Fiction in translation

Book SynopsisOn a dark and stormy night, an unnamed narrator is visited by two women: one a former lover, the other a stranger. They ruthlessly question their host and claim to know his greatest secret: that he is, in fact, a woman. In increasingly desperate attempts to defend his masculinity, perplexed by the stranger’s dubious claims to be the writer Amparo Dávila, he finds himself spiralling deeper into a haunted past that may or may not be his own. This surreal novel enfolds a masterful exploration of gender in taut, atmospheric mystery.Trade Review`A key work of Mexican literature.’ Elena Poniatowska ---------- `An intelligent, beautiful story about bodies disguised as a story about language disguised as a story about night terrors. Cristina Rivera Garza does not respect what is expected of a writer, of a novel, of language. She is an agitator.’ Yuri Herrera --------- `Warning: Cristina Rivera Garza is an explosive writer yet to be fully accounted for in English. An insubordinate stylist, a skilled creator of atmospheric and haunting language, The Iliac Crest is a willfully queer piece where the workings of her wild imagination destabilize everything.’ Lina Meruane ---------- `Like the ocean itself, Cristina Rivera Garza writes a world where borders shift and dissolve. In the curves of the fantastic, the highest realism is born. This world is weird. This world is so deeply true. I love this wholly perfect book.’ Samantha Hunt

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Book SynopsisIdealistic young officer Giovanni Drogo is full of determination to serve his country well. But when he arrives at a bleak border station in the Tartar desert, where he is to take a short assignment at Fort Bastiani, he finds the castle manned by veteran soldiers who have grown old without seeing a trace of the enemy. As his length of service stretches from months into years, he continues to wait patiently for the enemy to advance across the desert, for one great and glorious battle . . . Written in 1938 as the world waited for war, and internationally acclaimed since its publication, The Tartar Steppe is a provocative and frightening tale of hope, longing and the terrible sorcery of dreams and desires.Trade ReviewA strange and haunting novel, an eccentric classic -- J.M. COETZEEIt is not often that a masterpiece falls into one's hands. But The Tartar Steppe is undoubtedly a masterpiece, a sublime book, and Buzzati a master of the written word * * Sunday Times * *There are names that the coming generations will not resign themselves to forget. Surely one of them is that of Dino Buzzati -- JORGE LUIS BORGESA beautiful, masterly novel that shimmers like a mirage, bringing into sharp focus the rise and fall of our ambitions and the pitiless erosion of time. It is the story of one Giovanni Drogo - yet how many of us will be stricken to recognise something of ourselves in him? -- YANN MARTELThe Tartar Steppe is a nightmare, a comedy of errors, a beautiful and anguished fable, a call to resistance against folly, the inspired assurance that one last act may justify our lifelong struggle to remain human -- ALBERTO MANGUEL

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Book SynopsisThis saga brings alive the world of the 10th century AD when the Vikings raided the coasts of England.Acclaimed as one of the best historical novels ever written, this engaging saga of Viking adventure in 10th century northern Europe has a very appealing young hero, Orm Tostesson, whose story we follow from inexperienced youth to adventurous old age, through slavery and adventure to a royal marriage and the search for great treasure. Viking expeditions take him to lands as far apart as England, Moorish Spain, Gaardarike (the country that was to become Russia), and the long road to Miklagard. The salt-sea spray, the swaying deck awash in slippery blood are the backdrop to fascinating stories of King Harald Blue Tooth, the Jomsvikings, attempts to convert the Northmen to Christianity, and much else. Like H. Rider Haggard, Bengtsson is a master of the epic form.Trade Review‘A masterpiece’New York Times ‘The author and his excellent translator bring that old, warrior world alive with such vigorous enjoyment and simplicity that the deeds of those men roving about the world in their dragon ships seem as marvellous as those of our atomic age’Daily Telegraph ‘A boldly illuminated picture of the Northmen… confidently recommended’The Times ‘A banquet of adventure by sea and land, with man-size helpings of battle and murder, robbery and rape’New Statesman

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Book SynopsisThe story of an independent young woman whose life is changed forever by a chance encounter with a childhood friend. A magical blend of compelling action, exotic locations and intriguing characters, told with Paulo's characteristic power and insight.Pilar is an independent and practical young woman who is feeling bored and frustrated by the daily grind of her university life. Looking for a deeper meaning to her existence, she happens to meet an old childhood friend, now a handsome, mesmerizing spiritual teacher and a rumoured miracle worker. As he leads her on a magical journey through the Fench Pyrenees, Pilar begins to realize that this chance encounter is going to transform her life forever.With Paulo's trademark blend of mysticism, magical realism and folklore, Pilar's story is a poignant and deeply inspiring taleTrade Review‘One of the few to deserve the term“Publishing Phenomenon”’INDEPENDENT OF SUNDAY ‘His books have had a life-enancing impact on millions of people.’THE TIMES ‘this (is an) exceptional novel.’Laura Esquivel, author of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

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Book SynopsisValentin and Molina seemingly share little other than a cell in this queer classic ahead of its time.'Dazzling... a triumph' ObserverSometimes they talk all night long. In the still darkness of their Buenos Aires prison cell, Molina re-weaves the glittering and fragile stories of the film he loves, and the cynical Valentin listens. Valentin believes in the just cause that makes all suffering bearable; Molina believes in the magic of love that makes all else endurable. Though they seemingly share little other than a cell, the two form a bond so intimate - and a relationship so profoundly affecting - that only the other could understand.'A visionary work that breathed life into certain dimensions of human possibility long before society at large was prepared to imagine them.' Carolina de Robertis, Los Angeles Review of Books

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1859, Oblomov is an indisputable classic of Russian literature, comparable in its stature to such masterpieces as Gogol’s Dead Souls, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov. The book centres on the figure of Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, a member of the dying class of the landed gentry, who spends most of his time lying in bed gazing at life in an apathetic daze, encouraged by his equally lazy servant Zakhar and routinely swindled by his acquaintances. But this torpid existence comes to an end when, spurred on by his crumbling finances, the love of a woman and the reproaches of his friend, the hard-working Stoltz, Oblomov finds that he must engage with the real world and face up to his commitments. Rich in situational comedy, psychological complexity and social satire, Oblomov – here presented in Stephen Pearl’s award-winning translation, the first major English-language version of the novel in more than fifty years – is a timeless novel and a monument to human idleness.Trade ReviewPearl's approach is more adventurous than that of his predecessors. His text flows naturally, capturing Goncharov's carefully modulated tone, the gentleness of his humour, and the colloquial flavour of his dialogue…Stephen Pearl has indeed caught the very essence of Oblomov. * TLS *I am in rapture over Oblomov and keep rereading it. -- Leo TolstoyGoncharov is ten heads above me in talent. -- Anton Chekhov

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Book SynopsisSummer 1918. The First World War is drawing to a close when Leon Le Gall, a French teenager from Cherbourg who has dropped out of school and left home, falls in love with Louise Janvier. Both are severely wounded by German artillery fire, are separated, and believe each other to be dead. Briefly reunited two decades later, the two lovers are torn apart again by Louise's refusal to destroy Leon's marriage and by the German invasion of France. In occupied Paris during the Second World War, where Leon struggles against the abhorrent tasks imposed upon him by the SS, and the wilds of Africa, where Louise confronts the hardships of her primitive environment, they battle the vicissitudes of history and the passage of time for the survival of their love.Trade Review'A beautiful love story.' 'It's a great love story told with great humour... along the lines of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Atonement and The Postmistress.' 'Swiss author Capus is an apt storyteller... On its surface, this is a story about enduring love. But it is also about the way that power can be abused... and the daily sacrifices people make to preserve what they hold most dear.' 'Capus' leads are riveting, credible creations -- he sensible and correct, she feisty and headstrong. We root for them, especially when war takes over and threatens to sunder them for good... This love-conquers-all tale could easily have been trite and saccharine, but instead Capus' fusion of gripping drama and believable characters renders Leon and Louise both powerful and poignant.' '[G]em of a novel...' '[W]insome bonbon of a novel in which "The End" feels like an unexpected and unfairly realistic awakening.' 'A perfectly plotted love story, which never becomes over saccharine.'

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Book SynopsisPresents a classic adventure story. This title features an elegant bonded-leather binding, a satin ribbon bookmark, distinctive gilt edging and decorative endpapers.

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Book Synopsis THE UNFORGETTABLE KOREAN BESTSELLER CAPTIVATING READERS ACROSS THE WORLD This is the story of a hen named Sprout. No longer content to lay eggs on command only to have them carted off to the market, she glimpses her future every morning through the barn doors, where the other animals roam free, and comes up with a plan to escape into the wild—and to hatch an egg of her own. An anthem for individuality and motherhood, The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly has captivated millions of readers in Korea. Now the novel is making its way around the world, where it has the potential to inspire generations of readers the way Jonathan Livingston Seagull or The Alchemist have. And with Nomoco’s evocative illustrations throughout, this first English-language edition beautifully captures the journey of an unforgettable character in world literature. 'Bewitching… a fabular bestseller told from the point of view of a homeless hen, which will make grown men and women cry.' Independent Trade Review'Already regarded as a modern classic… A fable for our time, outstanding in the quality of its layered, lyrical prose.' Carousel‘Bewitching… a fabular bestseller told from the point of view of a homeless hen, which will make grown men and women cry.’ Independent, 'Books of the Year''Will bring a tear to many a young eye.' School Librarian'Has charms for all ages.' Glasgow Herald“It has the plain language of a folktale but also its power of dark suggestion.” -- NPR.org, “The Best Books Coming Out This Week”“Beautifully and simply written . . . Sprout [is] one of the most likable protagonists of the year. With her defiance of the rules, curiosity and tireless efforts, Sprout stays with and inspires the reader long after the slim story is finished.” -- Bookreporter“Perfect to read in a single sitting, although the story’s loving spirit is sure to linger. It’s also the ideal gift to share with anyone and everyone who holds a place in your heart.” -- BookDragon"An adroit allegory about life..in the vein of classics like Charlotte's Web and Jonathan Livinvston Seagull...A subtle morality tale that will appeal to readers of all ages." * Kirkus Review *"A simply told but absorbing fable...Spare but evocative line drawing...add to the subtle charm." * Publishers Weekly *'The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly breaks down the boundaries between the animal and the human and takes us on the intensely personal journey of a lonely hen whose simple, fierce desires guide her to surprising places. This entertaining and plaintive tale is South Korea’s Charlotte’s Web for youth and adults alike.' Krys Lee, author of Drifting House'Everything wonderful about the world is contained in this small gem of a novel, which brims with dream-fulfilling adventures and the longing that underlies love.' Kyung-sook Shin, New York Times-bestselling author of Please Look After Mom'A note-perfect masterstroke of a novella that captures the contemporary indignation we often accept in tempering our own ambitions, so that we can at least lead undramatic lives.' Toronto Star

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Book Synopsis WINNER OF THE BIG BOOK AWARD, THE LEO TOLSTOY YASNAYA POLYANA AWARD AND THE BEST PROSE WORK OF THE YEAR AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 READ RUSSIA PRIZE RUNNER-UP FOR THE EBRD LITERATURE PRIZE, 2020 Zuleikha is the model of a dutiful wife. Biddible and meek, she has resigned herself to brutal treatment at the hands of her cruel husband and the carping of her despotic mother-in-law. While Russia reels in the aftermath of its recent revolution, life in her small Tatar village is relatively untouched. Or so it seems to Zuleikha, until the day her husband is executed by communist soldiers. Zuleikha is exiled to Siberia and forced to leave behind everything she knows. Yet in that harsh, desolate wilderness, she begins to build a new life for herself and discovers an inner strength she never knew she had. This is a supremely ambitious epic about one woman's determination, not only to survive, but to flourish in the face of the greatest adversity.Trade Review‘A powerful account of individual lives trapped in one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century.’ * The Times *‘Yakhina’s prose can be exquisite, especially in sequences such as the one where Zuleikha watches prisoners escaping from the train… It is Zuleikha’s perspective and the way in which she adapts that capture our attention. The unexpected birth of a son.. and her transformation from a passive to a powerful protagonist is one of the joys of Yakhina’s work.’ * Financial Times *‘Written in a rich and highly visual prose... Zuleikha's story is one of injustice and pain, but also of a woman's emancipation and renewal.’ * Associated Press *‘As we watch its heroine’s existence devolve from an oppressive domestic servitude into something disastrously worse, Guzel Yakhina’s sprawling, ambitious first novel Zuleikha reminds us just how brutal the Soviet system was… Zuleikha does an admirable job of dramatizing a historical period rapidly receding into the forgotten past… Dramatic and eventful, Zuleikha sweeps us into a distant era.’ * New York Times Book Review *'Guzel Yakhina's novel hits the heart. It’s a powerful anthem for love and tenderness in hell.' * Ludmila Ulitskaya, author of The Big Green Tent * 'An intimate story of human endurance.' * The Calvert Journal *‘While many writers have attempted to comprehend Soviet history's darkest moment, Yakhina finds a way to make it new.’ * Russia Beyond the Headlines *'A forceful, award-winning and debate-sparking debut novel about life in the Gulag… The novel pulsates with tension...a big, bold and fascinating book.' * Supamodu *'It is 1930 in the Soviet Union and Josef Stalin's dekulakization programme has found its pace. Among the victims is a young Tatar family: the husband murdered, the wife exiled to Siberia. This is her story of survival and eventual triumph. Winner of the 2015 Russian Booker prize, this debut novel draws heavily on the first-person account of the author's grandmother, a Gulag survivor.' * The Millions, 'Most Anticipated Books of 2019' *‘This is a powerful Russian saga, giving an immense overview of life under communist rule... This author is a master at painting an image of the world as it was then.’ * Marjorie's World of Books, blog review *‘Zuleikha has an energy that is hard to resist.’ * Strong Words *'There’s something that Guzel Yakhina succeeds in transmitting with an amazing, sharp exactness: a woman’s attitude towards love. Not towards a subject of love, but towards love itself.' * Anna Narinskaya, literary critic *‘Yakhina's debut novel has shaken the Russian book world so deeply over its first three years of life that her second book topped the 2018 sales charts alongside international bestsellers by Dan Brown and Jojo Moyes... This tale of a woman who holds onto compassion while enduring atrocity also features cinematic narration and intricate plot construction.’ * Meduza, 2019's top Russia-Related Books *'Cinematic… The cast of characters is kaleidoscopic, from all walks of life and all drawn with a visual detail that makes them inhabit the page… Yakhina has a beautiful feel for the natural environment.' -- Rights in Russia

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Book SynopsisNOW A #1 BLOCKBUSTING FILM. The Sun is dying. Earth will perish too, consumed by the star in its final death throes. But rather than abandon their planet, humanity builds 12,000 mountainous fusion engines to propel the Earth out of orbit and onto a centuries-long voyage to Proxima Centaurai... Cixin Liu is one of the most important voices in world Science Fiction. A bestseller in China, his novel, The Three-Body Problem, was the first translated work of SF ever to win the Hugo Award. Here is the first collection of his short fiction: ten stories, including five Chinese Galaxy Award-winners. This collection's title story, The Wandering Earth, is the biggest SF movie ever to come out of China – taking the world's #1 box office ranking in February 2019. Liu's writing takes the reader to the edge of the universe and the end of time, to meet stranger fates than we could have ever imagined. With a melancholic and keen understanding of human nature, Liu's stories show humanity's attempts to reason, navigate and, above all, survive in a desolate cosmos. 'Cixin's trilogy is SF in the grand style, a galaxy-spanning, ideas-rich narrative of invasion and war' GUARDIAN. 'Wildly imaginative, really interesting... The scope of it was immense' BARACK OBAMA, 44th President of the United States. Trade ReviewComplex and grandiose... this is a mind-altering and immersive experience' * Daily Mail *A marvellous mélange of awe-inspiring scientific concepts... exhilarating, mind-stretching' * TLS *Top-flight SF; smart, informative and engaging * SFX *Liu conjures up a genuine sense of wonder * SFX *Absolutely fantastic... The hardback is a thing of beauty and its translations are wonderful' * For Winter Nights *A wonderful collection and brings Cixin Liu's own unique flavour to the genre * SF Crows Nest *Liu uses the exotic foreignness of alien environments to lure readers into an enchanted literary escape pod. The story's backdrop might be one of spectacular beauty or entropic devastation but the distancing effect its abnormality provides is always stirring * Big Issue *Short stories [...] allow an idea to be developed without getting bogged down with having to fill hundreds of pages and in this collection Cixin Liu has ably demonstrated the form... One of the most interesting books I have read' * Concatenation *Liu has continued to write and publish stories which share similar ideas and offer a vision for a better world through scientific fantasy * New European. *As with other Chinese works in the genre, it is tempting to draw parallels with the Communist regime, even when the writers themselves do not - and dare not - make those analogies explicit. For Western readers, Chinese sci-fi thus offers a window into the country's hopes and fears. Especially its fears * Economist. *Beautifully written, the Sun hangs 'motionless in the sky, surrounded by a faint, dawn-like halo'. The ten other stories collected here are just as great * Wired *Earth-shattering... While built around a hard-science outlook that acknowledges the bleakness of humanity's chances, these stories also feature a lot of the heart and hopefulness that draw readers to science fiction in the first place. Liu conjures a sense of wonder while grounding his tales in well-wrought characters. This is a masterwork' * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisAn insurance mathematician’s carefully ordered life is turned on its head when he unexpectedly loses his job and inherits an adventure park … with a whole host of problems. A quirky, tense and warmly funny thriller from award-winning Finnish author Antti Tuomainen, FIRST in a series…**Soon to be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios**'Laconic, thrilling and warmly human. In these uncertain times, what better hero than an actuary?' Chris Brookmyre‘The antic novels of Antti Tuomainen prove that comedy is not lost in translation … Tuomainen, like Carl Hiaasen before him, has the knack of combining slapstick with genuine emotion’ The Times‘A thriller with black comedy worth of Nabokov’ Telegraph_______________Just one spreadsheet away from chaos…What makes life perfect? Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen knows the answer because he calculates everything down to the very last decimal.And then, for the first time, Henri is faced with the incalculable. After suddenly losing his job, Henri inherits an adventure park from his brother – its peculiar employees and troubling financial problems included. The worst of the financial issues appear to originate from big loans taken from criminal quarters … and some dangerous men are very keen to get their money back.But what Henri really can’t compute is love. In the adventure park, Henri crosses paths with Laura, an artist with a chequered past, and a joie de vivre and erratic lifestyle that bewilders him. As the criminals go to extreme lengths to collect their debts and as Henri's relationship with Laura deepens, he finds himself faced with situations and emotions that simply cannot be pinned down on his spreadsheets…Warmly funny, rich with quirky characters and absurd situations, The Rabbit Factor is a triumph of a dark thriller, its tension matched only by its ability to make us rejoice in the beauty and random nature of life._______________‘Inventive and compelling’ Vaseem Khan ‘Readers might think they know what to expect from Nordic noir: a tortured detective, a bleak setting, a brutal crime that shakes a small community. Finnish crime novelist Tuomainen turns all of this on its head … The ear of a giant plastic rabbit becomes a key weapon. It only gets darker and funnier’ Guardian'The funniest writer in Europe, and one of the very finest … original and brilliant story-telling' Helen FitzGerald‘Full of refreshing wit and wisdom … a treat’Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW ‘A dark and delightful novel with an intelligent, brave, and persnickety hero’ Foreword Reviews 'Antti Tuomainen turns the clichéd idea of dour, humourless Scandi noir upside … Dark, gripping and hilarious. Tuomainen is the Carl Hiaasen of the fjords' Martyn Waites‘A triumph … a joyous, feel-good antidote to troubled times' Kevin Wignall‘Finland's greatest export’ M.J. Arlidge‘An astounding read. It has the suspenseful twists of a thriller, the laugh-out-loud moments of a comedy and a tragic dimension that brings a tear to the eye’ Crime Fiction Lover'You don’t expect to laugh when you’re reading about terrible crimes, but that’s what you’ll do when you pick up one of Tuomainen’s decidedly quirky thrillers' New York Times‘Tuomainen is the funniest writer in Europe’ The Times‘Right up there with the best’ Times Literary Supplement‘Tuomainen continues to carve out his own niche in the chilly tundras of northern’ Daily Express For fans of Fargo, Fredrik Backman, Richard Osman

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Book SynopsisThe unnamed narrator of the novel, a former government official, has decided to retire from the world and lead a life of inactivity and contemplation. His fiercely bitter, cynical and witty monologue ranges from general observations and philosophical musings to memorable scenes from his own life, including his obsessive plans to exact revenge on an officer who has shown him disrespect and a dramatic encounter with a prostitute. Seen by many as the first existentialist novel and showcasing the best of Dostoevsky's dry humour, Notes from Underground was a pivotal moment in the development of modern literature and has inspired countless novelists, thinkers and film-makers.Trade ReviewThe real nineteenth-century prophet was Dostoevsky, not Karl Marx. -- Albert Camus

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2015 Man Booker International Prize The Melancholy of Resistance, László Krasznahorkai's magisterial, surreal novel, depicts a chain of mysterious events in a small Hungarian town. A circus, promising to display the stuffed body of the largest whale in the world, arrives in the dead of winter, prompting bizarre rumours. Word spreads that the circus folk have a sinister purpose in mind, and the frightened citizens cling to any manifestation of order they can find - music, cosmology, fascism. The novel's characters are unforgettable: the evil Mrs. Eszter, plotting her takeover of the town; her weakling husband; and Valuska, our hapless hero with his head in the clouds, who is the tender centre of the book, the only pure and noble soul to be found. Compact, powerful and intense, The Melancholy of Resistance, as its enormously gifted translator George Szirtes puts it, 'is a slow lava flow of narrative, a vast black river of type.' And yet, miraculously, the novel, in the words of Guardian, 'lifts the reader along in lunar leaps and bounds.'Trade ReviewThe universality of Krasznahorkai's vision rivals that of Gogol's Dead Souls and far surpasses all the lesser concerns of contemporary writing. -- W.G. SebaldLászló Krasznahorkai writes prose of breathtaking energy and beauty. He manages to combine our most earthly concerns with large cosmic questions. His tones and textures are filled with both risk and certainty. He has elevated the novel form and is to be ranked among the great European novelists -- Colm ToibinAs the worthy winner of this year's Man Booker International prize, Krasznahorkai throws down a challenge: raise your game or get your coat... the intensity of his commitment to the art of fiction is indisputable...exhilarating, even euphoric. -- Hari Kunzru * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisText in Arabic. Tense and tightly woven, Thiqah is a dramatic novel set in Paris during World War II about a woman whose lover is accused of working for the Resistance. The novel follows nine hours of phone conversations between a woman and a mysterious stranger who seems to know everything about her and the reasons she fled her homeland. As the dialogue progresses, the man tells her many disturbing things about her and her lover (who may be in great danger), the political situations in which they are enmeshed, and his fantasies about her. Powerful and menacing, Thiqah draws the reader into a post-modern mystery where nothing -- including the text itself  -- is what it seems.Trade ReviewA political novel as well as an acute study in character and obsession, complete with interspersed commentary apparently addressed to the reader and the novelist equally, this brief, tightly constructed work addresses multiple themes. Dorfman uses the tension of an unstable political situation to force the reader into questioning his characters' stated truths, as well as their motivations. Exhilarating for its finely tuned unfolding but somber in its conclusions, Konfidenz demands a fundamental re-examination of the nature of trust Publishers Weekly Dorfman in previous work has explored the space across which political power and private morality glare at each other, and Konfidenz follows suit. From the first page, this slim novel invokes the menace of the former in order to underscore and explore the vulnerability of the latter -- Sven Birkerts The New York Times

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Book Synopsis**SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL 2018**WHO IS VERNON SUBUTEX?An urban legend.A fall from grace.The mirror who reflects us all.Vernon Subutex was once the proprietor of Revolver, an infamous music shop in Bastille. His legend spread throughout Paris. But by the 2000s his shop is struggling. With his savings gone, his unemployment benefit cut, and the friend who had been covering his rent suddenly dead, Vernon Subutex finds himself down and out on the Paris streets.He has one final card up his sleeve. Even as he holds out his hand to beg for the first time, a throwaway comment he once made on Facebook is taking the internet by storm. Vernon does not realise this, but the word is out: Vernon Subutex has in his possession the last filmed recordings of Alex Bleach, the famous musician and Vernon''s benefactor, who has only just died of a drug overdose. A crowd of people from record producers to online trolTrade ReviewBold and sophisticated, this thrilling, magnificently audacious picaresque is about France and is also about all of us; how loudly we shout, how badly we hurt. It is the story of now. -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *An enthralling read. The story of one man, one city, it speaks of our entire world. A compelling, vital read, beautifully and vibrantly translated. -- Nell LeyshonDisturbing and compelling . . . I loved and hated Vernon but I couldn't leave him alone . . . Relentlessly brilliant. Reading it was like being on a runaway train - you know it will probably end in disaster but you might as well enjoy the thrill of the ride - it's unputdownable. -- Victoria HislopAn energetic, diverting romp . . . Brimming with sex, violence and deviant behaviour . . . [and] a multitude of sharply delineated characters . . . Often surprises us with its psychological acuity. -- David Mills * Sunday Times. *Vernon Subutex is a great novel because, quite simply, it disturbs you. Despentes is an extraordinary writer -- François Busnel * Express *Part social epic, part punk rock thriller, Vernon Subutex is a remarkable portrait of contemporary society... written with a fury that hits right to the bone -- Christine Ferniot * Télérama *Sex, drugs and 90s punk rock: Vernon Subutex is the Comédie Humaine for our time, produced by the furious talent of Virginie Despentes -- Laurence Houot * Culturebox *A masterful blending of characters, voices and plots with an undeniable sense of changing rhythms. This is not just a novel, it's an electrocardiogram -- Etienne de Montety * Figaro *A mind-blowing portrait of contemporary French society -- Nelly Kaprièlian * Les Inrocks *A vast mural of the world today. We all knew Despentes could write, but we were not expecting this -- Frédéric Beigbeder * Figaro magazine *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The Three Kingdoms is considered the ultimate book on strategy, offering keen insights into Chinese culture. Ron Iverson's effort is a great contribution to the understanding of Chinese culture and history." --Xinmin Wang, former Consul for Cultural Affairs for the PRC and advisor to the President of China"This translation faithfully conveys a native Chinese-speaking person's understanding of this most influential and famous Chinese book. To translate this Chinese classic into modern English is a challenging and difficult job for any language translator. However, this joint effort by Yu Sumei and Ronald Iverson has met the challenge." --Hua Xin, former advisor and translator for IBM China"One of the greatest and best-loved works of popular literature." --Dictionary of Oriental Literatures

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Book SynopsisWe takes place in a distant future, where humans are forced to submit their wills to the requirements of the state, under the rule of the all-powerful Benefactor, and dreams are regarded as a sign of mental illness. In a city of straight lines, protected by green walls and a glass dome, a spaceship is being built in order to spearhead the conquest of new planets. Its chief engineer, a man called D-503, keeps a journal of his life and activities: to his mathematical mind everything seems to make sense and proceed as it should, until a chance encounter with a woman threatens to shatter the very foundations of the world he lives in. Written in a highly charged, direct and concise style, Zamyatin's 1921 seminal novel - here presented in Hugh Aplin's crisp translation - is not only an indictment of the Soviet Russia of his time and a precursor of the works of Orwell and the dystopian genre, but also a prefiguration of much of twentieth-century history and a harbinger of the ominous future that may still lay ahead of us.

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Book SynopsisTravelling to Italy on their honeymoon, Erszi and Mihaly are ready to take in all the beauties and pleasures of the country. But when they reach Venice, it is clear that Mihaly prefers to roam around the back alleys and the canals on his own, and as they continue their journey through the Bel Paese there is a growing sense of unrest between them, until Mihaly misses the train to Rome they were due to take together. Wandering alone from city to city, with his marriage rapidly falling apart, Mihaly must confront the ghosts of his past and try to find a sense of purpose. Originally written in 1937, and here presented in a brilliant new translation by Peter V. Czipott, Antal Szerb's gently humorous and psychologically subtle exploration into the workings of a budding bourgeois marriage has been hailed as one of the great rediscovered classics of the twentieth century.Trade ReviewA novel to love as well as admire, always playful and ironical, full of brilliant descriptions, bon mots and absurd situations... it's a book utterly in love with life. -- Kevin Crossley-Holland * The Guardian * A true classic beautifully translated by Peter V. Czipott, it will linger in my memory for a long time. -- Bill Spence * Yorkshire Gazette and Herald * One of the most engaging and moving novels I have read for a long time. * Nudge Books *

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Book SynopsisTHE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO LIVES ON.Lisbeth Salander is an unstoppable force:Sentenced to two months in Flodberga women's prison for saving a young boy's life by any means necessary, Salander refuses to say anything in her own defence. She has more important things on her mind.Mikael Blomkvist makes the long trip to visit every week - and receives a lead to follow for his pains. For him, it looks to be an important expose for Millennium. For her, it could unlock the facts of her childhood.Even from a corrupt prison system run largely by the inmates, Salander will stand up for what she believes in, whatever the cost. And she will seek the truth that is somehow connected with her childhood memory, of a woman with a blazing birthmark on her neck - that looked as if it had been burned by a dragon's fire . . . The tension, power and unstoppable force of The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye are inspired by Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, as Salander and Blomkvist continue the fight for justice that has thrilled millions of readers across the world.Translated from the Swedish by George GouldingTrade ReviewSome fictional characters prove too popular to die . . . Such is the case with Lisbeth Salander . . . Lagercrantz is doing a wonderful job. It would be hard to imagine a sequel more faithful to its work of origin than this one, which emulates the spirit and the style of the original trilogy. * Wall Street Journal *Expertly told, the plot crackles with life * Daily Mail *Lagercrantz's latest Salander novel, is even bolder - if somewhat more fantastical . . . Larsson had grand ambitions for his Millennium series, projecting a total of 10 novels. In Lagercrantz's hands, the series is realizing grand ambitions of another sort . . . The Girl Who Takes an Eye for An Eye intensifies the mythic elements of Larsson's vision. * Washington Post *Lagercrantz doesn't falter in the mayhem department . . . Larsson fans certainly won't be disappointed. * Kirkus Reviews *Lagercrantz's excellent second contribution to Stieg Larsson's Millennium series . . . twisting plot lines tie together in this complicated, fascinating mystery. As a bonus, readers learn the meaning of the dragon tattoo on Lisbeth's back. * Publishers Weekly *Lagercrantz's compassion for the underdog adds genuine emotion to his baroque plotting. There is much to admire in the way he has grasped a tricky assignment - to continue one of the big­gest hits of recent years. Roll on the next "girl" * South China Morning Post *

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Book Synopsis'An irresistible Hitchcockian gem: a fiendishly-plotted crime novel told in crisp, elegant prose' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train 'Matsumoto was Japan's Agatha Christie' Laura Hackett, The Sunday Times 'It was a puzzle with no solution. But he did not lose heart.' In a rocky cove in the bay of Hakata, the bodies of a young and beautiful couple are discovered. Stood in the coast's wind and cold, the police see nothing to investigate: the flush of the couple's cheeks speaks clearly of cyanide, of a lovers' suicide. But in the eyes of two men, Torigai Jutaro, a senior detective, and Kiichi Mihara, a young gun from Tokyo, something is not quite right. Together, they begin to pick at the knot of a unique and calculated crime... Now widely available in English for the first time, Tokyo Express is celebrated around the world as Seicho Matsumoto's masterpiece - and as one of the most fiendish puzzlesTrade ReviewTokyo Express is an irresistible Hitchcockian gem: a fiendishly-plotted crime novel told in crisp, elegant prose -- Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the TrainJapan's Agatha Christie. A gloriously complex case of a supposed double suicide that, at just 160 pages, you can whizz through in a day. -- Laura Hackett * The Sunday Times *This classic of postwar Japanese crime fiction was banned in its day for its 'decadent western ideas'. Now, the fascinatingly detailed investigations of Inspector Torigai echo those of Simenon's Maigret in a pared-down narrative shot through with political critique * Financial Times *A labyrinth of convincing alibis and false leads... Matsumoto's classic status is richly deserved * Daily Mail *The appearance in English of Japanese crime classics such as Seicho Matsumoto's Tokyo Express is long overdue * The Sunday Times, Best Crime Books of 2023 *The debut novel of bestselling writer Seicho Matsumoto, first published in Japan in 1958 and never out of print, is an ingeniously plotted railway mystery * Guardian *Seicho Matsumoto's brief and perennially popular Tokyo Express is a masterpiece of concision and tight plotting. . . exceptionally well paced and palpably tense, both features admirably preserved by Jesse Kirkwood in this fresh translation -- Bryan Karetnyk * TLS *Tense, enigmatic, thrillingly weird - a glorious find -- Kevin Barry, author of Night Boat to TangierAn absolute corker of a read -- so brilliantly shrouded in mystery that it was impossible to put it down -- Lisa Hall, author of Between You and MeA fiendishly complex case. A deep understanding of human nature drives this intricately plotted masterpiece of Japanese crime writing. A timely and welcome opportunity for a new generation to discover Seicho Matsumoto -- Brian McGilloway, author of The Empty RoomThe Simenon of Japan. . . a legendary writer * Le Monde *Matsumoto is a necessity, reading him is like having a bowl of rice you never get tired of -- Masato Ara

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Book SynopsisTHE BESTSELLING GLOBAL PHENOMENONMeet Lisbeth Salander - the iconic character who has captivated 100 million readers worldwide."As vivid as bloodstains on snow . . . a perfect introduction to the unique strengths ofScandinavian crime fiction"LEE CHILDLisbeth Salander gets under the skin of her targets like no-one else. Those who underestimate her live to regret it. If they're lucky . . .Mikael Blomkvist - disgraced journalist, womanizer - is everything she ought to hate. But when she is hired by a security firm to investigate him, her report on his life reveals an integrity that fascinates her.Then she discovers that Blomkvist is cracking open the cold case of a missing girl - uncovering secrets that have poisoned a family through generations.And only one thing gives Salander greater satisfaction than exposing a liar: stopping a killer.With an introduction by Val McDermidTrade ReviewI doubt you will read a better book this year * Val McDermid *Intelligent, complex, with a gripping plot and deeply intriguing characters. The author's early death is a great los * Philip Pullman *What a cracking novel! I haven't read such a stunning thriller debut for years. Brilliantly written and totally gripping * Minette Walters *

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Book SynopsisWho shot Kamar al-Dawla Alwan? Was it a crime of passion? What was the role of the beautiful peasant girl Rim? Is the mysterious Sheikh Asfur as crazy as he seems? Diary of a Country Prosecutor is an Egyptian comedy of errors. Partly autobiographical, it takes the form of a journal of a young public prosecutor posted to a village in rural Egypt. Imbued with the ideals of a European education, he encounters a world of poverty and backwardness where an imported legal system is both alien and incomprehensible.Trade Review'Touching and yet savagely funny.' The Bookseller 'A satirical tale of country life under a repressive and far-away Cairo legal system.' Literary Review 'A book to be read and enjoyed .. a classic of translation.' World Literature Today

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Book SynopsisA young geologist hungry for fame journeys to the mountains of Norway's Arctic north on a research expedition, but soon realizes he's more likely be eaten alive by mosquitoes than win glory. Freezing, wet and plagued by insomnia, Alfred becomes increasingly desperate and paranoid under the midnight sun, until he takes a catastrophic decision. This dazzlingly dark classic is at once a gripping survival story, a mordant farce and a peerless evocation of mental disintegration.

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Book SynopsisTold in a simple mythical style, the story of Siddhartha is an inspirational classic by Hermann Hesse, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library, a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold-foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is translated from German by Hilda Rosner with an introduction by John Peacock.Siddhartha, the son of a wealthy Brahmin, is unable to find peace within his own religion and community so sets off on his travels through India in search of enlightenment. First he spends time with a group of ascetics called Samanas. For a while he embraces their doctrine and rejects all worldly goods. When he hears about a man called Gotama the Buddha he leaves the Samanas. However Buddhist teaching disappoints him and he realizes that self-discovery must come from his own experiences. He rejects the spiritual life, takes a lover and becomes a rich merchant. But after some years, dissatisfied with materialism, he takes off again in search of the spiritual peace he longs for.Trade ReviewHe was an interesting figure who, through his refusal to acknowledge his limitations or the times he lived in, brought something entirely new to the novel -- Philip Hensher * Spectator *A trusted guide for a generation of readers whose faith in institutions was destroyed by the First World War -- Adam Kirsch * New Yorker *A subtle distillation of wisdom, stylistic grace and symmetry of form * The Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisOn a Woman's Madness tells the story of Noenka, a courageous Black woman trying to live a life of her own choosing. When her abusive husband of just nine days refuses her request for divorce, Noenka flees her hometown in Suriname, on South America's tropical northeastern coast, for the capital city of Paramaribo. Unsettled and unsupported, her life in this new place is illuminated by romance and new freedoms, but also forever haunted by her past and society's expectations. Strikingly translated by Lucy Scott, Astrid Roemer's classic queer novel is a tentpole of European and post-colonial literature. And amid tales of plantation-dwelling snakes, rare orchids, and star-crossed lovers, it is also a blistering meditation on the cruelties we inflict on those who disobey. Roemer, the first Surinamese winner of the prestigious Dutch Literature Prize, carves out postcolonial Suriname in barbed, resonant fragments. Who is Noenka? Roemer asks us. I'm Noenka, she responds resolutely, which means

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Book SynopsisTHE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO LIVES ON.Lisbeth Salander is an unstoppable force:Sentenced to two months in Flodberga women''s prison for saving a young boy''s life by any means necessary, Salander refuses to say anything in her own defence. She has more important things on her mind.Mikael Blomkvist makes the long trip to visit every week - and receives a lead to follow for his pains. For him, it looks to be an important expose for Millennium. For her, it could unlock the facts of her childhood.Even from a corrupt prison system run largely by the inmates, Salander will stand up for what she believes in, whatever the cost. And she will seek the truth that is somehow connected with her childhood memory, of a woman with a blazing birthmark on her neck - that looked as if it had been burned by a dragon''s fire . . . The tension, power and unstoppable force of The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye are inspired by Stieg Larsson'Trade ReviewSome fictional characters prove too popular to die . . . Such is the case with Lisbeth Salander . . . Lagercrantz is doing a wonderful job. It would be hard to imagine a sequel more faithful to its work of origin than this one, which emulates the spirit and the style of the original trilogy. -- Tom Nolan * Wall Street Journal *Expertly told, the plot crackles with life -- Geoffrey Wansell * Daily Mail *Lagercrantz's latest Salander novel, is even bolder - if somewhat more fantastical . . . Larsson had grand ambitions for his Millennium series, projecting a total of 10 novels. In Lagercrantz's hands, the series is realizing grand ambitions of another sort . . . The Girl Who Takes an Eye for An Eye intensifies the mythic elements of Larsson's vision. -- Maureen Corrigan * Washington Post *Lagercrantz doesn't falter in the mayhem department . . . Larsson fans certainly won't be disappointed. * Kirkus Reviews *Lagercrantz's excellent second contribution to Stieg Larsson's Millennium series . . . twisting plot lines tie together in this complicated, fascinating mystery. As a bonus, readers learn the meaning of the dragon tattoo on Lisbeth's back. * Publishers Weekly *Lagercrantz's compassion for the underdog adds genuine emotion to his baroque plotting. There is much to admire in the way he has grasped a tricky assignment - to continue one of the big­gest hits of recent years. Roll on the next "girl" -- James Kidd * South China Morning Post *

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Book SynopsisThree women. Three countries. One unforgettable journey. The Braid is a vibrant and singular reminder of what connects us all – across borders, across languages, across cultures.‘A beautifully written novel of determination, bravery, and hope. You will remember Smita, Giulia, and Sarah long after you’ve read their stories.’ – AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs Bird In India, Smita is an untouchable. She dreams of giving her young daughter an education and will go to any length to make that happen, including leaving behind all she knows in search of a better future. In Sicily, Giulia works in her father’s wig workshop, the last of its kind in Palermo. When her father is the victim of a serious accident, she discovers that her family’s livelihood is at stake. In Canada, Sarah is a twice-divorced mother of three children and a successful lawyer whose identity is wrapped up in her work. Just as she expects the promotion she’s been working her entire career for, she learns she has breast cancer. 'Laetitia Colombani is master at the art of storytelling.' – Le MondeTrade ReviewWe truly loved reading this beautiful, simple novel . . . with characters who teach or remind us of the all too often unacceptable conditions in which women around the world live. * ELLE (France) *The Braid is a beautifully written novel of determination, bravery and hope. You will remember Smita, Giulia and Sarah long after you’ve read their stories. -- AJ Pearce, author of Dear Mrs BirdA screenwriter and director, Laetitia Colombani is clearly a master of the art of storytelling and editing. She creates female characters with strong personalities, whose lives she interweaves in a hopeful vision. But her writing is sensitive and restrained enough to save the novel from any accusation that it’s nothing more than a ‘feel good’ book. * Le Monde *Elegant and engaging . . . What stood out for me was the colour and authenticity the author gives to each character’s background as they face lifechanging challenges and search for the courage to confront and overcome them. * Daily Mail *Tuck a copy of Laetitia Colombani’s The Braid under your arm for ultimate cultural clout this spring. * ES magazine *

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Book SynopsisAn elderly woman in India overcomes depression, challenges conventions, befriends a transgender person, and travels to Pakistan to confront past trauma and redefine her identity. Geetanjali Shree's novel is a playful, funny, and original protest against borders and boundaries.

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Book SynopsisA beguiling novel about three women struggling to determine their own lives in contemporary Tokyo.'Breathtaking' – Haruki Murakami author of Norwegian WoodA New York Times 'Notable Book of the Year' and one of Elena Ferrante's 'Top 40 Books by Female Authors'. Shortlisted for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation.On a hot summer’s day in a poor suburb of Tokyo we meet three women: thirty-year-old Natsuko, her older sister Makiko, and Makiko’s teenage daughter Midoriko. Makiko, an ageing hostess despairing the loss of her looks, has travelled to Tokyo in search of breast enhancement surgery. She's accompanied by her daughter, who has recently stopped speaking, finding herself unable to deal with her own changing body and her mother’s self-obsession. Her silence dominates Natsuko’s rundown apartment, providing a catalyst for each woman to grapple with their own anxieties and their relationships with one another.Eight years later, we meet Natsuko again. She is now a writer and finds herself on a journey back to her native city, returning to memories of that summer and her family’s past as she faces her own uncertain future.In Breasts and Eggs Mieko Kawakami paints a radical and intimate portrait of contemporary working class womanhood in Japan, recounting the heartbreaking journeys of three women in a society where the odds are stacked against them. Translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd.'Bold, modern and surprising' – An Yu, author of Braised Pork'Incredible and propulsive' – Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting TimesTrade ReviewI can never forget the sense of pure astonishment I felt when I first read Mieko Kawakami’s novella Breasts and Eggs . . . breathtaking . . . Mieko Kawakami is always ceaselessly growing and evolving -- Haruki MurakamiIncredible -- Yoko Ogawa, author of The Memory PoliceBreasts and Eggs, which caused a small sensation upon its publication in the UK and US last year, was a fierce yet thoughtful tale of working-class womanhood * New Statesman *Bold, modern, and surprising -- An Yu, author of Braised PorkIt is Tokyo as it is lived in, not a film set * New York Times *If you like Sheila Heti, you'll love Mieko Kawakami * NPR *A dazzling intellectual thriller by a new Japanese literary star . . . stunning * Financial Times *Breasts and Eggs is stunning - its rage, wry humour and nihilism rendered with real care. -- Olivia Sudjic, author of SympathyIncredible and propulsive -- Naoise DolanFierce and sweet and I would like the rest of Kawakami’s work translated, please -- Sarah Moss, author of Summerwater, in The TimesMieko Kawakami is a writer of rare candour and brilliance -- Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry PaulAlready a literary sensation . . . Kawakami writes with unsettling precision about the body — its discomforts, its appetites, its smells and secretions. -- Katie Kitamura * New York Times *An original and deeply moving novel—that is by turns hilarious, sexy, devastating, and always unforgettable. Breasts and Eggs crackles with provocative insights into the passage of time, friendship, money, and the pleasures and pains of living in a body. -- Laura van den Berg, author of The Third HotelOne of Japan’s brightest stars is set to explode across the global skies of literature . . . Kawakami is both a writer’s writer and an entertainer, a thinker and constantly evolving stylist who manages to be highly readable and immensely popular. * Japan Times *Mieko Kawakami lobbed a literary grenade into the fusty, male-dominated world of Japanese fiction with 'Chichi to Ran'('Breasts and Eggs') * Economist *Kawakami is emerging as one of Japan’s most prominent young literary voices, with thoughtfulness and eccentricity at the heart of her prose * Culture Trip *So finely crafted, every few lines could be a haiku, and you almost forget how difficult it must have been to create something so perfectly simple. And when you notice the clarity, meditativeness, eccentricity, quirk and wit in her writing, you immediately understand how Murakami could be inspired by a writer like this -- Praise for Ms Ice Cream Sandwich * Ladies Finger *The novel details the lives of three women: the 30-year-old unmarried narrator, her older sister Makiko, who’s obsessed with getting breast implants and her daughter, Midoriko. With humour and compassion, Kawakami explores female oppression in Japan, reproduction rights and motherhood * Now Magazine *Originally published in Mieko Kawakami’s native Japanese, the author’s stellar 2008 novel Breast and Eggs is being translated to English for the first time ever this month, opening her bold writing up to a wider audience * Dazed and Confused *

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Book SynopsisINTRODUCTION BY JO NESBØAFTERWORD BY PAUL AUSTERNineteenth-century Kristiania is an unforgiving place, and work is thin on the ground. Roaming the streets of Norway's capital, a penniless young writer searches for inspiration whilst trying desperately to make ends meet. Driven to extraordinary lengths, sleeping under the stars with his stomach growling, the writer's behaviour becomes increasingly irrational and his world spirals into chaos. Hunger was Knut Hamsun's first novel and earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1920. A disturbing and darkly humorous masterpiece of existential fiction, Hunger anticipated and influenced some of the twentieth century's most acclaimed writers including Camus, Kafka and Fante.Trade ReviewHunger is the crux of Hamsun's claims to mastery. This is the classic novel of humiliation, even beyond Dostoevsky * * Observer * *One of the most disturbing novels in existence * * Time Out * *An excellent new translation . . . this Hunger deserves to be the standard English version * * Times Literary Supplement * *Hamsun has the qualities that belong to the very great, a complete omniscience on human nature -- Rebecca WestDisturbing and difficult as this nightmarish novel is, it is a work of imaginative brilliance that resonates in our own day * * Herald * *Hunger is undoubtedly one of the most important novels of the modern age. At last it has found a translator capable of doing justice to its immense power and complexity: Lyngstad's deserves to become the standard English version -- Duncan McCleanHunger was published in 1890 and its power has not faded * * London Review of Books * *

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Book SynopsisThe Cat Who Saved Books is a heartwarming story about finding courage, caring for others – and the tremendous power of books. 'Enchanting' – Observer__________Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone . . .Sosuke Natsukawa’s international bestseller, translated from Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai, is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.Trade ReviewA charming and heartwarming tale of the power of books * Manx Independent *Quirky and heartwarming in equal measure, The Cat Who Saved Books invites us to remember the joy of curling up with a favorite book * Japan Times *

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Book SynopsisMeet Michela - English gangster father, flamenco dancer mother - a hard, uncompromising police officer, operating on the shadier side of the law. Esther Garcia Llovet takes us on a breath-taking, high-speed, anarchic romp through the underbelly of the Costa Brava, Benidorm, on the hunt for Reggie Kray's stolen cigarette lighter.

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Book SynopsisThis superb translation of Death in Venice and six other stories by Thomas Mann is a tour de force, deserving to be the definitive text for English-speaking readers. These seven stories represent Mann’s early writing career and a level of literary quality Mann himself despaired of ever again matching. In these stories he began to grapple with themes that were to recur throughout his work. In Little Herr Friedemann, a character’s carefully structured way of life is suddenly threatened by an unexpected sexual passion. In Gladius Dei, puritanical intellect clashes with beauty. In Tristan, Mann presents an ironic and comic account of the tension between an artist and bourgeois society.All seven of these stories are accomplished and memorable, but it is Death in Venice that truly forms the centerpiece of the collection. The themes that Mann weaves through the shorter pieces come to a climax in this stunning novella, one of the most haun

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Book SynopsisJo Nesbo is one of the world's bestselling crime writers, with The Leopard, Phantom, Police, The Son, The Thirst, Macbeth and Knife all topping the Sunday Times bestseller charts. He's an international number one bestseller and his books are published in 50 languages, selling over 50 million copies around the world. Before becoming a crime writer, Nesbo played football for Norway's premier league team Molde, but his dream of playing professionally for Spurs was dashed when he tore ligaments in his knee at the age of eighteen. After three years military service he attended business school and formed the band Di Derre ('Them There'). They topped the charts in Norway, but Nesbo continued working as a financial analyst, crunching numbers during the day and gigging at night. When commissioned by a publisher to write a memoir about life on the road with his band, he instead came up with the plot for his first Harry Hole crime novel,Trade ReviewAs with the Australian setting of The Bat, Hole's first outing, we're again terra incognita (Asia here); Cockroaches, organised with greater concentration than its predecessor, turns out to be one of Nesbo's most accomplished novels * Financial Times *Cockroaches will thrill Harry Hole addicts. It's classic fast-paced, edge-of-the-seat style * UK Press Syndication *It's fun to see Nesbo finding his feet with Hole...and he weaves a large cast and a complex plot into a satisfying plunge into a filthy south-east Asian underbelly, ripe to bursting with corruption, exploitation and cruelty * Metro *If you’ve never read any Jo Nesbo, now is the perfect time to check out his excellent Harry Hole series * Essentials *As with the Australian setting of The Bat, Hole’s first outing, we’re again terra incognita (Asia here); Cockroaches, organised with greater concentration than its predecessor, turns out to be one of Nesbo’s most accomplished novels * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisLeo Tolstoy''s last completed novel, Resurrection is an intimate, psychological tale of guilt, anger and forgiveness, translated from the Russian with an introduction and notes by Anthony Briggs in Penguin Classics.Serving on the jury at a murder trial, Prince Dmitri Nekhlyudov is devastated when he sees the prisoner - Katyusha, a young maid he seduced and abandoned years before. As Dmitri faces the consequences of his actions, he decides to give up his life of wealth and luxury to devote himself to rescuing Katyusha, even if it means following her into exile in Siberia. But can a man truly find redemption by saving another person? Tolstoy''s most controversial novel, Resurrection (1899) is a scathing indictment of injustice, corruption and hypocrisy at all levels of society. Creating a vast panorama of Russian life, from peasants to aristocrats, bureaucrats to convicts, it reveals Tolstoy''s magnificent storytelling powers.Anthony Briggs'' superb new t

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Book SynopsisThe ten stories collected in this volume demonstrate Tolstoy's artistic prowess displayed over five decades - experimenting with prose styles and drawing on his own experiences with humour, realism and compassion. Inspired by his experiences in the army, 'The Two Hussars' contrasts a dashing father and his mean-spirited son. Illustrating Tolstoy's belief that art must serve a moral purpose, 'What Men Live By' portrays an angel sent to earth to learn three existential rules of life, and 'Two Old Men' shows a peasant abandoning his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in order to help his neighbours. And in the highly moving 'Master and Man', Tolstoy depicts a mercenary merchant travelling with his unprotesting servant through a blizzard to close a business deal - little realizing he may soon have to settle accounts with his maker.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Cl

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Book SynopsisTHE FOURTH INSTALMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING DARK ICELAND SERIES OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE When the body of a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted Icelandic village of Kalfshamarvik, Ari Thor Arason uncovers a startling and terrifying connection to an earlier series of deaths, as the killer remains on the loose... 'Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir' Sunday Express 'Jonasson skillfully alternates points of view and shifts of time ... The action builds to a shattering climax' Publishers Weekly Two days before Christmas, a young woman is found dead beneath the cliffs of the deserted village of Kalfshamarvik. Did she jump, or did something more sinister take place beneath the lighthouse and the abandoned old house on the remote rocky outcrop? With winter closing in and the snow falling relentlessly, Ari Thor Arason discovers that the victim's mother and young sister also lost their lives in this same spot, twenty-five years earlier. As the dark history and its secrets of the village are unveiled, and the death toll begins to rise, the Siglufjordur detectives must race against the clock to find the killer, before another tragedy takes place. Dark, chilling and complex, Whiteout is a haunting, atmospheric and stunningly plotted thriller from one of Iceland's bestselling crime writers. 'Traditional and beautifully finessed ...morally more equivocal than most traditional whodunnits, and it offers alluring glimpses of darker, and infinitely more threatening horizons' Andrew Taylor, Independent 'Jonasson has come up with a bleak plot and characters, but his evocation of Iceland's chilly landscape is hard to put down' The Sunday Times Crime ClubTrade Review`Traditional and beautifully finessed... morally more equivocal than most traditional whodunnits, and it offers alluring glimpses of darker, and infinitely more threatening horizons' Independent; `Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir' Sunday Express; `Bitingly contemporary in setting and tone' Express * `A modern take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom...' Ian Rankin; `A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens ... first rate and highly recommended' Lee Child; `Chilling, poetic beauty... a must read!' Peter James; `British aficionados of Nordic Noir are familiar with two excellent Icelandic writers, Arnaldur Indridason and Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Here's a third: Ragnar Jonasson ... the darkness and cold are palpable' Marcel Berlins, The Times

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1939, a few years before his most influential works in theatre and philosophy, The Wall was Sartre's first and only collection of short fiction.Trade ReviewA glance at Andrew Brown's excellent translation of The Wall and/or at the French text shows us at once what we've been missing, and the glance very quickly turns to a long look. It's hard to stop reading -- Justin Cartwright

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Book SynopsisThe Darkest Day is the first novel in the five part Inspector Barbarotti series from renowned Swedish crime author Håkan Nesser.It’s December in the quiet Swedish town of Kymlinge, and the Hermansson family are gathering to celebrate a big family birthday. But beneath the guise of happy festivities, tensions are running high, and it’s not long before the night takes a dark and unexpected turn . . . Before the weekend is over, two members of the Hermansson family are missing, and it’s up to Inspector Barbarotti to determine exactly what happened on that darkest day, and unravel a web of sinister family secrets in the process . . .Continue the thrilling investigative series with The Root of Evil.'One of the best Nordic Noir writers' – GuardianTrade ReviewBarbarotti has to disentangle years of bad blood and resentment to get to the heart of a thrillingly complex case -- Joan Smith * Sunday Times *Told with wry humour and compassion, Nesser has four more Barbarotti stories to come — cherish them all -- Geoffrey Wansell * Daily Mail *In an exemplary translation by Sarah Death, this tangled tale of guilt and betrayal whets the appetite for translations of the other Barbarotti novels -- Barry Forshaw * Financial Times *A top-notch investigation into some grisly goings-on, courtesy of his latest crime-fighting duo Barbarotti and Backman * Riveting Reads *Fiendishly complex . . . Just the thing for a winter afternoon * Metro *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A MAN CALLED OVE, NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING TOM HANKSThe number one bestseller: a funny, poignant and uplifting tale of love, community, and second chancesFor as long as anyone can remember, Britt-Marie has been an acquired taste. It''s not that she''s judgemental, or fussy, or difficult - she just expects things to be done in a certain way. A cutlery drawer should be arranged in the right order, for example (forks, knives, then spoons). We''re not animals, are we? But behind the passive-aggressive, socially awkward, absurdly pedantic busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams and a warmer heart than anyone around her realizes.So when Britt-Marie finds herself unemployed, separated from her husband of 20 years, left to fend for herself in the miserable provincial backwater that is Borg - of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it - andTrade ReviewThis is an author who understands people and watches society closely.... An author who specialises in the unforgettable, outdoes himself and in the process overshoots our rating system.... In the end 5*s are all I can offer but I feel that this is a novel that deserves many, many more. * Bookbag *Impressive [and] heart-warming... there are unexpected delights to being stuck with Britt-Marie. * Literary Review *A brilliant mix of belly-laughs, profound insight and captivating events delivered... with Backman's pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature. * Shelf Awareness *The bestselling author of A MAN CALLED OVE returns with this heartwarming story about a woman rediscovering herself after personal crisis. Backman reveals Britt-Marie's need for order....with clear, tight descriptions. Insightful and touching, this is a sweet and inspiring story about truth and transformation. Fans of Backman's will find another winner in these pages. * Publishers Weekly *

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