myreadinglife]

I don’t just read depressing translated fiction. 😂 No there’s the depressing nonfiction too! 🤣

[TheNovelSanctuary]

I always think your reading is eclectic lol 😆

[CestKevvie]

Wow I can't believe they'd allow such a terrible translation to go into publication

[ThatsSoPoe]

The Huda Fahmy books might be fun. I'll put those on my TBR.

[BrandonsBookshelf]

Holy cow, what an amazing and unique list of books here. Adding a few of these to my next ups right now!

[josmith]

I almost feel I want to avoid anything translated from the publishers of the two books you mentioned as horribly translated Jen as I can’t believe anything else would be any good! So glad to hear you enjoyed Jamila, I picked it up on my trip back to England in June but haven’t got to it yet.

[MangaHoarder]

I keep hearing good things about "Destroy All Monsters". I tend to really like Brubaker's titles.

[MargaretPinard]

Have you read Pearl Buck's The Good Earth? Or the Scots quair by LG Gibbons? Is that similar love-the-land vibe as Jamilia?

[SpringboardThought]

I’m always curious how people gauge translation. I don’t read enough of it, so I don’t have an eye for it at all. Though, I’m sure the one where it makes no sense id know. It’s interesting as an exercise in how bad translations can be! Hah. Yeah.

Lotta adds to my wishlist. Can’t get these at the library. Rural libraries 😩

Interesting about dialect. I hate it when white authors write heavy dialect instead of just saying, they spoke in this way, and writing normally. Especially when writing Asian characters. I maybe just haven’t encountered much translated works to even encounter that and judge what I like, because nothing comes to mind.

[marianamasbooks]

In the Presence of Absence was on my Invisible Cities reading list for this year but I sadly couldn’t get to it! It’s still on my want to read list for sure, though. It’s good to know you recommend it!

[AlwaysDoing]

I am so fascinated that Turkish only has one pronoun! Japanese has pronouns but drops them whenever possible 😂 Booo automatic translations though, they stink. Can't believe they let that through.

[CourtneyFerriter]

Hear that, machines? We are NOT fooled by your inhuman translations! Your move, Google Translate. 🤣
That Can Be Arranged is a clever title.

[TheQuietMidden]

Great reads, Jen. Which Darwish would you recommend for a first read? Jamilia was so good! Under Pressure is intriguing. All I want for Christmas (too soon?) is a world without gendered language and bad translations.

[RosieCockshutt]

Translation issues are so frustrating! That being said, having marked a lot of essays that were clearly translated with google, if you don’t particularly care about what you’re reading it can be hilarious 😂