Fiction in translation

Book SynopsisSocial realism and fairy tale combine in Lucky Per, a bildungsroman about the ambitious son of a clergyman who rejects his faith and flees a restricted life in rural Jutland for Denmark's capital city. Per is a gifted young man who firmly believes that 'you had to hunt down luck as if it were a wild creature, a crooked-fanged beast ... and capture and bind it'. He falls in with Copenhagen's Jewish community, and falls for Jakobe Salomon, a wealthy heiress, who is not only the strongest character in the book but among the great Jewish heroines of European literature. Per becomes obsessed with a grand engineering scheme that he believes will both reshape Denmark's landscape and correct its minor position in the world. Eventually personal and his career ambitions alike come to grief. At the heart of Lucky Per lies the question of the relationship of 'luck' to 'happiness' (the Danish word in the title can have both meanings), a relationship which Per comes to view differently by the end of his life.Trade ReviewWhat startled its contemporaries about this strange novel was the sense of something new, one of those as yet unnamed and perhaps unnameable psychic discoveries for which the novelists of the period - from Dostoevsky to James – desperately searched... This turns out to have been the novel's project... to modify our sense of what luck or happiness means. -- Fredric Jameson, * London Review of Books *A full-blooded storyteller, a critic of life and society of the highest European order... Reasserts the grand style of narrative in a world short of breath. -- Thomas Mann

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Book Synopsis'I've been summoned, Thursday, ten sharp.' So begins one day in the life of a young clothing-factory worker during Ceausescu's totalitarian regime. She has been questioned before, but this time she knows it will be worse. Her crime? Sewing notes into the linings of men's suits bound for Italy. 'Marry me', the notes say, with her name and address. Anything to get out of the country.As she rides the tram to her interrogation, her thoughts stray to her friend Lilli, shot while trying to flee to Hungary; to her grandparents, deported after her first husband informed on them; to Major Albu, her interrogator, who begins each session with a wet kiss on her fingers; and to Paul, her lover and the one person she can trust. In her distraction, she misses her stop and finds herself on an unfamiliar street.And what she discovers there suddenly puts her fear of the appointment into chilling perspective. Bone-spare and intense, The Appointment is a pitiless rendering of the terrors of a crushing regime.Trade ReviewA brooding, fog-shrouded allegory of life under the long oppression of the regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. * New York Times *Nobody since Arthur Koestler in the 1940s has written more intelligently or with such subtle precision about life under totalitarianism ... Müller has an exceptionally rare talent - to turn the terrifying, the distorted and the hideously ugly into something uplifting and beautiful * Prospect *Herta Muller is a passionate artist of protest. -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *A strange, lyrical and disturbing allegory of life in Ceausescu's Romania. -- Hari Kunzru * Observer Books of the Year *A tour de force in storytelling, which manages to turn the barest of prose into poetry ... Expertly translated by Michael Hulse and Philip Boehm, it is a chilling story, exquisitely told * Independent *The Appointment is both a pleasure to read and horrifying. Written with painful clarity, it is seductively conversational, yet every sentence demands attention ... The control of ideas and pace in a novel that still allows rolling emotion behind every line is remarkable. * Herald *A slim, masterfully written tale. * Newsweek *Müller achieves something beautiful. She has wrested poetry from one woman's desire to remain human in an inhuman system. * Newsday *A taut and brilliant book. * Chicago Tribune *Müller scatters narrative bombshells across a field of dreams. * San Francisco Chronicle *

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Book SynopsisOne morning, in the dead of winter, three German soldiers head out into the frozen Polish countryside. They have been charged by their commanders to track down and bring back for execution 'one of them' - a Jew. Having flushed out a young man hiding in the woods, they decide to rest in an abandoned house before continuing their journey back to the camp. As they prepare food, they are joined by a passing Pole whose virulent anti-Semitism adds tension to an already charged atmosphere. Before long, the group's sympathies begin to splinter as each man is forced to confront his own conscience as the moral implications of their murderous mission become clear.Trade ReviewThe most moving book I have read for a long time... Mingarelli's spare language is well suited to this luminous tale... he accomplishes a great deal -- Peter Carty * Independent on Sunday *The "banality of evil" finds beautiful, spare expression in this remarkable novella -- Ian McEwanA masterpiece * Independent *In its modest duration and economical prose, [this book] communicates more than most novels twice or three times its length... Praise is due to the translator, Sam Taylor, who appears to have weighed every word with supreme care, capturing the rhythm of a measured tread through the icy landscape... Brave and original... a masterpiece -- Alastair Mabbott * Herald *A sparse, beautiful and shocking novel that finds a more intimate route into the Holocaust -- Ian McEwan * the Sunday Times *Mingarelli's lapidary tale of awakened conscience unites historical events with the mood of a forest fairy-tale.... Brief, elegant, quietly lyrical yet driven by an inward fire -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *Superb... The prose, elegantly translated by Sam Taylor, is full of rich visual descriptions... Enormously powerful and moving -- David Evans * Independent on Sunday ***** *So memorable, so dark, so humane, it deserves to be read all over Europe. A masterpiece of empathy and horror -- Jane Housham * Guardian *One of the most quietly shattering novels I've read -- Cynan Jones, author * The Dig *Deliver[s] a powerful punch -- Lucy Popescu, Books of the Year * Tablet *Beautiful and disturbing... complex and surprising -- Mark Smith * Herald *This strong and simple story packs a mighty punch -- Kate Saunders * The Times *Superb and devastating -- Luke Brown, author * My Biggest Lie *Chilling... From the first lines one is taken somewhere one would never wish to go, thanks to the clear, direct style, and the brilliant dialogue... impossible to put down * Libération *The tragedy of the holocaust has rarely been better told than in this short tale, resonant with sadness and poetry * La Vie *This new novel by Mingarelli doesn't offer any miracles, but his story of wretched humanity revived around a piping hot dish shows once more the greatness of an incredibly unassuming author. Breathtaking * Pelerin *The prose draws you in... Starkly realistic -- Rachel Dunn * Cambridge News *This is Mingarelli at his best. A story delivered with restraint, in hushed, sensitive prose. Perfect * La Montagne *A gem of a novel, slight but so powerful * Bookseller *Mingarelli find[s] new ways - oblique, lyrical, humane - to address the Nazi past -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *Masterly and necessary... no intervening hand is noticeable in Sam Taylor's rendering of Mingarelli -- Lesley Chamberlain * TLS *Devastating... Crisply translated by Sam Taylor -- Arifa Akbar * Independent *It's a brave novelist who sets out to tell a Holocaust tale from the point of view of the would-be executioner but this is what Mingarelli does with great skill and admirable subtlety. A breathtaking lesson in brevity * Monocle *A fascinating, compelling vignette from Nazi-occupied Poland explored by a masterful storyteller -- Paddy Kehoe * RTE *A narrative of bleak genius -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *138 profound pages of horror and humanity -- John Kelly ‘Book of the year’ * Irish Times *I so recommend this brilliant, devastating, compelling WW2 novel -- Simon Sebag MontefioreMingarelli's writing possesses a deceptive simplicity, and the novella proceeds so quietly that one is almost unprepared when the spectre of genocide intrudes upon it * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisFinding himself locked in his room for six weeks, a young officer journeys around his room in his imagination, using the various objects it contains as inspiration for a delightful parody of contemporary travel-writing and an exercise in Sternean picaresque, and humorously demonstrating what one can explore without having set off to exotic locations. Accompanied in this volume by its equally superb sequel, ‘Nocturnal Expedition around my Room’, in which a similar voyage is made at night several years later, ‘A Journey around My Room’ is a masterly and innovative piece of writing, which was immensely popular in its time and would later influence Victor Hugo and Marcel Proust, among others.Trade ReviewIt was Blaise Pascal who said that all the troubles of humanity came about because of the difficulty men had in simply being happy to sit alone in their rooms; here is the result of such an enforced confinement. And it is wonderful. (…) This edition also includes the 1825 sequel, A Nocturnal Expedition Around My Room, which is just as good, as funny and deceptively profound as its predecessor; and he even makes it to the window-ledge this time. Andrew Brown's translation is excellent too. -- Nicholas Lezard * The Guardian *De Maistre… found the utmost strangeness in himself and the things he had taken for granted. * The Times *

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Book SynopsisWhen the young salesman Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning transformed into a monstrous insect, his shock and incomprehension are coupled with the panic of being late for work and having to reveal his appearance to family and colleagues. Although over the following weeks he gradually becomes used to this new existence confined within the bounds of the apartment, and his parents and sister adapt to living with a grotesque bug, Gregor notices that their attitudes towards him are changing and he feels increasingly alienated. One of the masterpieces of twentieth-century world literature, ‘The Metamorphosis’ is accompanied in this volume by a selection of other classic tales and sketches by Kafka – such as ‘The Judgement’, ‘In the Penal Colony’ and ‘A Country Doctor’ – all presented in a lively and meticulous new translation by Christopher Moncrieff.Trade ReviewThe only artist I felt could be my brother was Kafka. -- David LynchTable of ContentsContains: Children on a Country Road, Exposing a Confidence Trickster, An Impromptu Walk Resolutions, A Trip to the Mountains, The Plight of a Bachelor, The Shopkeeper, Gazing Distractedly out of the Window, Walking Home, Men Running Past, The Passenger, Dresses, Mutual Rejection, For the Consideration of Gentleman Jockeys, A Window onto the Street, Oh to Be a Red Indian Trees, An Unhappy Being, The Sentence, The Metamorphosis, The Penal Colony, The New Barrister, A Country Doctor, Up in the Gods, An Old Manuscript, The Door of Justice, Jackals and Arabs, A Visit to the Mine, The Next Village, A Message from the Emperor, The Concerns of a Father, Eleven Sons, Fratricide, A Dream, A Report for and Academy, First Sorrow, The Little Woman, The Hunger Artist, Josephine the Singer or the Mousefolk, The Great Wall of China, The Bridge, The Truth about Sancho Panza, The City Coat of Arms, Poseidon, The Silence of the Sirens.

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Book SynopsisFilled with dreams of pursuing a career as a poet, the young Alexander Aduev moves from the country to St Petersburg, where he takes up lodgings next to his uncle Pyotr, a shrewd and world-weary businessman. As his ideals are challenged by disappointment in the fields of love, friendship and poetical ambition, Alexander must decide whether to return to the homely values he has left behind or adapt to the ruthless rules and morals of city life. Told in the author's trademark humorous style and presented in a sparkling new translation by Stephen Pearl, The Same Old Story - Goncharov's first novel, preceding his masterpiece Oblomov by twelve years - is a study of lost illusions and rude spiritual awakening in the modern world.Trade ReviewGoncharov is ten heads above me in talent. -- Anton Chekhov That Stephen Pearl has been able to recreate such an authentic representation of the text that...evokes the epoch it was written in its diction and rhythm as well as being extremely "readable" for contemporary readers pronounces this translation to be an admirable accomplishment. * Bookish Ramblings * An entertaining and thought-provoking read. * Shiny New Books * This book made Goncharov famous in Russia. And from half a continent and three lifetimes away he can still make new readers laugh and gasp with recognition over timeless human foibles. The -- Nicholas Lezard * The Guardian * Reading The Same Old Story conveys the pleasure of an overheard conversation -- A.N. Wilson * The Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisThe brooding, introverted Count von O— arrives in Venice during the carnival in order to escape from his duties and live incognito. But after encountering an enigmatic Armenian stranger who makes an uncanny pronouncement, a bizarre chain of events unfolds, involving a Jesuit secret society, a ghostly seance and a mysterious Sicilian magician – leading the Count to question his faith and morality. First serialized in 1787–89, this multilayered, fragmentary novel – which gave Friedrich Schiller a platform to expound his Enlightenment ideas on society and religion – has thrilled and engaged lovers of Gothic literature for over two centuries.Trade ReviewFrederick von Schiller was something more than a great author; he was also in an eminent sense a great man; and his works are not more worthy of being studied for their singular force and originality than his moral character for its nobility and aspiring grandeur. -- Thomas De Quincey

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Book Synopsis'This novel is a real, out-of-the-blue original. I've never read anything like it' New York Times Book ReviewTHE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE ITV SERIES STARRING KEVIN McKIDD AND VINETTE ROBINSON.THE MILLION-SELLING JAPANESE CRIME PHENOMENON, NOW A UK BESTSELLER.SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER.NAMED IN NEW YORK TIMES 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2017.SIX FOUR.THE NIGHTMARE NO PARENT COULD ENDURE. THE CASE NO DETECTIVE COULD SOLVE. THE TWIST NO READER COULD PREDICT. For five days in January 1989, the parents of a seven-year-old Tokyo schoolgirl sat and listened to the demands of their daughter's kidnapper. They would never learn his identity. They would never see their daughter again.For the fourteen years that followed, the Japanese public listened to the police's apologies. They would never forget the botched investigation that became known as 'Six Four'. They would never forgive the authorities their failure.For one week in late 2002, the press officer attached to the police department in question confronted an anomaly in the case. He could never imagine what he would uncover. He would never have looked if he'd known what he would find.Loved Six Four and want more Yokoyama? Then why not try Seventeen or Prefecture D . . .Trade ReviewNot only is Six Four an addictive read, it is an education about Japan, its police and its society, and simply one of the best crime novels I have ever read. -- David PeaceA classic plot about a decent cop painstakingly uncovering corruption suddenly turns into one of the most remarkable revenge dramas in modern detective fiction. * Sunday Times *It's very different, in tone, narrative and style, from almost anything out there . . . the twist and the pay-off are worth the wait. * Observer *A huge hit in Japan and it's easy to see why . . . steadily gathers menace and power until it becomes addictive. * The Times *The plot would grip in any language . . . not just a police procedural but a guide book to Japan . . . There's much talk these days of binge viewing; here is a binge read. * Guardian *Slow building, meticulous in its insistence on unfolding all the procedural elements of a Japanese crime investigation and its political ramifications, this is a novel that insidiously grows on you until you are fully captive of its narrative flow and can't put it down. -- Maxim JakubowskiAvoids every crime-fiction cliché . . . complex, ingenious and engrossing . . . If not a bow, you will at least want to give Hideo Yokoyama a tip of your hat for writing such a highly entertaining book. * Washington Post *Six Four gives back in abundance everything that the reader is prepared to give . . . demonstrating that crime fiction can be freighted with the weight and authority of serious literature. * Independent *An astonishing book, poetically translated, containing one of the most complex central characters in crime fiction. Sometimes publishing sensations exceed expectations; Six Four deserves its success - past, present and future. * Crime Scene *This novel is a real, out-of-the-blue original. I've never read anything like it . . . He's a master. * New York Times Book Review *Absorbing . . . Six Four is an intensely complicated work, fleshed out by dozens of well-sketched characters, filled with changing perceptions and surprising twists . . . Its rewards are commensurate: unexpected revelations and quiet instances of human connection. -- Best New Mysteries * Wall Street Journal *Six Four avoids every crime-fiction cliché. The reward is a gripping novel . . . Complex, ingenious and engrossing . . . Yokoyama possesses that elusive trait of a first-rate novelist: the ability to grab readers' interest and never let go. * Washington Post *Already a bestseller in Japan and the U.K., this cinematic crime novel suffused with fascinating cultural details follows a police department reinvestigating a chilling kidnapping that stumped them 14 years earlier. * Entertainment Weekly *Yokoyama's novel is a Jenga tower, each plot point and peripheral character part of an intricate balance . . . What is perhaps most striking about Six Four is the number of stories it contains. It probes the cruelty, pettiness and endless face-saving and ass-covering that come with bureaucratic infighting, as well as the anguished obsession that plagues the bereaved . . . a demanding and absorbing book. * O: The Oprah Magazine *Though it deploys common tropes of crime fiction and its lightly noir style, Six Four's unusual focus on the PR side of police work sets it apart and gives it unexpected heat. Yokoyama avoids simplistic moralizing, and instead offers the reader a compelling interrogation of duty. * Time magazine *Hideo Yokoyama's Six Four, translated by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies, is by no means just another mystery novel . . . thoroughly believable and compelling. This is a major book, one that will stay in your mind well after you have turned the last page. * BookPage *Extremely detailed style and carefully wrought characters. Six Four succeeds on several levels: as a police procedural, an incisive character study, and a cold-case mystery. * Booklist *[Six Four] takes leisurely twists into the well-kept offices of Japan's elite while providing a kind of informal sociological treatise on crime and punishment in Japanese society, to say nothing of an inside view of the police and their testy relationship with the media. Elaborate, but worth the effort. Think Jo Nesbø by way of Haruki Murakami, and with a most satisfying payoff. * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisNow a major French film Au revoir là-haut - Prix Goncourt-winning masterpiece by the writer who brought you Alex, Irène and Camille."One of the most pleasurable reading experiences of recent years" - David Mills, The Sunday TimesOctober 1918: the war on the Western Front is all but over. Desperate for one last chance of promotion, the ambitious Lieutenant Henri d'Aulnay Pradelle sends two scouts over the top, and secretly shoots them in the back to incite his men to heroic action once more.And so is set in motion a series of devastating events that will inextricably bind together the fates and fortunes of Pradelle and the two soldiers who witness his crime: Albert Maillard and Édouard Péricourt.Back in civilian life, Albert and Édouard struggle to adjust to a society whose reverence for its dead cannot quite match its resentment for those who survived. But the two soldiers conspire to enact an audacious form of revenge against the country that abandoned them to penury and despair, with a scheme to swindle the whole of France on an epic scale.Meanwhile, believing her brother killed in action, Édouard's sister Madeleine has married Pradelle, who is running a little scam of his own...Translated from the French by Frank WynneTrade ReviewThe vast sweep of the novel and its array of extraordinary secondary characters have attracted comparisons with the works of Balzac. Moving, angry, intelligent - and compulsive -- Marcel Berlins * The Times *A big, swirling tale that itself reads like a 19th-century novel ... thick with detail, immersing the reader in its elaborately bleak world -- Sarah Lyall * New York Times *This book is thick with detail, immersing the reader in its elaborately bleak world ... an irresistible story -- Patricia Wall * New York Times *Exceptionally powerful examination of the aftermath of war and of the people whose lives were washed away in its wake -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *Lemaitre's novel is a rare synthesis of the tragic and the comic - a masterclass in nail-biting suspense ... Frank Wynne is a superb translator who captures the rude exuberance of the original French -- Edward Wilson * Independent *Engrossing . . . one of the most pleasurable reading experiences of recent years -- David Mills * The Sunday Times *Lemaitre's deadpan ironic tone is beautifully caught by his regular translator Frank Wynne. A kind of Ealing comedy with a bruised but still beating heart, this is the most purely enjoyable book I've read this year * Sunday Express *A fast-paced tale, filled with twists and turns, following a mischievous, disillusioned view of post-war France * Figaro *A masterly epic of post-war France, where impostures triumph and capitalists grow rich from the ruins * Le Monde *You feel the author's indignation ... Who really profits from war? Crooks, the vengeful and frauds: The Great Swindle is political as much as it is picaresque * Télérama *

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Book SynopsisSophie is haunted by the things she can't remember - and visions from the past she will never forget.One morning, she wakes to find that the little boy in her care is dead. She has no memory of what happened. And whatever the truth, her side of the story is no match for the evidence piled against her. Her only hiding place is in a new identity. A new life, with a man she has met online. But Sophie is not the only one keeping secrets . . .For fans of Gone Girl and Lemaitre's own internationally bestselling Alex, Blood Wedding is a compelling psychological thriller with a formidable female protagonist.Translated from the French by Frank WynneTrade ReviewA really excellent suspense novelist -- Stephen King.After the award-winning Brigade Criminelle trilogy of Irene, Alex and Camille, the French author returns with a deliciously dark tale of obsession, betrayal and revenge. * Daily Express *A scorching, serpentine novel . . . Lemaitre's skill with suspense shines from every page, supported at every turn by an elegantly constructed plot complete with elements of noir that would make even James Ellroy proud. -- Geoffrey Wansell * Daily Mail. *Absorbing and disturbing . . . the Psycho-based denouement is extraordinary. -- Marcel Berlins * The Times. *BLOOD WEDDING is agonisingly suspenseful . . . it twists and turns with grace and verve to reach a blistering conclusion -- Declan Hughes * Irish Times *Lemaitre is worthy of all the fuss * Independent. *

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Book SynopsisSigns Preceding the End of the World is one of the most arresting novels to be published in Spanish in the last ten years. Yuri Herrera does not simply write about the border between Mexico and the United States and those who cross it. He explores the crossings and translations people make in their minds and language as they move from one country to another, especially when there's no going back. Traversing this lonely territory is Makina, a young woman who knows only too well how to survive in a violent, macho world. Leaving behind her life in Mexico to search for her brother, she is smuggled into the USA carrying a pair of secret messages - one from her mother and one from the Mexican underworld.Trade Review'Yuri Herrera is Mexico's greatest novelist. His spare, poetic narratives and incomparable prose read like epics compacted into a single perfect punch - they ring your bell, your being, your soul. Signs Preceding the End of the World delivers a darkly mythological vision of the U.S. as experienced by the "not us" that is harrowing and fierce. The profoundly dignified, mind-boggling Makina, our guide and translator, is the heroine who redeems us all: she is the Truth.' Francisco Goldman, author of Say Her Name ------- 'Yuri Herrera must be a thousand years old. He must have travelled to hell, and heaven, and back again. He must have once been a girl, an animal, a rock, a boy, and a woman. Nothing else explains the vastness of his understanding.' Valeria Luiselli, author of Faces in the Crowd ------- 'Herrera never forgets the turbulent and moving humanity of his protagonist: adroit, angry, ineluctable, Makina is destined to become one of the essential characters of Mexico's new literature ... Herrera creates a radically new language ... and condenses into a few pages what other authors need hundreds to convey.' Jorge Volpi, author of In Search of Klingsor ------- 'Yuri Herrera's Signs Preceding the End of the World is a masterpiece, a haunting and moving allegory about violence and the culture built to support and celebrate that violence. Of the writers of my generation, the one I most admire is Yuri Herrera.' Daniel Alarcon, author of At Night We Walk in Circles ------- 'Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera confirms his status as a storyteller skilled at creating intense storylines and using original language. It is as adept at depicting wretched conditions as it is of elevating the humble and everyday to symbolic dimensions. And that symbolism, to be sure, has something of the Kafkaesque.' Arturo Garcia Ramos, ABC ------- 'It's fair to say that Yuri Herrera follows in the footsteps of compatriot Juan Rulfo, perhaps the master par excellence of creating limbos, spectral spaces in which the characters - real Schrodinger's cats - reside halfway between the living and the dead.' Javier Moreno, Quimera ------- 'The book amazes with the precise and persuasive beauty of its words. New words are created or transformed in order to tell what cannot be told.' Maria Jose Obiol, El Pais ------- '[T]his marvellously rich, slim novel is working on many levels ... Herrera's great achievement lies in elevating the harsh epic of "crossing" to the "other side" to soaring myth. There are allusions to Odysseus, Orpheus and the Styx, the river of Greek mythology that was a border to the Underworld; as well as Mesoamerican stories of shapeshifting and rebirth ... Herrera's metaphors grasp the freedom, and the alarming disorientation, of transition and translation ... Translator Lisa Dillman has found a language both blunt and lyrical for Herrera's many neologisms.' Maya Jaggi, The Guardian ------- 'Short, suspenseful ... outlandish and heartbreaking.' New York Times ------- 'Mr. Herrera's writing is poetic and defamiliarizing; translator Lisa Dillman has done well to capture his neologisms, which shift the setting into the surreal ... In this legend-rich book, to immigrate is to enter forever the land of the shades.' Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal ------- 'Indeed, the nine short chapters tell a very straightforward quest story, and Herrera plants dangerous criminals and vigilant border patrollers around every corner. But it's the imagery, by turns moving and nightmarish, that makes this brief book memorable... This is a haunting book that delivers a strange, arresting experience.' Publishers Weekly ------- 'Francisco Goldman's declaration on the cover of this book, that Yuri Herrera is Mexico's greatest novelist, sold me. I admire Goldman's own work, so the recommendation couldn't have come from a more trusted source.' Jonathon Sturgeon, Flavorwire ------- 'This is a gravity greater than earth's norm. Incidents, phrasings that suggest the novel could shift to another realm continue. They are pregnant with potentiality, and tension of potentiality is one of life's great pleasures, even, especially, in the discomfort that comes with it. It creates only one of the ways that Signs Preceding the End of the World holds you in rapture ... Signs is a novel of language, meant to be translated because it is so aware of the journeys language takes, from one to another, and within their boundaries.' P.T. Smith, Bookslut ------- 'This is a gorgeous, crisp little thing. And although Signs ... is no epic - accounting for chapter breaks it clocks in at under 100 short pages - Yuri Herrera has managed to achieve such extraordinary scope, of space and meaning, without any sense of hurry or clutter ... Signs ... is an important work, given the tenor of the immigration debate in the US and internationally. Herrera and Makina make a mockery of old-order American patriotism, which is easy to do but tough to actually pull off. The whole book is in fact a tiny exercise in bold and clever writing done with verve.' Angus Sutherland, The Skinny ------- '[A] short, brutal, urgent missive of a book ... Herrera's prose, as translated by Lisa Dillman, has some of McCarthy's doomy intonations, his terse impressionism, and his obvious debts to Beckett, Hemingway and Faulkner ... There's the same nervy hovering around the edge of allegory and never quite committing to the jump. And the landscape, of course, is the same ... But Herrera is-well-better ... Herrera writes literature. Signs Preceding packs a fractal complexity into its furiously concentrated sentences; it's slangy, impish, iterative, slightly manic even at its saddest. Herrera has everything McCarthy doesn't: humour, kindness, politics that don't stink.' Pete Mitchell, The Quietus ------- 'Signs Preceding the End of the World is filled with layers of meaning and symbolism, with Herrera's brilliant command of visual metaphors effortlessly weaving together a host of narrative threads ... his use of complex symbolism throughout, and his gift for transforming abstract idioms and metaphors into concrete images makes Signs Preceding the End of the World a worthy examination of what it is to 'cross the border.' Debjani Biswas-Hawkes, Literateur ------- 'Signs Preceding the End of the World is one of the most arresting novels to be published in Spanish in the last ten years. Yuri Herrera does not simply write about the border between Mexico and the United States and those who cross it. He explores the crossings and translations people make in their minds and language as they move from one country to another, especially when there's no going back.' Literalab ------- 'Yuri Herrera is one of Mexico's proudest literary exports, and his Signs Preceding the End of the World ... reads like scripture, the received words of an all-knowing wise man.' Jane Graham, The Big Issue ------- 'Perky crowd-funded publishers & Other Stories are rapidly gaining a name for unearthing hidden gems of world literature and this novel by Mexican author Yuri Herrera can only enhance that reputation. Set on the Mexican/US border, it tells a deceptively simple tale that is simultaneously beguiling and harrowing ... In nine short chapters and barely 100 pages, Herrera gives us the beating heart of his protagonist. Resourceful and feisty, Makina pursues her twin tasks with determination but with a shrewd appreciation of her chances of success.' Peter Whittaker, New Internationalist ------- 'The story's tough young heroine is Makina ... The author has created Makina both street-smart and observant and we can see how she is capable of defending herself. We hear too, in her inner voice, the by-play of the two languages, what she calls 'latin' and 'anglo', and how they can fuse into a third with varying proportions according to circumstances ... Talented, polyglot translator Lisa [Dillman] has risen to the challenge by creating a language that is not jarringly americanised and still conveys the thought processes of a latin-tongued protagonist in an exciting English translation. This is another example of the sterling work of the publisher & Other Stories.' Michael Johnston, Akanos Publishing ------- 'Both author and translator deserve praise for creating and successfully interpreting this distinctive voice, which stays with you long after the book is finished.' Workshy Fop ------- 'Herrera has written a novel that connects the contemporary with the timeless'. Jason DeYoung, 3:am ------- 'Herrera's work is a double edged sword, poetic for its sparseness, but leaving the reader hungry for more. A highly-rewarding gulp of a novella, jam-packed with all the intrigue of an epic.' Eloise Stevens, Sounds and Colours ------- 'It might be a re-telling of the Odyssey at the Mexican border.' Janet Potter, The Millions ------- 'Yuri Herrera's Signs Preceding the End of the World is one of those rare volumes that manages to explore language in a new way, tell a compelling story, and create memorable characters all at the same time ... The author's immense talent is evident in each page, in just about every sentence of the novel ... The author employs language and a literary perspective you won't soon forget, his images haunting like a dream.' Alina Cohen, The Rumpus ------- 'Stunning ... It's not the story itself, but Herrera's brilliant telling of it, his ability to capture his subject's thoughts, fears, and desires and so eloquently convey all that she's experiencing, that will leave you spellbound, aching for more.' Typographical era ------- 'To write in such a short and simple style, yet to deliver something as moving and memorable takes great skill.' David Dickinson, The Journal ------- 'The narrative invites reflection on the migrant experience and cultural difference; it also supplies the excitement of an adventure with gangsters, guns and false leads ... Yuri Herrera combines a dreamlike setting with vigorous style.' Anthony Cummins, Times Literary Supplement ------- 'Two words: Read it. In nine short chapters you encounter all the magic of Alice in Wonderland, the darkness of Dante's Inferno, the dystopia of McCarthy's The Road ... The language is wonderful, at times completely original, to capture the feel of the original.' JM Schreiber for Guardian Books Blog ------- 'There's grit, and there's an attention to detail, but reality drifts in through filters throughout. It gets under your skin in weird ways.' Tobias Carroll, Vol1Brooklyn ------- 'A profoundly important book, and one of the few such works to also have the distinction of being a profoundly enjoyable book.' Pop Matters ------- 'In its hundred-odd pages, Signs Preceding the End of the World manages to be many things at once: an allegory, a dark myth, an epic, a compelling meditation on language.' Adam Levy, Music and Literature ------- 'This is a novel of carefully rendered details, given to the reader gracefully, as if they are simple or casual observations ... The brilliance of this novel is that, as grounded as it is in physical experiences, it is this psychological space that it most inhabits ... A novel whose thinness belies its depth, Signs Preceding the End of the World makes me rejoice that more of Herrerra's work will soon be published for English readers. It is such a blessing that this work, first published in Spanish six years ago, has made the crossing.' Literary Review US -------- 'Signs is full of exhilarating moments, sharp, economic turns, both at plot and sentence level ... Personal and expansive, dense but compact, Signs Preceding the End of the World offers its readers a timeless and timely epic in miniature.' Biblioklept ------- 'A dazzling little thing, containing so much more than the width of its spine should allow. I am in awe-filled love with its heroine: Makina is a vibrantly real presence in a shadowy world of constant threat; her voice perfectly rendered; her unflappable poise tested, but never broken.' Gayle Lazda, London Review Bookshop, London ------- 'If you start highlighting what stuns you about Signs Preceding the End of the World, Yuri Herrera's debut novel in English, every page will be mottled with fluorescent lines. Herrera writes in prose that feels like you are standing on both sides of the uncanny valley while something beautiful happens below and above you, creating a delectable unease, cut through with the simple joy of precise and surprising images. Herrera will draw the obvious comparisons to Roberto Bolano, but Signs Preceding the End of World should also find a home next to Jesse Ball and Italo Calvino.' Josh Cook, Porter Square Books, Boston, and author of An Exaggerated Murder -------- 'Herrera gives us what all great literature should-poetic empathy for dire situations in a life more complex and dynamic than we imagined. And Other Stories gives us what all publishers should-access to this world. I always want more.' Lance Edmonds, Posman Books (Chelsea Market branch), New York, NY ------- 'Several things occurred while I read Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera: I didn't stop talking about it to other book people. When I finished it, I immediately flipped back to the beginning. And then, while waiting for the train, a bird pooped on me. I could go into the beautiful sentences, the structure, or the imagery. But really, a bird pooped on me - right on the shoulder, in the most obvious place - and I didn't even notice until I put the book down.' Jess Marquardt, Greenlight, Brooklyn, NY ------- 'Yuri Herrera's Signs Preceding the End of the World is a lyrical border crossing with touches of Kafka." Alexander Dwinell, Unnameable Books, Brooklyn, NY ------- 'This book pulled me out of my little life into one altogether unfamiliar and absorbing - with the help of its bulletproof heroine, it explores what happens to people and languages when they cross borders, and recreates these new linguistic worlds in the translation without affectation. I am glad it made it over the Rio Grande and onto my shelf.' Georgia Newman, Foyles (Charing Cross Road branch), London -------- 'What begins as an odyssey is steered into profound allegory depicting the burdens we are willing to shoulder for family and the prospect of a life we never asked for.' Mark J Walker, Waterstones (High Wycombe branch), High Wycombe

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Book SynopsisThere are three of them and they have no names: they are a family whose roles superseded by destiny. This is the story of man's struggle for dignity of a man who has only a short time left to live. In the first months of lockdown a mother and son struggle against bureacracy to be able to visit the father in hospital and to fulfil his last wish to return to their Dalmatian terrace just as the cherries blossom and the swallows' nests are full of hatchlings. In this novel, Prtenjaca deals with loss, short-lived hope and memory, his voice is that of a child - one that asks questions - alongside that of a mature voice of a man who has to make difficult decisions. These voices overlap in a rhythmical exchange of scenes and images from the past and the present, comprising an elegy in which love reverberates like the sound of cymbals. There's three of them, and they have no names. Sometimes they seem alone in this world.

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Book SynopsisUnlike most other Palestinian cities, Ramallah is a relatively new town, a de facto capital of the West Bank allowed to thrive after the Oslo Peace Accords, but just as quickly hemmed in and suffocated by the Occupation as the Accords have failed. Perched along the top of a mountainous ridge, it plays host to many contradictions: traditional Palestinian architecture jostling against aspirational developments and cultural initiatives, a thriving nightlife in one district, with much more conservative, religious attitudes in the next. Most striking however - as these stories show - is the quiet dignity, resilience and humour of its people; citizens who take their lives into their hands every time they travel from one place to the next, who continue to live through countless sieges, and yet still find the time, and resourcefulness, to create. Translated by Basma Ghalayini, Alexander Hong, Thoraya El-Rayyes, Mohammed Ghalaieny, Raph Cormack, Adam Talib, Yasmine Seale, Andrew Leber, Emre Bennett & Raph Cohen.

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Book Synopsis"Ma is Scared is the long-overdue debut of Anjali Kajal in English, representing the best of her short fiction, written and published over the last twenty years. From the anxious mother waiting for her daughter to return home safely, to the young student accused of stealing because of her caste, the stories gathered here explore the experience of women in small towns and urban centres across North India. Kajal writes about desire, abuse, silence, love and oppression in nuanced ways; how they are negotiated in the world; through relationships, family, motherhood, school, university, jobs. Her language, imagery and concerns are thoroughly contemporary, capturing the yearnings, restrictions and possibilities of modern life from a feminist and anti-caste perspective. "

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Book SynopsisAn historical thriller narrated from two different perspectives, in two eras. The novel revolves, around kidnapping of five babies during the night of 5th of April 1885. This is the start of the experiment into the idea of nature vs nurture. What happens if these children are given different upbringing? Twenty-five years later the children now grown up suddenly reappear on the doorsteps of their biological parents. Confused by his daughter's memory loss, one parent hires Alejandro a journalist to investigate. What he discovers shocks him to the core.

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Book SynopsisA bewitching novel set in contemporary Japan about the mysterious suicide of a young woman. Miwako Sumida is dead. Now those closest to her try to piece together the fragments of her life. Ryusei, who always loved Miwako, follows her trail to a remote Japanese village. Chie, her best friend, was the only person to know her true identity — but is now the time to reveal it? Meanwhile, Fumi, Ryusei’s sister, has her own haunting secret. Together, they realise that the young woman they thought they knew had more going on than they could ever have dreamed.Trade Review‘The gap between the private pain we suffer and the public image we project is explored with sensitivity and tenderness.’ -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail *‘Vivid and intriguing — an elegantly cryptic, poetically plotted Murakami-esque whydunit.’ -- Sharlene Teo, award–winning author of Ponti‘An offbeat, tender exploration of the secrets we keep from others … Goenawan is clearly a talented and creative storyteller … She excels at suspense, keeping the reader guessing with left-field plot developments and forays into magic realism that somehow seem in keeping with realities on the ground.’ -- Sarah Gilmartin * The Irish Times *‘Clarissa Goenawan’s style is effortless and emotionally charged, and it’s particularly heartening to see a trans character depicted in a lead role, written in a real and sympathetic way.’ -- Prudence Wade * Press Association *‘A novel in three voices about the inner turmoil — and beauty — that people keep walled behind flawless surfaces.’ -- Tiffany Tsao, author of The Oddfits and The Majesties‘Dazzling.’ * Foyles Bookstore *‘She has created a Murakami-inspired novel that does away with all of his problems and tells a story far more rounded, pleasing, and sophisticated.’ -- Will Heath * Books & Bao *‘From the first page of Clarissa Goenawan’s The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida, we know that the titular Miwako has taken her own life, but we don’t know why. This same question plagues Miwako’s close friends as they grieve her death and search for answers. In this elegant and haunting novel, Goenawan deftly explores the messiness of grief, the pain of lost chances, and the way a life can collapse under the weight of secrets. Miwako and her friends are under my skin, and I’ll be thinking about them for some time.’ -- Kathleen Barber, author of Truth Be Told and Follow Me‘An exquisite tale about the way secrets shape and transform young lives. Behind Goenawan’s crisp, spare prose lies a world of emotional complexity.’ -- Mira T. Lee, award–winning author of Everything Here Is Beautiful‘Written in clear, simple prose, Goenawan’s novel presents the intriguing mystery of Miwako Sumida through the eyes of three characters who try to piece together her puzzle while struggling with their own questions of meaning and identity. This story about youth, friendship, grief, and trauma invites us through secret doors, ready to discover more.’ -- Intan Paramaditha, PEN Award–winning author of Apple and Knife and The Wandering‘Miwako is a powerful, memorable character … The way these characters’ lives intersect makes for a complex and satisfying tale, one that’s sad at the same time as it’s lively and warm.’ -- Rebecca Hussey * Book Riot *‘As three stories interlink, rich plot, description, and dialogue make this fiction seem like reality. While readers may be aware they’re not a part of the novel, through Goenawan’s enthralling writing, they will nonetheless become immersed in her fictional world.’ -- Budi Darma‘Tender and tragic … Goenawan’s luminous prose captures the deep emotions of her characters as they grapple with questions about family history, gender, and sexuality. The tug of Miwako’s strange, troubled spirit will wrench readers from the beginning.’ -- Publishers Weekly‘Goenawan, like any skilled novelist, manages to elegantly reveal both the pain and beauty of unraveling a life after loss. This is only her second novel to date, and she’s already been compared to the wizard of world-building, Haruki Murakami.’ * Lambda Literary *‘[Goenawan] raises an age-old question on the fine line where literature ends and life begins ... [she] has her own distinctive voice, as she sensitively explores traumatic sexual experiences through a woman’s perspective.’ * The Jakarta Post *‘A compelling protagonist ... Like Japanese brush painting, the author’s simple, clear prose captures Miwako’s vulnerability and complexity. Also vividly drawn are Fumi and Chie, each having built their own unusual protective personas that are gradually revealed. An eerie and elegant puzzle.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘Like Goenawan’s previous Rainbirds, this is more literary fiction than conventional mystery, featuring exceptionally well-drawn characters facing adversity in a narrative written with an elegance and delicacy.’ -- Michele Leber * Booklist *‘Goenawan does an expert job of getting to the core of this university student with a mysterious past, and on how people grapple with the death by suicide of a loved one.’ * Alma *‘This haunting tale of grief and tragedy by the author of Rainbirds might appeal to new adults who remember John Green’s Looking for Alaska. The leisurely narrative uncovers a world of Japanese customs, ghosts, and grief.’ -- Lesa Holstine * Library Journal *‘[A] a complex, interpersonal mystery … [A] tremendous examination of sadness … [A] book with heart about the mysteries of the heart.’ -- Benjamin Welton * New York Journal of Books *‘Goenawan’s prose is transportive in its directness and evocative in its simplicity. In Miwako, she has succeeded in an intricate character study of a perturbed soul … An immersive, haunting tale.’ -- Walter Sim * The Strait Times *‘If her debut novel brings Murakami to mind, her second, with its winsome tone, harkens to early Banana Yoshimoto. However, with her blend of mystery, magic and social issues — in this case, sexual abuse, transgender awareness and suicide — Goenawan is developing her own distinct brand.’ -- Suzanne Kamata * The Japan Times *‘A quietly powerful meditation on the destructive power of secrets, as well as the power of truth to heal even beyond death.’ -- Christina Ladd * The Nerd Daily *‘[A] subtly fantastical story, driven by themes of love, loss, and grief. It toes the line between YA and literary fiction, and it does so effortlessly … [A] three-dimensional story that moves seamlessly from the distant past to the recent past to the present, painting a colourful image of Miwako Sumida that grows in detail as the story gains momentum. Despite not having been written by a Japanese novelist, The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida strongly and elegantly echoes the style and tone of manga like Erased and Orange, and most vividly the novels of Haruki Murakami … There are mysteries that tease at you and lies you’ll be told, all in service of a complex, intense story that ebbs and flows so beautifully. It’s a wild ride, and a delightfully satisfying one.’ * Books & Bao *‘This novel is both familiar and unusual. It is written in English by an Indonesian-born Singaporean author, but summons the atmospheres of Japanese fictions (both written and cinematic) … Clarissa Goenawan is an emerging talent … Compassionate and compelling.’ -- Alison Huber * Readings *‘Powerful and compelling.’ * Reading, Writing and Riesling *‘Very absorbing and incredibly well written … Highly recommended and I’ll be looking out for more from this author.’ * Theresa Smith Writes *‘A novel that examines a tragedy from three sides … Ultimately very readable and enjoyable.’ -- Emily Paull * The AU Review *‘What a beautiful, heartbreaking book … the language is reminiscent of Japanese books The Travelling Cat Chronicles (Hiro Arikawa) and If Cats Disappeared from the World (Genki Kawamura). In these stories, as in Goenawan’s, beautiful language and scenes are used as backdrops for a gentle uncovering of what it really means to be human.’ -- Kaylia Payne * Lip Magazine *‘This is a bittersweet tale of abuse and identity, of the potentially destructive nature of secrets and of the value of having people around who can understand and help process painful or traumatic events.’ * Pile by the Bed *‘This is a deep-cut examination of what happens to a life left behind.’ * Keeping Up with the Penguins *‘This is Murakami without the male gaze – a feminist Murakami, perhaps … An engrossing tale clearly influenced by Japanese women writers such as Risa Wataya and Banana Yoshimoto, The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is about the crushing weight of secrets and how the long arm of history returns to haunt a person. In this novel, young women straitjacketed by the standards of mainstream society demand: give us a closer look.’ -- Cher Tan * The Saturday Paper *‘Quietly quirky in the manner of Haruki Murakami, including shades of magic realism, The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida focuses on the subtle intricacies of social interactions and sexuality, particularly in Japanese culture at the time … This is a lingering fable about learning to accept yourself, even in the wake of grief.’ -- Doug Wallen * Big Issue *‘The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is a vibrant and at time surreal exploration of lost love, death, trauma, and friendship in Japan in the 1980s/90s … This novel is beautifully created and provides a mature look into suicide and its impacts on those left behind.’ FOUR STARS -- Akina Hansen * Good Reading *‘Captivating and sometimes heartbreaking … The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is hard to put down and despite its tragedy is a thoroughly enjoyable read.’ -- Vittoria Bon * Gold Coast Bulletin *‘A novel that lingers in the mind thanks to its poetic delivery, layering of ideas and an engrossing tale, all led by vivid characters.’ * Bad Form Magazine *Praise for Rainbirds: ‘​A murder mystery and a family drama in one, this book is as beautiful as it is understated. The author presents us with a fascinatingly structured look into Japanese society and a depiction of mourning and grief that is universally recognisable.’ * San Francisco Chronicle *Praise for Rainbirds: ‘A​ transnational literary tour-de-force. Readers will be carried along by its creepy charm.​’ * The Japan Times​ *Praise for Rainbirds: ‘Clarissa Goenawan spins a dark, encapsulating story that will certainly reel you in completely.’ * Bustle *Praise for Rainbirds: ‘Mysterious and dark.’ * Daily Beast *

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Book SynopsisAppearing for the first time in English, Deceit is the debut novel by Yuri Felsen, a leading modernist writer of the interwar Russian diaspora. Known by his contemporaries as ‘the Russian Proust’, Felsen died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz, his life and legacy destroyed by the Nazis.Written in the form of diary, Deceit is a psychological self-portrait of an unnamed narrator, a neurasthenic and aspiring author, whose often-thwarted pursuits of his love interest and muse provide the grounds for his beautifully wrought extemporizations on love, art and human nature. Modulating between the paroxysms of his tormented romance and his quest for an aesthetic mode befitting of the novel he intends to write, Deceit is a remarkable work of introspective depth and psychoanalytic inquiry.Like voyeurs, party to his most intimate thoughts, we accompany the diarist as he goes about Paris, making enraptured preparations for the materialisation of his fantasy, observing not only his eagerness, dreaminess and poetic inclinations, but also his compulsive desire to analyse his surroundings and self. Yet amid these ravishing flights of scrutiny we discern hints of his monomaniacal tendencies, which blind him from the true nature of his circumstances. Thus begins an exquisite game arranged by the author, wherein it falls to the reader to second-guess the essence of what really lies behind his narrative.Trade Review'This is ... real literature, pure and honest.' Vladimir Nabokov 'The miracle of Yuri Felsen is how his apparently Nabokovian rhythms lull you into a false sense of security, before a sudden and chilling exposure to the weather of a walk where the whole elegantly interwoven conceit of the narrator is ripped apart. And the pain of someone like Walser glints through a decadent surface of exiled life in Paris, to hint at darker shadows to come.' Iain Sinclair 'Deceit is a strange and beautiful dream, an intimate and tragic love letter from a lost world.' Camilla Grudova'Towards the end of this strange novel in the form of a strange diary the narrator declares that "it is impossible to live without deceit". What has preceded this bald statement is the work of a connoisseur of deceit in its multitudinous forms, the most potent being a subset of self deceptions described in painful raw detail. It’s a work steeped in absolutely joyous misery.' Jonathan Meades'Dark thickets of language part to reveal a pearl of psychological prose and a highly actual account of the psychic impermanence of migration.' Sasha Dugdale

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Book SynopsisAn artist races to finish his forgery of a masterpiece while held captive in surreal, menacing splendor.José Federico Burgos is a failed painter turned forger trapped in surreal, an architectural masterpiece hidden behind high walls, an impish vagabond, and some very resourceful, very intimidating twins—Forgery pays homage to greats like Juan Rulfo and Luis Barragán, traversing late 20th Century Guadalajara with the exuberance and eccentricity of an 18th Century picaresque.Trade Review"Ave Barrera eases us into this microcosmos as strange and shocking as it is true, constructing powerful atmospheres imbued with very varied sensations, ranging from dreamlike hallucinations to terror, horror and beauty." —El País"We must pay serious attention to the work of Ave Barrera."" —Cristina Rivera Garza , author of NO ONE WILL SEE ME CRY"The plot flows in an intelligent and audacious way: It surprises by the simplicity and malice in which complex technical aspects are solved."" —Geney Beltrán Félix"A wild ride for protagonist and reader alike." —Kirkus"A fun and entertaining story of a great literary quality." —Milenio"Delightfully written, full of revelations … Such a literary discovery." —Radio 3 (RTVE)

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE A joyful family saga about free will, forgiveness, and how we are all interconnected. In October 1989, triplet babies are born into chaos in a Swedish hospital. Over two decades later, the siblings are scattered around the world, barely speaking. Sebastian is in London working for a mysterious scientific organisation and falling in love. Clara has travelled to Easter Island to join a doomsday cult. And the third triplet, Matilda, is in Sweden, practising being a stepmother. Then something happens that forces them to reunite. Their mother calls with worrying news: their father has gone missing and she has something to tell them, a twenty-five-year secret that will change all their lives … 'Hilarious' CLAIRE LOMBARDO 'Playfully experimental' THE GUARDIAN 'Magnificent' THE TELEGRAPHTrade Review‘A wild 529-page trip … magnificent.’ -- Amber Medland * The Telegraph *‘Playfully experimental … enjoyable … funny.’ -- Suzi Feay * The Guardian *‘This is a prismatic, hilarious, and deeply intelligent novel overflowing with wisdom about the complexities of being alive — I read it ravenously, and with pen in hand.’ -- Claire Lombardo, author of The Most Fun We Ever Had‘With gorgeous prose and a wry wit, Amanda Svensson offers readers at once a novel of family, love affairs, the search for meaning, of grief and of sibling rivalry — of triplets with a twist.’ -- Donna Freitas, author of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano‘A brilliant vision of family and modern life, both as we know it and as it can only be imagined by one of Sweden’s finest writers — as translated by one of our finest translators, Nichola Smalley. A playful, tender, and funny gem.’ -- Saskia Vogel, author of Permission‘Big, playful, and very strange.’ -- Gayle Lazda * London Review Bookshop *‘In her new novel Amanda Svensson portrays with both sincerity and humour, how there is a system to the madness and a madness in the system. It is a winding work that establishes her among the great storytellers with a totally unique voice.’ -- Jury statement from the Per Olov Enquist Literary Prize‘[W]ith a devoted passion for narration and a steadfast belief in the intrinsic value of fiction, Amanda Svensson portrays triplets Sebastian, Clara, and Matilda. The story of their lives in different corners of the world evolves into a supreme literary work, which expands the reader’s senses in the face of the possibilities of reality, just by being so unabashedly fictitious.’ -- Jury statement from the Tidningen Vi’s Literary Prize‘[A] novel about serious contemporary issues such as climate and fear, but that also makes you smile.’ -- Jury statement from the Svenska Dagbladet Literary Prize‘A verbose, kooky, surrealistic, and simply wonderful novel with major existential questions.’ * Svenska Dagbladet *‘A classic family saga, which recalls Thomas Mann and Zadie Smith, but also has the intricacy and ambition of the intellectual mystery à la Marisha Pessl or Donna Tartt. Svensson pours art and science, literature, and politics into the brew, until she has achieved an entertaining bildungsroman that is far removed from the egocentric autofiction that is said to be dominating contemporary literature … Svensson carries out her almost perilously demanding literary project with a lightness that is impressive.’ * Expressen *‘There is such an enormous amount of energy and vitality in Amanda Svensson’s prose, an energy that is instantly recognisable from her previous books. There is not a single stale sentence, not a single dull repetition or artificial response. She seamlessly moves between the novel’s different moods and she can be insanely funny without losing any of the fundamental sincerity.’ * Östersunds-Posten *‘A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding is composed like a rich kind of symphony, with a diverse set of voices and places that together move from cacophony to harmony. This is a book that, to use the author’s own words, makes you feel alive.’ * Göteborgs-Posten *‘The Freudian term unheimlich appears early in the novel, pre-empting the doubles and doublings, shadows and ghosts, recurring images and disappearing persons that haunt the book. It is oddly comforting that against such an uncanny backdrop the banalities and joys of the world continue — characters still fall in love, quarrel, sit in discomfort and make amends. The beauty of Svensson’s work is in this precise balance: she maintains compelling emotional resonance amid a truly wild and sprawling world. … A truly delightful study of the contours of family, the limits of free will, and the end of the world as we know it, A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding is expansive and expanding.’ -- Leah Jing McIntosh * The Saturday Paper *‘Chaos and the search for order duel in Svensson’s intelligent debut.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘In Amanda Svensson’s novel A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding, a shocking secret forces three siblings to reevaluate their places in their family and the world … A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding is a dynamic novel about methods of coping in a world where nothing is certain.’ * Foreword Reviews *‘[A System So Magnificent] is joyous and funny.’ * ANZ LitLovers *‘Svensson writes beautifully... it's a pleasure simply to follow along.’ * The Complete Review *‘All families are dysfunctional, but some raise it to an art form, as Amanda Svensson so deftly outlines in her admirable novel A System So Magnificent It Is Blinding … While all of her main characters are deeply — really deeply — flawed, Amanda Svensson has you rooting for them through their highs and lows.’ * Book Page *‘At the heart of Svensson’s tumultuous epic lies a perennial query: Are our lives simply random intersections of space and time, or are they part of a grand master plan of the universe, where we are all but cosmic marionettes and nothing is coincidence?’ * The New York Times *‘Brilliant … a sprawling family epic exploring complex questions about the power of one’s mind and the impact of one’s choices … This sharp and expansive novel takes up love, loss, truth, and beauty and will challenge readers to decide if they agree when Matilda asserts: “We're all living in different worlds. It's up to each of us to decide what form that world takes”.’ * Shelf Awareness *‘Amanda Svensson’s raucous, sprawling debut takes on the enigmas of our origins, riddles of human consciousness and animal cognition, doomsday cults, and the most bedevilling of mysteries — the minds and choices of our closest intimates.' -- Jury statement from the International Booker Prize 2023

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of The Picture Bride, two women’s lives and identities are intertwined — through World War II and the Korean War — revealing the harsh realities of class division in the early part of the 20th century. Can’t I Go Instead follows the lives of the daughter of a Korean nobleman and her maidservant in the early 20th century. When the daughter’s suitor is arrested as a Korean Independence activist, and she is implicated during the investigation, she is quickly forced into marriage to one of her father’s Japanese employees and shipped off to the United States. At the same time, her maidservant is sent in her mistress’s place to be a comfort woman to the Japanese Imperial army. Years of hardship, survival, and even happiness follow. In the aftermath of WWII, the women make their way home, where they must reckon with the tangled lives they’ve led, in an attempt to reclaim their identities, and find their places in an independent Korea. Trade Review‘Can't I Go Instead’s complex and profoundly human characters will captivate, devastate, and move you, all at once.’ -- Juhea Kim, author of Beasts of a Little Land and Dayton Literary Peace Prize finalist‘A true feast for historical fiction readers who love unpredictable stories and complex characters!’ -- Lorena Hughes, award-winning author of The Spanish Daughter‘Compelling and inspiring, this story speaks of resilience and determination to make the best out of the situation one has been dealt.’ * Booklist *‘Can’t I Go Instead is an epic work of historical fiction by acclaimed Korean author Lee Geum-yi that vividly brings to life the tumultuous early 20th century in Korea … Lee’s exhaustive research into the realities of the era, from the atrocities of the Imperial Army to the treatment of Asians in America, underpins this propulsive novel. Fans of emotional yet historically accurate fiction will find Can’t I Go Instead a transportive reading experience and meaningful perspective on the past.’ * NZ Booklovers *Praise for The Picture Bride: ‘Cleverly orchestrated and poignantly conveyed throughout.’ * Daily Mail *Praise for The Picture Bride: ‘Lee Geum-yi has a gift for taking little-known embers of history and transforming them into moving, compelling, and uplifting stories ... a must read!’ -- Heather Morris, New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Three SistersPraise for The Picture Bride: ‘Lee Geum-yi has a gift for taking little-known embers of history and transforming them into moving, compelling, and uplifting stories. I loved Willow from the first page to the last. Loved her courage, and her tenacious, yet caring, beautiful soul. The Picture Bride is the ultimate story of the power of friendship — a must read!’ -- Heather Morris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Three SistersPraise for The Picture Bride: ‘A fascinating journey into the world of Korean “picture brides” whose lives take unexpected turns as they land on distant shores. A beautiful testimony to those women bold and determined enough to leave behind all that was familiar, seeking a better life.’ -- Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author Before We Were Yours and The Book of Lost FriendsPraise for The Picture Bride: ‘A transporting and immersive story that will enthral historical fiction readers. Poignant and moving, its unforgettable characters will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.’ -- Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba

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Book SynopsisMulti-generational crime mystery taking place in the north of Iceland, as brutal retribution is exacted for childhood abuse

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Book SynopsisIndigenous Mapudungun and Quechua words, history, colonialism and cosmology form the chorus to this tropical fever dream of life, love, death, and friendship.

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Book SynopsisOne of the most powerful short stories ever written: Yukio Mishima’s masterpiece about the erotics of patriotism and honor, love and suicide.Trade Review"The violence we are facing with such difficulty in our daily lives, he gives us simply in all its subcutaneous horror and myth." -- Hortense Calisher - The New York Times Book Review"A direct yet lyrical style devoted entirely to bringing out the elevated emotions of its two characters." -- Trevor Berrett - The Mookse and the Gripes

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Book SynopsisThe 25-year-old case of a missing girl sees Varg Veum dig deep into the past to find her kidnapper, as the secrets and lies of a tiny community threaten everything … Gunnar Staalesen’s award-winning, international bestselling Varg Veum series continues in this chilling Nordic Noir thriller. ***WINNER of the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year*** 'Mature and captivating’ Herald Scotland ‘One of the finest Nordic novelists – in the tradition of Henning Mankell’ Barry Forshaw, Independent ‘Masterful pacing’ Publishers Weekly _________________ September 1977. Mette Misvær, a three-year-old girl disappears without trace from the sandpit outside her home. Her tiny, close middle-class community in the tranquil suburb of Nordas is devastated, but their enquiries and the police produce nothing. Curtains twitch, suspicions are raised, but Mette is never found. Almost 25 years later, as the expiry date for the statute of limitations draws near, Mette’s mother approaches PI Varg Veum, in a last, desperate attempt to find out what happened to her daughter. As Veum starts to dig, he uncovers an intricate web of secrets, lies and shocking events that have been methodically concealed. When another brutal incident takes place, a pattern begins to emerge… Shocking, unsettling and full of extraordinary twists and turns, Where Roses Never Die reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world’s foremost thriller writers. _________________ Praise for Gunnar Staalesen 'There is a world-weary existential sadness that hangs over his central detective. The prose is stripped back and simple … deep emotion bubbling under the surface – the real turmoil of the characters’ lives just under the surface for the reader to intuit, rather than have it spelled out for them’ Doug Johnstone, The Big Issue ‘Gunnar Staalesen is one of my very favourite Scandinavian authors. Operating out of Bergen in Norway, his private eye, Varg Veum, is a complex but engaging anti-hero. Varg means “wolf ” in Norwegian, and this is a series with very sharp teeth’ Ian Rankin ‘Staalesen continually reminds us he is one of the finest of Nordic novelists’ Financial Times ‘Staalesen does a masterful job of exposing the worst of Norwegian society in this highly disturbing entry’ Publishers Weekly 'The Varg Veum series is more concerned with character and motivation than spectacle, and it’s in the quieter scenes that the real drama lies’ Herald Scotland 'Every inch the equal of his Nordic confreres Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo' Independent ‘With an expositional style that is all but invisible, Staalesen masterfully compels us from the first pages … If you’re a fan of Varg Veum, this is not to be missed, and if you’re new to the series, this is one of the best ones. You’re encouraged to jump right in, even if the Norwegian names can be a bit confusing to follow’ Crime Fiction Lover ‘With short, smart, darkly punchy chapters Wolves at the Door is a provocative and gripping read’ LoveReading ‘Haunting, dark and totally noir, a great read’ New Books Magazine ‘An upmarket Philip Marlowe’ Maxim Jakubowski, The Bookseller ‘Razor-edged Scandinavian crime fiction at its finest’ Quentin BatesTrade Review'Gunnar Staalesen is one of my very favourite Scandinavian authors. Operating out of Bergen in Norway, his private eye, Varg Veum, is a complex but engaging anti-hero. Varg means "wolf'" in Norwegian, and this is a series with very sharp teeth' Ian Rankin * 'Not many books hook you in the first chapter - this one did, and never let go!' Mari Hannah * 'One of Norway's most skilful storytellers' Johan Theorin * 'Razor-edged Scandinavian crime fiction at its finest' Quentin Bates

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Nobel Prize for Literature 2000. Part travel diary, part philosophy, part love story, Soul Mountain' is an elegant, unforgettable novel that journeys deep into the heart of modern-day China.In 1982 Chinese playwright, novelist and artist Gao Xingjian was diagnosed with lung cancer, the very disease that had killed his father. For six weeks Gao inhabited a transcendental state of imminent death, treating himself to the finest foods he could afford while spending time reading in an old graveyard in the Beijing suburbs. But a secondary examination revealed there was no cancer he had won a reprieve from death' and had been thrown back into the world of the living.Faced with a repressive cultural environment and the threat of a spell in a prison farm, Gao fled Beijing. He travelled first to the ancient forests of central China and from there to the east coast, passing through eight provinces and seven nature reserves, a journey of fifteen thousand kilometres over a period of Trade Review‘Gao’s portraits of fellow wanderers, farmers and party officials are vivid and shine a light on their place and time. The language (wonderfully translated by Mabel Lee) is luminous and tactile…There’s a feeling of entering and moving through a place we had seen only through mist.’ Time Out ‘When he writes of his experiences in the real world, Gao transcends cultural barriers. A good story will out in any language, and when Gao is good he is staggeringly so. His writing about the Cultural Revolution is remarkable.’ Daily Telegraph ‘A picaresque novel on an epic scale…”Soul Mountain” bristles with narratives in miniature – stories from ancient Chinese history, folk tales, childhood reminiscences, memories of the Cultural Revolution, as well as bitter arguments and passionate sex. Gao’s aim is to represent “the ineffability of life”, and, as far as that is possible to do, he has done it in this complex, rich and strange novel.’ Independent on Sunday

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Book Synopsis ** Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month **The exhilarating new Inspector Adamsberg novel from France's multi-million-copy bestselling crime fiction star**A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020**'Adamsberg is one of my favourite detectives... I so enjoyed This Poison Will Remain' ANN CLEEVESAfter three elderly men are bitten by spiders, everyone assumes that their deaths are tragic accidents. But at police headquarters in Paris, Inspector Adamsberg begins to suspect that the case is far more complex than first appears.It isn't long before Adamsberg is investigating a series of rumours and allegations that take him to the south of France. Decades ago, at La Miséricorde orphanage, shocking events took place involving the same species of spider: the recluse.For Adamsberg, these haunting crimes hold the key to proving that the three men were targeted by an ingenious serial killer. His team, however, is not convinced. He must put his reputation on the line to trace the murderer before the death toll rises..._______________________PRAISE FOR THIS POISON WILL REMAIN:'Absorbing... Full of twists and spiced with Vargas's characteristic wit and style' PETER ROBINSON'Vargas is an addictive writer whose surreal touches create a curiously solid world' INDEPENDENT'Vargas's books are...cunning, corkscrew murder mysteries' A.J. FINNTrade ReviewThrilling… Breathtakingly original… A wildly inventive plot that puts Vargas’s real-life expertise (she is an archaeologist) to brilliant use * Sunday Times, Crime Book of the Month *I so enjoyed This Poison Will Remain, real vintage Vargas: playful, thought-provoking, a total delight. And beautifully translated. Adamsberg is one of my favourite detectives -- ANN CLEEVES, author of the Shetland seriesIn This Poison Will Remain, Fred Vargas has delivered an absorbing plot full of twists and spiced with her characteristic wit and style. Adamsberg is a terrific creation and his team of misfits a joy to watch in action -- PETER ROBINSON, author of the DCI Banks seriesFred Vargas’s books are murder mysteries, yes – cunning, corkscrew murder mysteries – but so much else besides: delicate comedies, engrossing tours of French geography and history, fascinating excursions into folklore and myth -- A.J. FINN, author of The Woman in the WindowVargas has as loving and sharp an eye for provincial French eccentrics as Simenon... Vargas is an addictive writer whose surreal touches create a curiously solid world * Independent *

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Book SynopsisTHE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER''Bernhard Schlink speaks straight to the heart'' New York TimesOlga is an orphan raised by her grandmother in a Prussian village around the turn of the 20th century. Smart and precocious, she fights against the prejudices of the time to find her place in a world that sees her as second-best.When she falls in love with Herbert, a local aristocrat obsessed with the era''s dreams of power, glory and greatness, her life is irremediably changed.Theirs is a love against all odds, entwined with the twisting paths of German history, leading us from the late 19th to the early 21st century, from Germany to Africa and the Arctic, from the Baltic Sea to the German south-west.This is the story of that love, of Olga''s devotion to a restless man - told in thought, letters and in a fateful moment of great rebellion.Translated from the German by Charlotte CollinsTrade ReviewFrom the author of The Reader comes a brilliant new novel about history and the nature of memory... The story of Olga, translated here from German by Charlotte Collins, is the story of Germany's modern history. It is also a study of memory... You should read this novel if you appreciate the power of history. How do we remember each other? As individuals, or as parts of a larger whole? As they were, or as we wish they had been? The narration can be breakneck: decades pass in single sentences, while other paragraphs describe mere moments. This is the effect of memory; lives are condensed into a series of experiences and relationships. One line still sticks in my head, in a letter from a Norwegian bookseller. "History is not the past as it really was. It's the shape we give it". * Evening Standard *A cleverly-constructed tale of cross-class romance... Olga's story draws us into a present-day reckoning with Germany's past. * Mail on Sunday *A poignant portrait of a woman out of step with her time. * Observer *Bernhard Schlink, one of Germany's best-loved authors, is famous beyond its borders for the international bestseller The Reader. Like that excellent novel, his latest, Olga, is a searching examination of modern Germany and its scarred soul... there's a sophisticated precision to his writing, which is superbly translated by Charlotte Collins. And in Schlink's macro look at Germany's past, it's the small acts - of kindness and humility - that linger. * Sunday Telegraph, Novel of the Week *This is not a straightforward elegy - and throughout the book, death is not an absolute end. Instead, Schlink frames the novel as a search for meaning, which dances in Olga between a multitude of timeframes and territories. Throughout, Charlotte Collins's translation is careful and beautifully paced * Financial Times *A compelling tale of love and thwarted dreams... Schlink's lucid, no-frills prose lends his novel immediacy, and at times potency, and gives us a character to root for. * The Herald *One of Bernhard Schlink's secrets stems from his art of telling stories by interweaving the standpoints of different generations in the very same life story. Olga is another very well-done example of that. * Le Monde *In this moving book Bernhard Schlink resurrects the last traces of an unfulfilled love, with his trademark, sophisticated nostalgia. * Le Nouvel Observateur *Bernhard Schlink, whose The Reader we haven't forgotten, impresses again with Olga. * Lire *Everything points towards Olga being a new bestseller which can pick up where the international success of The Reader left off. In other words: not to be missed! * SWR1 *Schlink is a brilliant stylist; this bittersweet love affair is deeply moving. * Hamburger Abendblatt *The third part of the novel - letters Olga writes to Herbert after he's set out for the Arctic - is the most beautiful. Here, the camera finally zooms in and we learn of Olga's feelings, how she's torn between hope and fear, love and anger at her lover, who has left her for a madcap expedition. * Spiegel *[Schlink] takes up motifs from his most famous work The Reader. Olga, who fights to be allowed to continue her education, seems like an alternative draft of the illiterate Hannah, whose lacking abilities led to her becoming a concentration camp guard during the Nazi era. * Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung *Olga is captivating. Bernhard Schlink tells the story in lucid, serene language. He is a master of this warm, pleasant tone, which has a hint of the old-fashioned to it. * Stern *Schlink tells a gripping, true-to-life story which startles you with its unforeseen twists, and not only makes you think, but feel too. * NDR Kultur *Schlink was and is an author for readers who love intelligently told stories. And they won't be disappointed by Olga. * Tages-Anzeiger, Zurich *

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Book SynopsisMEET DETECTIVE GEREON RATH IN THE BOOKS THAT INSPIRED THE HIT TV SERIES BABYLON BERLIN ‘A first-rate historical thriller and Gereon Rath is one of the most intriguing detectives in fiction.’ - Paul Burke, NB Magazine Berlin, 1932: A drowned man is found in a freight elevator, miles from any standing water. How did he get there? A series of murders by drowning has shocked Berlin. Inspector Gereon Rath’s hunt for the killer has stalled, and his personal life is as turbulent as ever. His fiancée, Charly, has at last started her probationary year with Berlin CID, experiencing all the challenges of working in a male-dominated police force. When Rath’s work on the case of the drowned man sweeps him away to a remote village on the Polish border, his investigation clashes with local myths and the growing power of the Nazi party. As he puts the pieces of the puzzle together, Rath begins to wonder if he has a serial killer on his hands. Can he catch the killer before another victim is claimed? About the Gereon Rath Mysteries 1930s Berlin is a hotbed of vice and organised crime. When Inspector Gereon Rath leaves Cologne to join Berlin’s murder squad, he cannot begin to imagine the brutality and complexity of the world he is stepping into as communists and Nazis struggle for power.Trade Review‘A mystery full of twists and surprises and a classic detective you will root for all the way to the last page. Masterful.’‘The body count steadily mounts in Rath’s most complicated case to date.’‘The Fatherland Files is a first-rate historical thriller and Gereon Rath is one of the most intriguing detectives in fiction.’ * NB Magazine *‘Highly recommended.’ * Crime Time *

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Book SynopsisDriven to his deathbed by an incurable disease, the thirty-year-old impoverished gentleman Chulkaturin decides to write a diary looking back on his short life. After describing his youthful disillusionment and his family’s fall from grace and loss of status, the narrative focuses on his love for Liza, the daughter of a senior civil servant, his rivalry with the dashing Prince N. and his ensuing humiliation. These pages helped establish the archetype of the “superfluous man”, a recurring figure in nineteenth-century Russian literature. First published in 1850, ‘The Diary of a Superfluous Man’ was initially censored by the authorities, as some of its passages were deemed too critical of Russian society. This volume also includes two other masterly novellas, also touching on the theme of disappointed love: ‘Asya’ and ‘First Love’.Trade ReviewTurgenev to me is the greatest writer there ever was. -- Ernest Hemingway

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Book SynopsisOn his way back to Russia after some years spent in the West, Grigory Mikhailovich Litvinov, the son of a retired official of merchant stock, stops over in Baden-Baden to meet his fiancee Tatyana. However, a chance encounter with his old flame, the manipulative Irina - now married to a general and a prominent figure in aristocratic expatriate circles - unearths feelings buried deep inside the young man's heart, derailing his plans for the future and throwing his life into turmoil.Trade ReviewTurgenev to me is the greatest writer there ever was. -- Ernest Hemingway

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Book SynopsisYoung immigrant Karl Rossmann has a series of adventures in a vision of an ultra-modern America that is both fantasy and social satire. Full of incident, and blackly humorous, Kafka's first novel is newly translated by Ritchie Robertson in an edition that includes a full introduction and notes.

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Book SynopsisTells the story of Lucius, a curious and silly young man, who is turned into a donkey when he meddles with witchcraft. Doomed to wander from region to region and mistreated by a series of deplorable owners, Lucius at last is restored to human form with the help of the goddess Isis.Trade Review"Sarah Ruden’s superb translation of Alpuleis’s The Golden Ass illuminates this wonderful story with a brilliant modern wit."—Philip Pullman, The Observer"[B]rilliantly executed . . . Sarah Ruden’s new translation of Apuleius’ neo-platonist romp about a guy who magically turns into a donkey. . .conveys how truly bizarre the style of the original is."—Emily Wilson, Times Literary Supplement"This new translation of Apuleius’s novel stands alone for its accuracy and cleverly farcical rendering."—Bookseller’s Buyer’s Guide"This new translation of Apuleius’s novel stands alone for its accuracy and cleverly farcical rendering."—Bookseller’s Buyer’s Guide"A wonderful translation—highly inappropriate and great fun. In Sarah Ruden's hands, the verbal gymnastics are ridiculously enjoyable rather than merely ridiculous."—Amy Eisner, Maryland Institute College of Art

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the EBRD Literature Prize Since she's been ill, Lalla Fatma has become a frail little thing with a faltering memory. Lalla Fatma thinks she's in Fez in 1944, where she grew up, not in Tangier in 2000, where this story begins. She calls out to family members who are long dead and loses herself in the streets of her childhood, yearning for her first love and the city she left behind. By her bedside, her son Tahar listens to long-hidden secrets and stories from her past: married while still playing with dolls and widowed for the first time at the age of sixteen. Guided by these fragments, Tahar vividly conjures his mother's life in post-war Morocco, unravelling the story of a woman for whom resignation was the only way out. Tender and compelling, About My Mother maps the beautiful, fragile and complex nature of human experience, while paying tribute to a remarkable woman and the bond between mother and son.Trade Review'Ben Jelloun is arguably Morocco's greatest living author, whose impressive body of work combines intellect and imagination in magical fusion' Guardian; 'In any language, in any culture, Tahar Ben Jelloun would be a remarkable novelist' Sunday Telegraph; 'One of Morocco's most celebrated and translated writers' Asymptote; 'A traditional storyteller whose tales have the status of myth ... An important writer.' Times Literary Supplement; 'About My Mother pulses with life, invigorating the reader with every sentence.' World Literature Today; `A beautifully crafted novel' The New Arab

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewChambers's edition of Tales of Moonlight and Rain is well worthwhile... Highly Recommended. The Complete Review A shining new version of a living Japanese classic. Japan Times Japan scholars and people who just like weird, spooky stuff should enjoy this new edition of Akinari's classic. -- Brad Quinn Daily Yomiuri Chambers's new translation is a lucid addition to the handful of previous versions. -- James Lasdun's The GuardianTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Tales of Moonlight and Rain Preface Book One Shiramine The Chrysanthemum Vow Book Two The Reed-Choked House The Carp of My Dreams Book Three The Owl of the Three Jewels The Kibitsu Caldron Book Four A Serpent's Lust Book Five The Blue Hood On Poverty and Wealth Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis new translation includes Kafka's two published collections, A Country Doctor and A Hunger Artist with other, uncollected stories, aphorisms, and parables that have become part of the Kafka canon. Enigmatic, satirical, often bleakly humorous, the stories meditate on art and artists and the human experience. Includes an introduction and notes.Table of ContentsTHE AEROPLANES AT BRESCIA; A COUNTRY DOCTOR: LITTLE TALES; THE RIDER ON THE COAL-SCUTTLE; A HUNGER ARTIST: FOUR STORIES; BLUMFELD, AN ELDERLY BACHELOR; AT THE BUILDING OF THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA; THE HUNTSMAN GRACCHUS; INVESTIGATIONS OF A DOG; THE BURROW; SELECTED SHORTER PIECES; APHORISMS

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Book SynopsisEvery morning Håkan von Enke takes a walk in the forest near his apartment in Stockholm. Then, one day he fails to come home.Detective Kurt Wallander is not officially involved but Håkan''s son is engaged to his daughter Linda. A few months earlier Håkan was eager to talk to Kurt about a controversial incident from his past. Could this be connected to his disappearance? When Håkan''s wife also goes missing, Wallander is determined to uncover the truth but the investigation will force him to look back over his own past, as he comes to the unsettling realisation that even those we love the most can remain strangers to us...Trade ReviewA heartbreaking tale of descent into despair and darkness that serves as a totem for what great crime writing can achieve -- Declan Burke * Irish Times *Magnificent * Financial Times *By the time you get to the end, you'll be wanting another. But it would be hard to beat this tale of murder and loss which leads back to the heart of the cold war * Daily Mirror *A plot as twisted and exciting as any Le Carre thriller * Daily Mail *It's a fine finale for the fretful policeman and it's hard not to feel you'll miss the old bugger -- Siobhan Murphy * Metro *

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Book SynopsisA Swedish crime writer as thrilling as Mankell, a detective as compelling as Wallander . . . Van Veeteren faces a chilling case in Håkan Nesser's Hour of the Wolf, the seventh book to feature Chief Inspector Van Veeteren. In the dead of night, in the pouring rain, a drunk driver smashes his car into a young man. He abandons the body at the side of the road, but the incident will set in motion a chain of events which will change his life forever. Soon Chief Inspector Van Veeteren, now retired from the Maardam police force, will face his greatest trial yet as someone close to him is, inexplicably, murdered. Van Veeteren's former colleagues, desperate for answers, struggle to decipher the clues to this appalling crime. But when another body is discovered, it gradually becomes clear that this killer is acting on their own terrifying logic . . .Hour of the Wolf is followed by book eight in the series, The WeepinTrade Review‘Hakan Nesser, the godfather of Swedish crime … His Van Veeteren novels have a puckishness and sprightliness that too often elude his younger, gloomier pretenders … Nesser has thus far only been a minor player in the British Nordic crime scene: Hour of the Wolf should be the book to change that’ Metro‘The Swedish novelist Hakan Nesser is in another league, exhibiting a skill and consistency rare in crime ¬fiction. Hour of the Wolf, translated by Laurie Thompson is one of his finest novels, starting with a road accident and unravelling its terrible consequences. The victim is a 16-year-old boy, struck by a car while walking home late at night, and the accident sets in motion a series of murders. One of the victims is related to Nesser’s detective, Chief Inspector Van Veeteren, who has retired to become an antiquarian bookseller. The ex-policeman’s old team rallies to obtain justice for their much-loved former boss in a novel that combines a clever plot with authentic emotion’ Sunday Times‘All the tropes of Scandinavian crime: physical and metaphysical gloom, desolate landscapes and circumscribed lives. However, it is a grown-up, rather than a depressing read. The investigating cops are skilfully differentiated and their banter is amusing. As for the plot … it contains enough twists to keep you reading through the Bergmanesque darkness’ Mark Sanderson, Evening Standard‘Of the Nordic crime writers currently holding readers’ attention in an unbreakable grip, Håkan Nesser is comfortably the most anglocentric. Nesser himself has a notably dry and ironic sense of humour, more redolent of this island than Sweden, and intermittently makes London his home. He also has something in common with another great generator of suspense, Leytonstone-born Alfred Hitchcock: a preoccupation with guilt and the way in which crime draws everyone connected with it into a dark moral miasma – as in the latest book to reach these shores, Hour of the Wolf . . . All this is dispatched with the assurance that readers have come to expect from the author of such quietly compelling crime fiction as The Return and Woman With Birthmark. As before with Nesser, we are reminded of the writer Ruth Rendell in the coolly methodical fashion in which lives are destroyed by a crime, those of both the victims and the perpetrators . . . there is not a single misstep as the grim implications of the narrative are teased out. And — as with Hitchcock — the guilt of a single character becomes a kind of amorphous mass, affecting everyone involved, muddying moral distinctions’ Independent‘Nesser, an award-winning writer who has sold millions worldwide, has an easy style which pulls the reader along nicely...Comparisons with other Scandinavian thriller writers don’t work as Nesser has a style all his own, making him a writer who needs to be on the bookshelves of all crime fans. And in Van Veeteren he has created a hero who is easy to like' Edinburgh Evening News ‘All too chillingly plausible tale’ Daily Mail‘If Scandinavian gloom lights your candle, Håkan Nesser’s Hour of the Wolf will have you howling with pleasure . . . Desolate landscapes and quirky characters are described with impressive skill’ Evening Standard ‘Best books for summer 2012‘

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Book SynopsisAmid the lush abundance of Java's landscape, two boys spend their days exploring the vast lakes and teeming forests. But as time passes the boys come to realize that their shared sense of adventure cannot bridge the gulf between their backgrounds, for one is the son of a Dutch plantation owner, and the other the son of a servant. Inevitably, as they grow up, they grow estranged and it is not until years later that they meet again. It will be an explosive and emblematic meeting that marks them even more deeply than their childhood friendship did.Trade ReviewUnostentatious charm... an instant classic -- Emma Hagestadt * Independent *A book that truly breathes... It can break, haunt and stir you... Haasse has a fine, exact way with her story... Mesmerisingly lovely and then suddenly shocking; you have to react. After 60 or more years, and in a quite different world, it is still a wake-up call... Perfect -- Michael Pye * Scotsman *Distinguished, composed with intense concentration, with a cruel heart-breaking climax and a brave, passionate coda... [It] demands several readings... Immaculately constructed -- Paul Binding * Times Literary Supplement *An understated little gem of a book and this fresh and vibrant translation is an event worthy of a wholehearted welcome * New Internationalist *A translation as fresh as any Booker nominee... beautifully judged and a genuinely intriguing insight into the end of a European empire -- Thomas Quinn * Big Issue *Beautiful... conceived and executed with intelligence and grace * Three Percent *A classic * Good Reading Copy *

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Book SynopsisTeffi's genius with the short form made her a literary star in pre-revolutionary Russia, beloved by Tsar Nicholas II and Vladimir Lenin alike. These stories, taken from the whole of her career, show the full range of her gifts. Extremely funny - a wry, scathing observer of society - she is also capable, as capable even as Chekhov, of miraculous subtlety and depth of character. There are stories here from her own life (as a child, going to meet Tolstoy to plead for the life of War and Peace's Prince Bolkonsky, or, much later, her strange, charged meetings with the already-legendary Rasputin). There are stories of émigré society, its members held together by mutual repulsion. There are stories of people misunderstanding each other or misrepresenting themselves. And throughout there is a sly, sardonic wit and a deep, compelling intelligence.

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Book SynopsisOnly yesterday, Gregor Samsa was a meek salesman, browbeaten by his unappreciative employer and depended on fiercely by his ungrateful family. This morning, Gregor awakens to discover that, overnight, he has been transformed into a monstrous insect. As Gregor frantically tries to conceal his predicament, neither his family nor his unsympathetic employer accept that a terrible metamorphosis has upended his existence. Is Gregor's condition only temporary? Will he eventually revert back to the person he was and resume his normal life? Or might he have to accept that his transformation is only an outward expression of how heand those in his lifeactually see him? First published in 1915, Kafka's best-known tale has inspired numerous interpretations for more than a century and helped to establish the term Kafkaesque as a reference to a bizarre and nightmarish experience. This collection of his short fiction, in a new translation, includes more than 30 of his short stories and sketches, inclu

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