Fiction in translation

Book SynopsisClarice Lispector''s sensational, prize-winning debut novel Near to the Wild Heart was published when she was just twenty-three and earned her the name ''Hurricane Clarice''. It tells the story of Joana, from her wild, creative childhood, as the ''little egg'' who writes poems for her father, through her marriage to the faithless Otávio and on to her decision to make her own way in the world. As Joana, endlessly mutable, moves through different emotional states, different inner lives and different truths, this impressionistic, dreamlike and fiercely intelligent novel asks if any of us ever really know who we are.Clarice Lispector was a Brazilian novelist and short story writer. Her innovation in fiction brought her international renown. References to her literary work pervade the music and literature of Brazil and Latin America. She was born in the Ukraine in 1920, but in the aftermath of World War I and the Russian Civil War, the family fled to Romania and eventually sailed to Brazil. In 1933, Clarice Lispector encountered Hermann Hesse''s Steppenwolf, which convinced her that she was meant to write. She published her first novel, Near to the Wildheart in 1943 when she was just twenty-three, and the next year was awarded the Graça Aranha Prize for the best first novel. Many felt she had given Brazillian literature a unique voice in the larger context of Portuguese literature. After living variously in Italy, the UK, Switzerland and the US, in 1959, Lispector with her children returned to Brazil where she wrote her most influential novels including The Passion According to G.H. She died in 1977, shortly after the publication of her final novel, The Hour of the Star.Trade ReviewBrilliant ... Lispector should be on the shelf with Kafka and Joyce * Los Angeles Times *The first fiery novel by the Brazilian national treasure -- Carlos Valladares * Gagosian Quarterly *A genius -- Colm Tóibín * Guardian *A truly remarkable writer -- Jonathan FranzenLispector's novels offer a stark counterpoint to much of modern life's focus on individual fame * The Boston Globe *One of the twentieth century's most mysterious writers -- Orhan PamukThe originality of Near to the Wild Heart lies in its technique and language: self conscious, bleakly humourous, but poetic ... We now finally have a translation worthy of Clarice Lispector's inimitable style. Go out and buy it. -- JS Tennant * Observer *

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Book Synopsis''It is impossible to explain why Yevgeny chose Liza Annenskaya, as it is always impossible to explain why a man chooses this and not that woman.''This collection of eleven stories spans virtually the whole of Tolstoy''s creative life. While each is unique in form, as a group they are representative of his style, and touch on the central themes that surface in War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Stories as different as ''The Snowstorm'', ''Lucerne'', ''The Diary of a Madman'', and ''The Devil'' are grounded in autobiographical experience. They deal with journeys of self-discovery and the moral and religious questioning that characterizes Tolstoy''s works of criticism and philosophy. ''Strider'' and ''Father Sergy'', as well as reflecting Tolstoy''s own experiences, also reveal profound psychological insights.These stories range over much of the Russian world of the nineteenth century, from the nobility to the peasantry, the military to the clergy, from merchants and cobblers to a horse anTable of ContentsThe Snowstorm ; Lucerne ; Three Deaths ; Polikushka ; Strider: The Story of a Horse ; God See the Truth, But Waits ; The Notes of a Madman ; Where Love Is, God Is ; The Devil ; Father Sergy ; After the Ball

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Book SynopsisA key work in the German ''Sturm und Drang'' movement, Johann Goethe''s autobiographical epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther is a defining moment in early Romanticism, which has influenced writers from Mary Shelley to Thomas Mann. This Penguin Classics edition is translated from with an introduction by Michael Hulse.Visiting an idyllic German village, Werther, a sensitive young man, meets and falls in love with sweet-natured Charlotte. Although he realises that she is to marry Albert, he is unable to subdue his passion and his infatuation torments him to the point of despair. The first great ''confessional'' novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther draws both on Goethe''s own unrequited love for Charlotte Buff and on the death of his friend Karl Wilhelm Jerusalem. The book was an immediate success, and a cult rapidly grew up around it, resulting in numerous imitations as well as violent criticism and suppression on the grounds of its apparent support of suicide. Goethe''s sensitive exploration of the mind of an artist at odds with society and ill-equipped to cope with life is now considered the first great tragic novel of European literature.This edition includes notes and an introduction by Michael Hulse, who explores the origins of the novel in the author''s life and examines its impact on European culture.Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Although he directed the German State Theatre, dabbled in the occult and worked on scientific theories in evolutionary botany, Goethe is best remembered for his great works The Sorrows of Young Werther and Faust, and his part in the 18th century ''Sturm and Drang'' movement.If you enjoyed The Sorrows of Young Werther, you might like Stendhal''s Love, also published in Penguin Classics.

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Book SynopsisThe author grew up in Hallencourt, a village in northern France where many live below the poverty line. This novel is about life there. It is an extraordinary portrait of escaping from an unbearable childhood. Written with an openness and compassionate intelligence, ultimately, it asks, how can we create our own freedom?Trade ReviewWhen new voices come from underrepresented constituencies, there’s always the hope of a new perspective... I can read Edouard Louis and know something of what it means to grow up in extreme poverty in contemporary France -- Zadie Smith * Observer *When new voices come from underrepresented constituencies, there’s always the hope of a new perspective... I can read Edouard Louis and know something of what it means to grow up in extreme poverty in contemporary France -- Zadie Smith * Observer *Even in the wake of Knausgaard and Ferrante it is hard to find a literary phenomenon that has swept Europe quite like the autobiographical project of Édouard Louis * LitHub *An extraordinary autobiographical novel about class, violence and sexuality in France. It’s a vivid, often brutal but immensely touching book that restores my faith in the power of literature -- Tash AwThis is the courageous story of an outsider, in equal parts frank, provocative and compelling -- Laura Garmeson * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisDiscover the Korean runaway prizewinning bestseller for fans of LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR and KLARA AND THE SUN''A stunning story of love, care and sacrifice'' BORA CHUNG, author of CURSED BUNNY_____________Let''s all learn how to slow down ...2035: In the shadow of a race course, a young woman finds a robot named Coli on a scrap heap, contemplating the sky. Intrigued, she takes him into her care and learns how he is designed to be a humanoid jockey who has mistakenly been programmed to have feelings.She and Coli are determined to rescue his beloved race horse who is heading for the knackers'' yard after a lifetime of overwork. To remind the horse of happier times, they hatch a special plan to let her run another race.But it will be no ordinary event- they will train her to run the slowest time of her life.In the heat of the race, Coli feels the horse running too fast. She is in pain and will soon injure herself.To save his friend, Coli will commit one final act of bravery ...Radiant, urgent, deeply moving, A Thousand Blues is a hymn to our earth and to our humanity, giving powerful voice to those left behind in a fast-moving world of toxic productivity and competition. Brimming with heart, hope and rage, it shows how friendship, community and sacrifice will set us free.__________''A stunningly crafted novel, evoking a myriad emotions'' Kim Bo-youngA dazzling, warm novel that shows us how to move forward as a society without leaving anyone or anything behind'' Choi Jin-young, author of To the Warm HorizonA breath of fresh air in the sci-fi genre' *****Feels like a feather softly descending and tickling my heart'' *****A sci-fi novel full of human warmth'' *****

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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 SynopsisA mystical dialogue between a male author and his creation, this posthumous work has never before been translated, and is a book of particular beauty and strangeness.Trade Review"Both dazzling and difficult." -- San Francisco Chronicle"The raw, demanding pace and the dialogic form of A Breath of Life provoke an urgent meditation on life, self, and time. In fact, reading this novel may be a form of meditation." -- Full Stop"One of 20th-century Brazil’s most intriguing and mystifying writers." -- The L Magazine"I had a sort of missionary urge with her...but I started thinking, even when I was 19: How can I help this person reach the prominence she deserves?" -- Benjamin Moser - San Francisco Chronicle

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Book SynopsisThe Story of the Stone, also known by the title of The Dream of the Red Chamber, is the great novel of manners in Chinese literature. The fifth part of Cao Xueqin's magnificent saga, The Dreamer Awakes, was carefully edited and completed by Gao E some decades later. It continues the story of the changing fortunes of the Jia dynasty, focussing on Bao-yu, now married to Bao-chai, after the tragic death of his beloved Dai-yu. Against such worldly elements as death, financial ruin, marriage, decadence and corruption, his karmic journey unfolds. Like a sleepwalker through life, Bao-yu is finally awakened by a vision, which reveals to him that life itself is merely a dream, 'as moonlight mirrored in the water'.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 Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout historTrade Review“Filled with classical allusions, multilayered wordplay, and delightful poetry, Cao’s novel is a testament to what Chinese literature was capable of. Readers of English are fortunate to have David Hawkes and John Minford’s The Story of the Stone, which distills a lifetime of scholarship and reading into what is probably the finest work of Chinese-to-English literary translation yet produced. You will be rewarded every bit of attention you give it, many times over.” —SupChina, “The 100 China Books You Have to Read, Ranked” (#1)Table of ContentsThe Story of the Stone Volume 5Note on SpellingPrefaceChapter 99:Unscrupulous minions make use of their master's virtue to conceal a multitude of sins; and Jia Zheng is alarmed to read his nephew's name in the 'Peking Gazette'Chapter 100:Caltrop disturbs an elaborate seduction and inspires bitter resentment; Bao-yu learns of a distressing betrothal and laments an imminent departureChapter 101:In Prospect Garden a moonlit apparition repeats an ancient warning; and a Scattered Flowers Convent the fortune-sticks provide a strange omenChapter 102:Illness descends upon the Jia family in Ning-guo House; and charms and holy water are used to exorcize Prospect GardenChapter 103:Jin-gui dies by her own hand, caught in a web of her own weaving; Yu-cun encounters an old friend in vain, blind to the higher truths of ZenChapter 104:Drunken Dime at large again - a small fish whips up a mighty storm; our Besotted Hero in agony once more - a chance thrust quickens a numbed heartChapter 105:The Embroidered Jackets raid Ning-guo House; and Censor Li impeaches the Prefect of Ping-anChapter 106:Wang Xi-feng feels remorse for the consequences of her past misdeeds; and Grandmother Jia prays for the family's deliverence from further calamityChapter 107:Impelled by family devotion, Grandmother Jia distributes her personal posessions; favoured with an Imperial dispensation, Jia Zheng recieves his bother's hereditary rankChapter 108:A birthday party held for Sister Allspice necessitiates a false display of jollity; and ghostly weeping heard at the Naiad's House provokes a frech outburst of griefChapter 109:Fivey shares a vigil, and receives affection meant for another; Ying-chun pays her debt to fate, and returns to the Realm of Primordial TruthChapter 110:Lady Jia ends her days, and returns to the land of shades; Wang Xi-feng exhausts her strength, and forfeits the family's esteemChapter 111:A devoted maid renders a final service, and accompanies her mistress to the Great Void; a villainous slave takes his revenge, and betrays his masters into the hands of theivesChapter 112:Admantina discharges a karmic debt and recieves a blow from the Hand of Providence; Aunt Zhao concludes a deadly feud and sets out on the road to the Nether WorldChapter 113:Xi-feng repents of her former misdeeds, and entrusts her child to a village dame; Nightengale softens a long-standing animosity, and warns to ter besotted masterChapter 114:Wang Xi-feng ends her life's illusion and returns to Jinling; Zhen Ying-jia recieves the Emperor's favour and is summoned to the PalaceChapter 115:A private obsessoin revived confirms Xi-chun in an ancient vow; a physical likeness verified deprives Bao-yu of an imagines friendChapter 116:Human destinies are revealed in a fairy realm, and the Stone is restored to its rightful owner; mortal remains are transported to their terrestrial home, and duty is discharged by a filial sonChapter 117:Two fair damsels conspire to save the jade, and forestall a flight from earthy bondage; an infamous rogue takes charge of the mansion, and assembles a gang of croniesChapter 118:Provoked by a ranking antipathy, Uncle and Cousin plot the ruin of an innocent maid; alarmed by riddling utterances, Wife and Concubine remonstrate with their idiot masterChapter 119:Bao-yu becomes a Provincial Graduate and severs worldly ties: the House of Jia receives Imperial favour and renews ancestral gloryChapter 120:Zhen Shi-yin expounds the Nature of Passion and Illusion; and Jia Yu-cun concludes the Dream of Golden DaysCharacters in Volume 5Genealogical Tables

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Book SynopsisA Breath of Life is Clarice Lispector''s final novel, ''written in agony'', which she did not live to see published. Sensual and mysterious, it is a mystical dialogue between a god-like author and the creation he breathes life into: the speaking, shifting, indefinable Angela Pralini. As he has created Angela, so, eventually, he must let her die, for life is merely ''a kind of madness that death makes.'' This is a unique, elegiac meditation on the creation of life, and of art.Trade ReviewA text that resonates endlessly ... her images dazzle * The Times Literary Supplement *Lispector had an ability to write as though no one had ever written before * Colm Tóibín *A thrilling book * Pedro Almodóvar *

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Book SynopsisWe call them the sleepers . . .At the elite Missing Persons bureau of the Federal Police, Mila Vasquez is tasked with finding the hundreds of lost people who vanished from their former lives. The longer they are gone, the more they are forgotten by the world.Now they are returning.Appearing at random and wielding devastation, they enact a horrifying pattern of murders, leaving Mila scrabbling to discover where they have come from and what they want. Yet the deeper into the case she gets, Mila begins to realise that her colleagues are hiding something from her - something which will jeopardise everything . . .Set in the world of Carrisi''s record-breaking debut, The Whisperer, The Vanished Ones is intelligent, thrilling and incredibly compelling.Trade ReviewGruesome and gripping . . . a taut psychological thriller - The Times on The WhispererMore than delivers on its ghoulish promise . . . you might not want to read this alone in the house - Time Out on The WhispererThe Whisperer is one hell of a ride. This story screams high tension, high stakes and high velocity - Michael ConnellyA gripping read . . . I defy anyone to guess the denouement - Guardian on The Whisperer

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Book SynopsisThrough its 75-year-old narrator, Pericles Drakos, The Last Apartment in Istanbul tells the story of Istanbul's deterioration, beginning from the Coronavirus crisis and weaving its way backwards to the 1950s

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Book SynopsisIn this frightening and surprising novel, the eccentric, wayward genius of Commissaire Adamsberg is pitted against the deep-rooted mysteries of one Alpine village's history and a very present problem: wolves. Disturbing things have been happening up in the French mountains;Trade ReviewCommissaire Adamsberg must be the most engaging French detective since Maigret * Scotland on Sunday *Poetic, offbeat and gently addictive. Her prose has an unusual deftness, a wry humour. A unique voice * Guardian *An intriguing, idiosyncratic voice * Time Out *An absolute masterwork. One of the best books of the year * Toronto Globe & Mail *A work of real class - its characters sharp, multi-faceted and original, and its style crisply intelligent * Herald *

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Book SynopsisIn 1978, Haruki Murakami was 29 and running a jazz bar in downtown Tokyo. One April day, the impulse to write a novel came to him suddenly while watching a baseball game. That first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, won a new writers' award and was published the following year. More followed, including A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but it was Norwegian Wood, published in 1987, which turned Murakami from a writer into a phenomenon. His books became bestsellers, were translated into many languages, including English, and the door was thrown wide open to Murakami's unique and addictive fictional universe.Murakami writes with admirable discipline, producing ten pages a day, after which he runs ten kilometres (he began long-distance running in 1982 and has participated in numerous marathons and races), works on translations, and then reads, listens to records and cooks. His passions colour his non-fiction output, from What I Talk About WhTrade ReviewWonderful... Magical and outlandish * Daily Mail *A magnificently bewildering achievement... Brilliantly conceived, bold in its surreal scope, sexy and driven by a snappy plot... Exuberant storytelling * Independent on Sunday *Cool, fluent and addictive * Daily Telegraph *Hypnotic, spellbinding * The Times *Addictive... Exhilarating... A pleasure * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisWhen Princess Zasyekin moves next door to the country estate of Vladimir Petrovich's parents, he instantly falls in love with his new neighbour's daughter, Zinaida. But the young woman already has many admirers and as she plays her suitors against each other, Vladimir's unrequited youthful passion soon turns to torment and despair.

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Book SynopsisThe Story of the Stone (c. 1760), also known by the title of The Dream of the Red Chamber, is the great novel of manners in Chinese literature.Divided into five volumes, of which The Warning Voice is the third, it charts the glory and decline of the illustrious Jia family (a story which closely accords with the fortunes of the author''s own family). The two main characters, Bao-yu and Dai-yu, are set against a rich tapestry of humour, realistic detail and delicate poetry, which accurately reflects the ritualized hurly-burly of Chinese family life. But over and above the novel hangs the constant reminder that there is another plane of existence - a theme which affirms the Buddhist belief in a supernatural scheme of things.Trade Review“Filled with classical allusions, multilayered wordplay, and delightful poetry, Cao’s novel is a testament to what Chinese literature was capable of. Readers of English are fortunate to have David Hawkes and John Minford’s The Story of the Stone, which distills a lifetime of scholarship and reading into what is probably the finest work of Chinese-to-English literary translation yet produced. You will be rewarded every bit of attention you give it, many times over.” —SupChina, “The 100 China Books You Have to Read, Ranked” (#1)Table of ContentsThe Story of the Stone Volume 3Note on SpellingPrefaceChapter 54:Lady Jia ridicules the cliches of romantic fiction; And Wang Xi-feng emulates the filifal antics of Lao Lia-ziChapter 55:A foolish concubine seeks to humiliate her own daughter; And an ill-natured stewardess tries to outwit her young mistressChapter 56:Resourceful Tan-chun abolilshes abuses in the interests of econoomy; And sapient Bao-chai shows how small consessions can be made without loss of dignityChapter 57:Nightengale tests Jade Boy with a startling message; And Aunt Xue comforts Frowner with words of loving kindnessChapter 58:In which the cock-bird who mourns his mate is found to be a hen; And a true heart is able to sympathize with a strange kind of loveChapter 59:By Willow Walk the conververs of property resort to violence and abuse; And at Green Delights the defenders of law and order invoke a higher authorityChapter 60:As a substiture for rose-orris Jia Huan is given jasmine face-powder; And in return for rose essence Cook Liu is given lycoperdon snowChapter 61:Bao-yu owns up to a crime he did not commit; And Patience bends authority in order that the innocent may be sparedChapter 62:A tipsy Xiang-yun sleeps on a peony-petal pillow; And a grateful Caltrop unfastens her pomegranate skirtChapter 63:Flower-maidens combine for nocturnal birthday revels; And a grass widow copes with funeral arrangments single-handedChapter 64:Five fair women make subjects for a chaste maid's verse; And nine jade dragons make a love-gift for a flirtChapter 65:Jia Lian's second marriage is celebrated in secret; And the future marriage of San-jie becomes a matter of speculationChapter 66:Shame drives a warm-hearted young woman to take her life; And shock leads a cold-hearted young gentleman to renounce the worldChapter 67:Frowner sees something that makes her homesick; And Xi-feng hears something that rouses her suspicionsChapter 68:Er-jie takes up residence in Prospect Garden; And Xi-feng makes a disturbance in Ning-guo HouseChapter 69:A scheming woman kills with a borrowed knife; And one who has ceased to hope swallows gold and diesChapter 70:Lin Dai-yu resuscitates the Poetry Club; And Shi Xiang-yun tries her hand at a song lyricChapter 71:Lady Xing deliberately humiliates her daughter-in-law; And Faithful inadvertently iterrupts a pair of love-birdsChapter 72:Wang Xi-fen refuses to see a doctor; And Brightie's wife seeks help with a betrothalChapter 73:A half-witted servant girl picks up a highly embarrassing object; And an easy-going young mistress refuses to inquire into a theftChapter 74:Lady Wang authorizes a raid on Prospect Garden; And Jia Xi-chun breaks off relations with Ning-guo HouseChapter 75:Midnight revellers are startled by a sound of evil omen; And Mid-Autumn moon-watchers listen to quantrains of unequal meritChapter 76:Flute-playing at Convex Pavillion provokes too much melancholy; And linked verses at Concave Pavilion betray a morbid sensitivityChapter 77:A wronged maid takes a loving last leave of her master; And three young actresses seek to escape matrimony in the cloisterChapter 78:Jia Zheng commissions the Ballad of the Winsome Colonel; And Bao-yu composes an Invocation to the Hibiscus SpiritChapter 79:Xue Pan finds to his sorrow that he is married to a termagant; And Ying-chun's parents betroth her to a Zhong-shan wolfChapter 80:Unfortunate Caltrop is battered by a philandering husband; And One Plaster Wang presribes for an insufferavle wifeAppendix I: Sandal, Musk, and SkybrightAppendix II: Suncloud, Sunset and MoonriseAppendix III: You San-jie, Liu Xiang-lian and Jia Lian's JourneysAppendix IV: Old Mrs. You and the ZhangsAppendix V: Fivey, Bao Er and The MattressAppendix VI: Euergesia and the Little ActressesCharacters in Volume 3Genealogical Tables

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Book SynopsisCollected here in Penguin Classics are two of Fyodor Dostoyevsky''s shorter works, Notes from Underground and The Double, translated by Ronald Wilks with an introduction by Robert Louis Jackson. Alienated from society and paralysed by a sense of his own insignificance, the anonymous narrator of Dostoyevsky''s groundbreaking Notes from Underground tells the story of his tortured life. With bitter irony, he describes his refusal to become a worker in the ''anthill'' of society and his gradual withdrawal to an existence ''underground''. The seemingly ordinary world of St Petersburg takes on a nightmarish quality in The Double when a government clerk encounters a man who looks exactly like him - his double, perhaps, or possibly the darker side of his own personality. Like Notes from Underground, this is a masterly tragicomic study of human consciousness. Ronald Wilks''s extraordinary new translation is accompanied here by an introduction by Robert Louis Jackson discussing these pivotal works in the context of Dostoyevsky''s life and times. This edition also contains a chronology, bibliography, table of ranks and notes on each work. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) was born in Moscow. From 1849-54 he lived in a convict prison, and in later years his passion for gambling led him deeply into debt. His other works available in Penguin Classics include Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot and Demons. If you enjoyed Notes from Underground and The Double, you might like Dostoyevsky''s Demons, also available in Penguin Classics. ''Notes from Underground, with its mood of intellectual irony and alienation, can be seen as the first modern novel ... That sense of meaninglessness of existence that runs through much of twentieth-century writing - from Conrad and Kafka, to Beckett and beyond - starts in Dostoyevsky''s work'' Malcolm Bradbury

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Book SynopsisThe successful writer Oki has reached middle age and is filled with regrets. He returns to Kyoto to find Otoko, a young woman with whom he had a terrible affair many years before, and discovers that she is now a painter, living with a younger woman as her lover. Otoko has continued to love Oki and has never forgotten him, but his return unsettles not only her but also her young lover. This is a work of strange beauty, with a tender touch of nostalgia and a heartbreaking sensitivity to those things lost forever.

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Book SynopsisThe Ladies'' Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames) recounts the spectacular development of the modern department store in late nineteenth century Paris. The store is a symbol of capitalism, of the modern city, and of the bourgeois family; it is emblematic of consumer culture and the changes in sexual attitudes and class relations taking place at the end of the century. Octave Mouret, the store''s owner-manager, masterfully exploits the desires of his female customers. In his private life as much as in business he is the great seducer. But when he falls in love with the innocent Denise Baudu, he discovers she is the only one of the salesgirls who refuses to be commodified. This new translation of the eleventh book in the Rougon-Macquart cycle captures the spirit of one of Zola''s greatest novels of the modern city. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s c

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Book SynopsisA novel from internationally acclaimed author Paulo Coelho a dramatic story of love, life and death that shows us all why every second of our existence is a choice we all make between living and dying.Veronika has everything she could wish for. She is young and pretty, has plenty of boyfriends, a steady job, a loving family. Yet she is not happy; something is lacking in her life, and one morning she decides to die. She takes an overdose of sleeping pills, only to wake up some time later in the local hospital. There she is told that her heart is damaged and she has only a few days to live.The story follows Veronika through these intense days as to her surprise she finds herself experiencing feelings she has never really felt before. Against all odds she finds herself falling in love and even wanting to live againTrade Review‘Coelho’s writing is beautifully poetic but his message is what counts… he gives me hope and puts a smile on my face’DAILY EXPRESS ‘His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people’THE TIMES ‘One of the few to deserve the term “Publishing Phenomenon”’THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis new English translation by Michael Hofmann - the first in more than 75 years - expertly captures the fecundity, originality and musicality of Döblin's masterpiece ... A bold and dazzling collage of a novel * The National *Ace translator Michael Hofmann has delivered an exhilarating new version of Alfred Döblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz: that street-smart, slang-filled, richly allusive tale of crime, punishment and social crisis in the capital of Weimar Germany just before Hitler's rise to power. Hofmann's firecracker prose fizzes through this revolutionary trip into the lower depths of big-city life -- Boyd TonkinThe classic Weimar novel ... Long branded untranslatable, a fluent, pacy new translation by Michael Hofmann gainsays that assumption, opening up the book for English-speakers * Economist *Reading it was the most wonderful experience -- Deborah Moggach * Saturday Review *Franz Biberkopf is one of the modern world's richest literary characters, as memorable as Woyzeck, Oblomov or Madame Bovary * New York Review of Books *Berlin Alexanderplatz is Europe's Moby-Dick ... both seriously significant and a great deal of fun -- John SelfA flashing kaleidoscope of a novel ... Michael Hofmann's translation has a vivid immediacy * Country & Town House *Brutal and prophetic ... a turning point in the history of the German novel * The Times *Berlin Alexanderplatz, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, still fascinates as a cautionary tale by shining light on the most obscure parts of the human soul. -- Tobias Grey * Wall Street Journal *

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Book SynopsisThe bestselling novel from international literary phenomenon Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist.A chance meeting in Rio takes Maria to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune, yet ends up working the streets as a prostitute. In Geneva, Maria drifts further and further away from love while at the same time developing a fascination with sex.Eventually, Maria''s despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness, sexual pleasure for its own sake', or risking everything to find her own ''inner light'' and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.A daring modern fable about the nature of love and sex.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR ELEVEN MINUTES “Has a strange and potent chemistry of its own.” The Observer “Coelho has a deceptively simple but elegant writing style which sits well with this strange but gripping tale.” Glasgow Evening Times “Refreshing and insightful…an uplifting read.” What’s On In London “A simply-told fable for our times, highlighting the quest for personal spiritual enlightenment.” Belfast Telegraph Awarded 4 stars in New Woman magazine review

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Book SynopsisThe Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories 1896-1904 is an enchanting collection of tales which showcase Anton Chekhov at the height of his power as a writer. This Penguin Classics edition is translated by Ronald Wilks with an introduction by Paul Debreczeny.In the final years of his life, Chekhov produced some of the stories that rank among his masterpieces, and some of the most highly-regarded works in Russian literature. The poignant ''The Lady with the Little Dog'' and ''About Love'' examine the nature of love outside of marriage - its romantic idealism and the fear of disillusionment. And in stories such as ''Peasants'', ''The House with the Mezzanine'' and ''My Life'' Chekhov paints a vivid picture of the conditions of the poor and of their powerlessness in the face of exploitation and hardship. With the works collected here, Chekhov moved away from the realism of his earlier tales - developing a broader range of characters and subject matter, while forging Table of ContentsThe Lady with the Little Dog and Other Stories, 1896-1904IntroductionFurther ReadingChronologyNote on TextPatronymicsThe House with the MezzaninePeasantsMan in a CaseGooseberriesAbout LoveA Visit to FriendsIonychMy LifeThe Lady with the Little DogIn the RavineDisturbing the BalanceThe BishopThe BridePublishing History and Notes

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Book SynopsisThe Story of the Stone (c. 1760), also known by the title of The Dream of the Red Chamber, is the great novel of manners in Chinese literature. The Story of the Stone (c. 1760), also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber, is one of the greatest novels of Chinese literature. The fifth part of Cao Xueqin''s magnificent saga, The Dreamer Awakes, was carefully edited and completed by Gao E some decades later. It continues the story of the changing fortunes of the Jia dynasty, focussing on Bao-yu, now married to Bao-chai, after the tragic death of his beloved Dai-yu. Against such worldly elements as death, financial ruin, marriage, decadence and corruption, his karmic journey unfolds. Like a sleepwalker through life, Bao-yu is finally awakened by a vision, which reveals to him that life itself is merely a dream, ''as moonlight mirrored in the water''.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literaturTrade Review“Filled with classical allusions, multilayered wordplay, and delightful poetry, Cao’s novel is a testament to what Chinese literature was capable of. Readers of English are fortunate to have David Hawkes and John Minford’s The Story of the Stone, which distills a lifetime of scholarship and reading into what is probably the finest work of Chinese-to-English literary translation yet produced. You will be rewarded every bit of attention you give it, many times over.” —SupChina, “The 100 China Books You Have to Read, Ranked” (#1)Table of ContentsNote on SpellingPrefaceChapter 27Beauty Perspiring sports with butterflies by the Raindrop Pavilion; And Beauty Suspiring weeps for fallen blossoms by the Flowers' GraveChapter 28A Crimson cummerbund becomes a pledge of friendship; And a chaplet of medicine-beads becomes a source of embarassmentChapter 29In which the greatly blessed pray for yet greater blessings; And the highly strung rise to new heights of passionChapter 30Bao-Chai speaks of a fan and castigates her deriders; Charmante scratches a 'qiang' and mystifies a beholderChapter 31A torn fan is the price of silver laughter; And a lost kylin is the clue to a happy marriageChapter 32Bao-yu demonstrates confusion of mind by his declaration to the wrong person; And Golden shows an unconquerable spirit by ending her humiliation in deathChapter 33An envious younger brother puts in a malicious word or two; And a scapegrace elder brother recieves a terrible chatisementChapter 34A wordless message meets with silent understanding; And a groundless imputation leads to undeserved rebukesChapter 35Sulky Silver tastes some lotus-leaf soup; And Golden Oriole knots a flower-patterned fringeChapter 36Bao-chai visits Green Delights and bears strange words from a sleeper; And Bao-yu visits Pear-tree Court and learns hard facts from a performerChapter 37A happy inspiration prompts Tan-chun to found the Crab-flower Club; And an ingenious arrangment enables Bao-chai to settle the chysanthemum poem titlesChapter 38River Queen triumphs in her treatment of chysanthemum themes; And Lady Allspice is satirical on the subject of crabsAn inventive old countrywoman tells a story of somewhat questionable veracity; And and impressionable young listener insists on getting to the bottom of the matterChapter 40Lady Jia holds two feasts in one day in the Prospect Garden; And Faithful makes four calls on three dominoes in the Painted ChamberChapter 41Jia Bao-yu tastes some superior tea at Green Bower Hermitage; And Grannie Liu samples the sleeping accommodation at Green DelightsChapter 42Lady Allspice wins over a suspicious nature with some well-intentioned advice; And River Queen enhances her reputation as a wit with some amusing sarcasmsChapter 43An old woman's whim is the occasion of a birthday collection; And a young man's remorse finds solace in a simple ceremonyChapter 44Xi-feng's jealousy is the object of an unexpected provocation; And Patience's toilet is a source of unexpected delightChapter 45Sisterly understanding finds expression in words of sisterly frankness; And autumnal pluviousless is celebrated in verses of autumnal melancholyChapter 46An awkward person is given an awkward mission; And a faithful maid vows faithfulness unto deathChapter 47In pursuit of love the Oaf King takes a fearful beating; And from fear of reprisal the Reluctant Playboy makes a hasty getawayChapter 48The Love-Deluded One Turns his thoughts to trade and travel; And the Poetry Enthusiast applies herself to making versesChapter 49Red flowers bloom brighter in dazzling snow; And venison reeks strangely on rosebud lipsChapter 50Linked verses in Snowy Rushes Retreat; And lantern riddles in the Spring In Winter RoomChapter 51A clever cousin composes some ingenious riddles; And an unskilful physician prescribes a barbarous remedyChapter 52Kind Patience conceals the theft of a Shrimp Whisker bracelet; And brave Skybright repairs the hole in a Peacock Gold snow-capeChapter 53Ning-guo House sacrifices to the ancestors on New Year's Eve; And Rong-guo House entertains the whole family on Fifteenth NightAppendix I: Regulated VerseAppendix II: Threesomes with the DominoesAppendix III: Unsolved RiddlesCharacters in Volume 2Genealogical Tables

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Book SynopsisThe seventeen pieces in Ficciones demonstrate the gargantuan powers of imagination, intelligence, and style of one of the greatest writers of this or any other century. Borges sends us on a journey into a compelling, bizarre, and profoundly resonant realm; we enter the fearful sphere of Pascal’s abyss, the surreal and literal labyrinth of books, and the iconography of eternal return. More playful and approachable than the fictions themselves are Borges’s Prologues, brief elucidations that offer the uninitiated a passageway into the whirlwind of Borges’s genius and mirror the precision and potency of his intellect and inventiveness, his piercing irony, his skepticism, and his obsession with fantasy. To enter the worlds in Ficciones is to enter the mind of Jorge Luis Borges, wherein lies Heaven, Hell, and everything in between.Trade ReviewPraise for Ficciones: “Without Borges the modern Latin American novel simply would not exist.” —Carlos Fuentes“In resounding the note of the marvelous last struck in English by Wells and Chesterson, in permitting infinity to enter and distort his imagination, [Borges] has lifted fiction away from the flat earth where most of our novels and short stories still take place.” —John Updike“These brief Ficciones have to be read one at a time, and slowly; then they throb with uncanny and haunting power.” —The Atlantic Monthly“Borges is the most important Spanish-language writer since Cervantes.” —Mario Vargas Llosa“[Borges] engages the heart as well as the intelligence; his genius strikes, undismayed as Theseus, through the labyrinths of our life and time to the accomplishment of new, inspiring and stunningly beautiful work.” —John Barth“One of the finest, subtlest, and least appreciated of comedians…[Borges is] a central fact of Western culture.” —The Washington Post Book World“Borges’s composed, carefully wrought, gnarled style is at once the means of his art and its object—his way of ordering and giving meaning to the bizarre and terrifying world he creates: it is a brilliant, burnished instrument, and it is quite adequate to the extreme demands his baroque imagination makes of it . . . . Absolutely and most vividly original.” —Saturday Review

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Book SynopsisHisham Matar, GuardianDeath Is Hard Work is a tale of three people embarking on an absurd quest - an unforgettable journey into a contemporary heart of darkness.At a hospital in Damascus, Syria, Abdel Latif's final wish is to be buried in the family plot near Aleppo - just a two-hour drive away.

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Book SynopsisThe third crime novel from international bestseller Yrsa Sigurdardottir, ASHES TO DUST is tense, taut and terrifying - not to be missed for fans of Nordic Noir. Thora peered at the floor, but couldn''t see anything that could have frightened Markus that much, only three mounds of dust. She moved the light of her torch over them. It took her some time to realize what she was seeing-- and then it was all she could do not to let the torch slip from her hand. ''Good God,'' she said. She ran the light over the three faces, one after another. Sunken cheeks, empty eye-sockets, gaping mouths; they reminded her of photographs of mummies she''d once seen in National Geographic. ''Who are these people?''''I don''t know,'' said Markus . . . Bodies are discovered in one of the excavated houses at a volcanic tourist attraction dubbed ''The Pompeii of the North''.Markus Magnusson, who was only a teenager when the volcano erupted, falls under susTrade ReviewIceland's answer to Stieg Larsson. * Daily Telegraph *A chilling read, enhanced by Sigurdardottir's taut plotting, realistic characters, and dry humour. -- Crime Books of the Year * Metro *A gripping thriller with enough mystery and horror to keep you sitting on the edge of your seat while you try to work out what happened. -- Peter RobinsonBrilliantly plotted and chilling. * Daily Mirror *

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of Thirteen Hours - A Sunday Times ''100 best crime novels and thrillers since 1945'' pickMilla has finally escaped her abusive husband, only to find herself at the heart of an anti-terrorist operation.Lemmer has agreed to protect a pair of smuggled rhinos on a thousand-kilometre journey - his strangest job yet will also be his most dangerous.And former policeman Mat already wants to quit his new job as a private investigator. But he has promised a young woman he will find her missing husband . . . wherever the trail may lead.From the vibrant streets of Cape Town to the wilds of Zimbabwe, from luxurious gated communities to the ganglands of the Cape Flats, different paths begin to cross in a novel of ever-increasing suspense.Trade ReviewSmuggling, missing persons and an edgy post-apartheid South Africa interlace in a riveting crime novel . . . This is the author's most accomplished novel to date. Following the thrilling plot of his best­selling Thirteen Hours was always going to be a challenge but he's visibly gained confidence, showing his technical skill and handling the different sections of the new book with effortless ease. It's a mesmerising read, and a ­startling revelation at the very end suggests that we haven't heard the last of these engaging characters. * The Sunday Times *How fulfilling the rewards are for those seeking crime fiction with real texture and intelligence . . . The author presents an unsparing picture of social divisions in post-apartheid South Africa . . . But perhaps his key achievement is the astutely drawn trio: the conflicted bodyguard, streetwise but falling for a major deception; the young woman fleeing a desperately unhappy marriage and discovering something that changes her perception of herself; and the ex-cop, finding that the incendiary reserves of violence in his personality are nearer to the surface than he thought. TRACKERS is a sprawling, invigorating and socially committed crime novel. * Independent *An ambitious, multi-threaded tale . . . comprehensively pulling the reader into the melee of modern South Africa . . . this is a book that tells a cracking story and captures the criminal kaleidoscope of a nation. * Times Literary Supplement *Meyer is the leading chronicler of South Africa, and his latest novel shows off his technical skill... a dazzling performance. * Sunday Times Books of the Year 2011 *This year's great discovery: classy, edgy writing, subtly plotted and beautifully balanced between fast-paced action, pungent social comment and the process of investigation. * Weekend Australian *The Thriller Shot of the Year title goes to South African Deon Meyer for his superb tour-de-force TRACKERS which combines a spy plot worthy of Le Carre ("spy the beloved country") with several tense and violent criminal sub-plots and a complex and stunningly impressive narrative structure. All in all, a masterpiece of South African crime writing; which is rapidly proving to be the bench-mark of international crime fiction.' * Shots *This South African kind of crime is going global fast. TRACKERS shows why: three deftly-braided plot strands join political sophistication, strongly-drawn characters and a passionate concern with the Rainbow Nation's fate. * i *An unusually intriguing story about modern South Africa. * Literary Review *The book that stayed with me most from this year is Deon Meyer's TRACKERS . . . a dazzling performance. * Joan Smith, Sunday Times books of the year 2011 *Critics were struggling to come up with new adjectives to praise the South African writer Deon Meyer's TRACKERS, a menacing tale of smuggling and disappearances on a sprawling canvas of post-apartheid South Africa. * Independent Books of the Year *The author is proclaimed to be "South Africa's answer to Stieg Larsson" in a banner headline on the cover. I wouldn't disagree with that. He is certainly as powerful a writer, although his style is slightly different, and considerably more complex . . . this is one of the most absorbing crime stories you are ever likely to read. * Shots *Meyer's ambition matches his execution in this brilliantly complex standalone thriller set in his native South Africa . . . Few readers will anticipate exactly how the separate plot strands will be resolved. This powerhouse read, which captures the many facets of modern South Africa, should be the American breakthrough book this talented author deserves. * Publishers Weekly Starred Review *Award-winning crime fiction author Meyer demonstrates his superb gift for bringing together several disparate plots, striking characters, and vividly drawn scenes of contemporary South Africa, all roaring towards a climax with more than one surprise . . . With a fine eye for detail, an unflattering image of South African culture, and clear sympathy for the downtrodden, Meyer still never loses his focus on page-turning suspense and riveting mystery. Highly recommended. * Library Journal Starred Review *Publishers and booksellers trumpet that "South Africa is the new Scandinavia" when it comes to crime writing and that Deon Meyer is "South Africa's Answer to Stieg Larsson". He's not; he's far better . . . With TRACKERS I would suggest he has moved into the John le Carré class, and not simply because one of the plot lines is about the workings of a South African security department and the political in-fighting involved, but mainly because this is a book which is a great thriller and a fine novel of characterisation. Indeed, the cast of characters is diverse (morally as well as ethnically) but every single one is fully-formed and three-dimensional and they all play their parts in a complex triple-stranded plot. * Shots *Without doubt one of the brightest stars to emerge from the Southern African crime scene is Deon Meyer. A big, complex novel, it skilfully weaves together three separate storylines, and three different forms of crime-writing, into a cohesive and fascinating whole . . . The result is a very powerful thriller that sweeps the reader up in its gritty portrayal of modern South Africa . . . Meyer's mixture of compelling, believable characters, tense plotting and fascinating insights into the texture of everyday South Africa make TRACKERS one of the year's better crime novels. * Canberra Times *Being hailed as the finest novel yet from an author whose reputation is growing around the world. Deon Meyer, is building a steady collection of awards for his books and an international fan base. * Hobart Mercury *It's like three complex, gripping an absorbing books in one, so you're getting your money's worth * Adelaide Advertiser *Deon Meyer writes a cracking good adventure. * Manly Daily (Australia) *Meyer is a very good storyteller. A very good read. * Sun Herald *One of the sharpest and most perceptive thriller writers around * Peter Millar, The Times, on DEVIL'S PEAK *Far and away the best crime writer in South Africa * Guardian on BLOOD SAFARI *This guy is really good. Deon Meyer hooked me with this one right from the start. * Michael Connelly on HEART OF THE HUNTER *For reasons which I do not pretend to understand, Deon Meyer's absolutely brilliant thriller TRACKERS failed to win any of the British crime writing awards last year, which makes me think that there must be something fundamentally wrong in the Ministry of Mystery Prizes. * Shots magazine *

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Book SynopsisTakashi Hiraide was born in Moji, Kitakyushu in 1950. He has published numerous books of poetry as well as several books of genre-bending essays, including one on poetics and baseball. His work includes a novel called The Guest Cat, a biography of Meiji poet Irako Seihaku, and a travelogue that follows the traces of Kafka, Celan, and Benjamin in Berlin. His poetry book Postcards to Donald Evans is published by the Tibor de Nagy Foundation. Hiraide is a professor of Art Science and Poetics as well as a core member of the new Institute for Art Anthropology at Tama Art University. His poetry book For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut won the 2009 Best Translated Book Award for poetry.Trade ReviewThe Guest Cat is a rare treasure . . . beautiful and profound . . . whether you're a cat lover or not, don't pass this one up * NPR *This is a gentle, thoughtful and subtly profound work . . . It's the kind of work that makes you ask of its author: "How on earth did he do that?" as you find yourself dabbing your eyes and pausing to look wistfully into the distance . . . You will want to read The Guest Cat more than once, so you notice more details - seeing as you can't do this with life -- Nicholas Lezard's Paperback of the Week * Guardian *The language and descriptions are careful, elegant and lovely; while Hiraide's book is ostensibly about a cat, it is more precisely about space and ownership. The book renders an unusually intimate, detailed and vivid picture of a place that is simultaneously private and open. * New York Times *Lyrical and captivating . . . I will revisit The Guest Cat with pleasure, much as I return to favourite poems and paintings and memories * Huffington Post *A book genuinely worthy of bestseller status * Independent *This moving novel is a treat for felinophiles * Guardian *This is a charming, thoughtful little meditation on the transience of life -- Summer Book Club, * S Magzine *

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Book SynopsisFrom Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg, the Swedish author of the smash-hit The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules, comes the third hilarious yet tender title in this much-loved series, The Little Old Lady Behaving Badly.Introducing the League of Pensioners – a unique blend of exuberance, courage, and audacity. They're on a mission – to seize a fortune from the champagne-soaked billionaires of Saint-Tropez.As Martha and her friends set out to catch some of the biggest financial fish in the sea. But can her septuagenarian gang outsmart the law while keeping their blue rinses intact? The chase is on!If you loved The Hundred-Year-Old Man Series and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, then fasten your seatbelts: more laughter and adventure await in The Little Old Lady Who Struck Lucky Again!Trade ReviewA good-natured, humorous crime caper * Independent on Sunday *A complete hoot * Saga Magazine *This laugh-out-loud international bestseller will have you chuckling one minute and crying the next * The Lady *

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Book SynopsisLife and Fate is an epic tale of twentieth-century Russia told through the fate of a single family, the Shaposhnikovs, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Stalingrad.As the battle of Stalingrad looms, Grossman''s characters must work out their destinies in a world torn by ideological tyranny and war.Completed in 1960 and then confiscated by the KGB, this sweeping panorama of Soviet Society remained unpublished until it was smuggled into the West in 1980, where it was hailed as a masterpiece.''One of the finest Russian novels of the 20th century'' Daily Telegraph''Compelling... Grossman''s portrait is timelessly relevant... Life and Fate is worth all the audience it can find'' The TimesTrade ReviewThe War and Peace of the 20th century -- Antony BeevorOne of the greatest masterpieces of the twentieth century * Times Literary Supplement *It is only a matter of time before Grossman is acknowledged as one of the great writers of the 20th century... Life and Fate is a book that demands to be talked about * Guardian *One of the finest Russian novels of the 20th century * Daily Telegraph *What better time to read Life and Fate, Vasily Grossman's epic novel about the second world war, to put our current troubles into perspective? Grossman's book, which traces the fate of the family of the brilliant physicist Viktor Shtrum at the time of the Battle of Stalingrad, records how humanity endured the monstrous evils of Nazism and Stalinism, surviving like weeds in the cracks of concrete slabs * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisYukio Mishima was born into a samurai family and imbued with the code of complete control over mind and body, and loyalty to the Emperor - the same code that produced the austerity and self-sacrifice of Zen. He wrote countless stories and thirty-three plays, in some of which he performed. Several films have been made from his novels, including The Sound of Waves, Enjo which was based on The Temple of the Golden Pavilion and The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea. Among his other works are the novels Confessions of a Mask and Thirst for Love and the short story collections Death in Midsummer and Acts of Worship. The Sea of Fertility tetralogy, however, is his masterpiece. After Mishima conceived the idea of The Sea of Fertility in 1964, he frequently said he would die when it was completed. On 25 November 1970, the day he completed The Decay of the Angel, the last novel of the cycle, Mishima committed seppTrade ReviewJapan's foremost man of letters * Spectator *Thirst for Love contains all of the elements that make Mishima a compelling, disturbing writer * Columbus Dispatch *

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Strange Weather in Tokyo, here is a story of treasure hoarders, bargain hunters and would-be lovers. Among the jumble of paperweights, plates, typewriters and general bric-a-brac in Mr Nakano's thrift store, there are treasures to be found. Each piece carries its own story of love and loss - or so it seems to Hitomi, when she takes a job there. And her fellow employees are just as curious as the items they sell. There's the store's owner, Mr Nakano, an enigmatic ladies' man with several ex-wives; Sakiko, his sensuous, unreadable lover; his sister, Masayo, an artist whose free-spirited creations mask hidden sorrows. And finally there's Hitomi's fellow employee, Takeo, whose abrupt and taciturn manner Hitomi finds, to her consternation, increasingly disarming. A beguiling story of love found amid odds and ends, The Nakano Thrift Shop is a heart-warming and utterly charming novel from one of Japan's most celebrated contemporary novelists. 'A charming read' Good Housekeeping 'One for the holiday suitcase' VogueTrade ReviewSubtle, graceful, wise and threaded on a quirky humour, this exploration of the connections and disconnections between people kept me smiling long after the last page -- Julia Rochester, author * The House at the Edge of the World *One for the holiday suitcase * Vogue.co.uk *Charming -- Cathy Rentzenbrink * Stylist.co.uk *The Nakano Thrift Shop is really a love story, albeit a very offbeat one... A gentle book, full of charm [and] radiating leftfield charisma -- Anna Fielding * Emerald Street *The delightful nature of the story comes from the magic of the ordinary and the everyday goings on in the shop owned by the enigmatic Mr Nakano * i paper *The ever-readable, ebulliently-imaginative Japanese novelist burst the four small walls of Nakano-san's bric-a-brac shop with this tale of unusual, unrelated but inextricably intertwined characters * Monocle *Kawakami is one of Japan's most popular contemporary novelists and, thanks to the Allison Markin Powell's translation, we get to enjoy this meandering and innocent novel... A tenderly handled mystery and a fractured love story. Delightful -- Rachel Howdle * Press Association *A charming read from the bestselling Japanese author Hiromi Kawakami * Good Housekeeping *Hitomi takes in her town's characters and dramas - and finds love - from behind the cash register. * Grazia *Highly enjoyable and surprisingly accessible. Significant praise should be given to Allison Markin Powell's excellent work in translating the book * Sleepless Editor *A novel about identity, loneliness and about non-conformism. With Kawakami's writing raising questions about sex and identity it is no surprise that her novels are so popular in structured, and often formal, Japan. This is a great novel and a highly accessible introduction to Japanese fiction. * Words Shortlist *Written in quietly understated prose infused with a gentle humour, Kawakami's novel is an absolute delight. The four principal characters are wonderfully driven - eccentric, idiosyncratic and thoroughly engaging. [...] I loved it - a welcome antidote to the twenty-four-hour misery cycle that is our news at the moment, and a reminder that joy can be found in the most prosaic of lives. * A Life in Books *

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Book SynopsisA highly contagious book virus, a literary society and a Snow Queen-like disappearing author 'She came to realise that under one reality there's always another. And another one under that.' Only very special people are chosen by children's author Laura White to join 'The Society', an elite group of writers in the small town of Rabbit Back. Now a tenth member has been selected: Ella, literature teacher and possessor of beautifully curving lips. But soon Ella discovers that the Society is not what it seems. What is its mysterious ritual, 'The Game'? What explains the strange disappearance that occurs at Laura's winter party, in a whirlwind of snow? Why are the words inside books starting to rearrange themselves? Was there once another tenth member, before her? Slowly, disturbing secrets that had been buried come to light... In this chilling, darkly funny novel, the uncanny brushes up against the everyday in the most beguiling and unexpected of ways.Trade ReviewWonderfully knotty... a very grown-up fantasy masquerading as quirky fable. Unexpected, thrilling and absurd -- Catherine Taylor Sunday Telegraph Unnerving, enigmatic... Hints of Let the Right One In and Haruki Murakami's elliptical early science fiction novels flavour a creepy tale about mutating books, buried secrets and ghostly encounters -- James Lovegrove Financial Times The Rabbit Back Literature Society is a lobster pot of a book... an exquisite balance of suspense, precision-engineered structure and darkly playful humour... fascinating. And fun. -- 5-star review SFX Charming and intriguing, switching from playful to creepy to heartfelt and back again... good fun Bookbag Mixes the small-town surrealism of Twin Peaks with the clandestine-society theme of Donna Tartt's The Secret History The List Charming, chilling and gripping from its very first page Bizarre A novel about big questions ... wonderful characters... amazing TQR Stories Sly wit... characterises The Rabbit Back Literature Society Metro A witty Finnish novel Observer I can't even begin to try to describe this book. Nor... to do justice to its eerie nuttiness. But if, like me, you're still a little bit obsessed with who killed Laura Palmer, you'll love it Harper's Bazaar A playful fantasy... [Jaaskelainen] deftly plumbs the neuroses of artistic vanity and obsession... I felt the slow pulse that guided the book; it skirts genres and stays refreshingly weird Quadrapheme Veering between infectious comedy and dark thriller, this is a beguiling read The Lady Is Jaaskelainen the new Murakami? Answers to the editor Glasgow Herald Thrilling Shortlist Lola Rogers' admirable translation catches both the darkness and playful wit of Jaaskelainen's original Tablet It's all rather brilliant Worm Hole Deliciously dark metafiction Sydney Morning Herald A very odd but engaging book by a Finnish author with an extraordinary imagination The Westmorland Gazette

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Book SynopsisPurposefully imitating Voltaire's classic Candide, another dark comedy which derives its humour from life's tragedies, Habiby's The Secret of Saeed the Pessoptimist is a classic of Arab literature. The story of Saeed, a Palestinian who becomes a citizen of Israel, is a story of fact and fantasy, tragedy and comedy. At once a comic hero and luckless fool, his life is full of terror, aggression, resistence and heroism. As an informer for the Zionist state, Saeed's stupidity, candour and cowardice make him more the victim than a villain; but in a series of tragicomic episodes, blundering from disaster to disaster, he is slowly transformed from gullible collaborator into a Palestinian intent on survival. The novel, informed by the author's own experience in Israeli politics, is both biting and funny. The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist was named in the top ten novels set in the Arab world by The Guardian in 2010, won the Al-Quds Prize in Palestine in 1992 and The Israel Prize for Literature, awarded by the State of Israel. It is the only novel to have the top literary award in both countries.Trade ReviewAmazing story from a most unconventional perspective. An entertaining and thought-provoking classic.A" Kirkus Review

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Book SynopsisWhen Hana’s dying uncle calls her back from the city to the family home in the Albanian mountains, he tries to marry her to a local man who could run the household. Unable to accept the arranged marriage and determined to remain independent, Hana’s only option is to follow tradition and vow to live the rest of her life in chastity as a man – and so Hana becomes Mark. For a sworn virgin, there is no way back.Years later, Mark – now a raki-drinking, chain-smoking shepherd – receives an invitation to join a cousin in the US. This may be Mark’s only chance to escape his vow. But what does he know about being an American woman?Trade Review‘Elvira Dones is one of the most distinguished Albanian authors writing today. Astonishing, brilliant, and unabashed by taboos of any kind, she is as much at ease in Albanian as in the rest of European literature . . . The protagonist of this novel passes through all the tribulations of this frightening transformation like the actor in some extraordinary role in a classical drama that hurtles towards its dénouement.’ -- Ismail Kadare‘Translated from Italian by Clarissa Botsford with effortless musicality . . . I couldn’t put it down. Dones’s ability to tell a politically and psychically complex story with such lightness of touch is down to her flowing, spring-clear prose and slyly subversive vision.’ -- Kapka Kassabova * Guardian *‘This book by Elvira Dones grabs the attention with its subject matter even before you turn the first page … As well as this unusual coming-of-age story, with its shadow of death and grief, Dones gives us a compelling portrait of life under communist rule, where “anyone who owns a pair of jeans in Tirana is rich and powerful” . . . a fascinating story’. -- Jonathan Gibbs * Independent *‘A subtle, teasing examination of gender identity, cultural disorientation, and language as the basis of authentic personhood.’ -- Nat Segnit * Times Literary Supplement * ‘A subtle and provocative novel which leaves the reader full of admiration for the strength and stoicism of those who choose a path like Hana’s. And bristling with questions about the hypocrisy of a society which treats women in skirts as intellectually, emotionally and physically inferior to men, yet accepts the total equality of a woman in trousers.’ -- Helen Brown * Sunday Telegraph *‘The author puts a light touch on the issues of culture, immigration, gender tradition and race . . . The novel can be sensitive or brusque depending upon which sex is narrating.’ -- Harriet Addison * The Times *‘A vindication of the PEN Writers in Translation Programme, which supported the publication of this tender, funny and arrestingly original novel.’ -- Jane Shilling * New Statesman *‘A fascinating study in duality and blurred identity which takes as its subject-matter imposed gender realignment . . . a brave book which tackles big themes such as tradition and modernity, exile and belonging while never losing sight of the individual faced with life choices that are constantly opening up certain freedoms while closing the door on others.’ * New Internationalist *‘The latest hidden gem uncovered by this publisher . . . There is more to the book than the unearthing of a remarkable tradition: Dones’ characters are vibrant and her portrait of life in the mountains and in Tirana, the capital, is vivid . . . Clarissa Botsford’s translation (from the Italian – Dones writes in Albanian and Italian) is elegant and sensitive.’ -- Jethro Soutar * Independent *‘Dones’s deft and lively novel finds its sweet spot in a handful of dualities . . . Dones writes in a clean and breezy style, raising sly questions about culture, art, and, especially, gender. Her novel is provocative without being confrontational.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘A gripping, metamorphic tale. The themes of culture, gender, identity and family are explored with real understanding and piercing authenticity in this tender and arrestingly original novel’ * Which Book *‘Artfully written by one of Albania’s most distinguished authors, Sworn Virgin is a story that resonates far beyond one country’s borders.’ -- Elizabeth Milliard * Foreward Reviews *‘Sworn Virgin was made to be translated . . . [a] tight, utterly original story.’ -- Caite Dolan-Leach * The Quarterly Conversation *‘Sworn Virgin is the first novel Elvira Dones wrote in Italian. She adds her voice to the burgeoning new generation of “blended” Italians, who deliberately adopt a “dirty” immigrant/exile approach to their language.’ -- Scott Esposito * Conversational Reading *‘Keen observations on the performance of gender, as well as a good deal of humour . . . The interactions between cousins, at times tender and loving, at times cantankerous and fraught with misunderstandings, give this novel great momentum and allow the characters to fully come alive on the page.’ * Bitch Magazine *‘It’s a fascinating premise for a novel and Dones handles it beautifully . . . told in simple, direct language making the confusion of her identity all the more effective. In other less-skilled hands this is a story that could have fallen flat on its face but Dones – and her translator Clarissa Botsford – deftly avoid prurient sensationalism. The final sentence makes you want to jump up and cheer.’ -- Susan Osborne * Shiny New Books *‘Sworn Virgin is beautifully written, using small details to build scenes that are rife with meaning . . . an incredibly engrossing read, telling a story that is both engaging and transcendent.’ -- Beth Mellow * Bookslut *‘Without having to travel all over the world, one way to get to know other countries is through reading modern literature of that area. That is what we get with [Sworn Virgin]; a glimpse into the world of Albania . . . a place many people would be hard-pressed to find on a map, a place whose culture or customs are little known by the outside world.’ * San Francisco Book Review *‘Elvira Dones‘s engaging novel, Sworn Virgin (translated from Italian by Clarissa Botsford and regrettably the only Dones novel available in English), not only unpacks these fascinating gender questions, but transplants the issue between two nations.’ -- Edward Champion * Reluctant Habits *‘Dones has a light and easy way of writing so that the story sweeps you along . . . strength in Dones’s writing is in the characterisation.’ -- Belinda Farrell * Biis Books *‘Dones style is pared back and clean, letting the emotional honesty at the heart of our protagonists’ story shine through.’ -- Marie Claire Conlin * For Books’ Sake *‘Elvira Dones offers an emotionally involving account of an Albanian sworn virgin.’ * The Big Issue *‘The circumstances around Hana/Mark’s choices are convincingly described without sensationalism. Mark’s double culture shock, as an immigrant and as someone unused to traditional femininity, is also nicely handled. This is an engaging and absorbing novel that gives both an emotional experience and a good deal to think about.’ * Emerald Street *‘These are books that, even if I don’t have time to read them, I must own. As a complete set. That’s powerful in terms of marketing and branding, and is one—of many—things that And Other Stories has done right in launching their press.’ * Three percent *‘A thought-provoking story . . . Sworn Virgin works very well, and Dones is especially good at showing the struggles Hana faces in dropping the Mark persona, with Hana having to deal with much more than just superficial, cosmetic changes.’ -- Tony Malone * Tony’s Reading List *‘Important notice: Elvira Dones’ Sworn Virgin (tr. Clarissa Botsford) is one of those books that once you stop reading you just can’t put it down … Of all the books I’ve read for WITMonth so far, there’s no doubt in my mind that Sworn Virgin is the most thought-provoking . . . Sworn Virgin emerges as a wholly fascinating account of gender roles . . . completely worth reading.’ * Biblibio *‘Ms. Dones has a gift for slowly opening up her characters … Sworn Virgin is a fascinating novel, and highly recommended.’ -- Carolyn Oliver * Rosemary and Reading Glasses *‘Fascinating reading. The word pictures of people and of those repressive climates; dictatorship, rural isolation and patriarchy; that condition them are set out in very compelling prose. If you have never been to rural Albania, reading this novel will transport you there and bring you back again safely. It would be well worth the journey.’ ‘Sworn Virgin digs deeply into its protagonist’s psychology, and delineates the contours of her world.’ -- David Hebblethwaite * David's Book World *‘Sworn Virgin is quite simply a character study, which follows a young woman as she learns to fall in love with her life.’ * We Love This Book *‘As ever And Other Stories have turned up a quirky novel about a part of the world I always wanted to know more about.’ -- Stu Allen * Winstonsdad's Blog *‘Sworn Virgin is a punchy and poetic novel, which takes the reader into what is likely to be a totally unfamiliar world and makes it vivid and engaging.’ -- Thom Cuell * Workshy Fop *‘There is so much in this book. It’s about family and sacrifice and immigration and culture and growing up and gender roles/identity in society. So much. And a good story too. The idea of effectively changing your gender in order to have the kind of life you want or need, or to have the place in society that suits you, is really interesting . . . Sworn Virgin is a brilliantly written, fascinating book about culture, gender and family.’ * Mischief and Miscellany *‘Elvira Dones deals with issues at the heart of western civilisation today, such as migrant and gender identity, and the tormented relationships we may have with our bodies.’ ‘An intelligent and painful play on identity, and on the freedom of body and spirit’ -- Lara Crinò * Repubblica Donne *'An unusual and beautiful Bildungsroman’ -- Marilia Piccone * stradanove *‘Increasingly these days, true stories are turned into fiction, and novelists are able to tell these stories more successfully than journalists. Elvira Dones has finally given a voice to those Albanian women who hope one day to regain the femininity they once denied in order to be counted equal in society.’ * Repubblica *‘[Sworn Virgin] explores many binary oppositions—urban/rural, tradition/modernity, wealth/poverty, West/non-West, communism/capitalism, home/diaspora, male/female, body/soul—to reveal how sociopolitical forces mold individual lives. Ultimately, this spare but evocative novel portrays a woman who negotiates and finally reconciles those binaries to shape an identity that transcends history, tradition, and societal constraints.’ * World Literature Today *‘[A] very readable, enjoyable, gorgeous novel that deals with issues, serious and light, familiar and unfamiliar . . . That a novel covering such weighty issues as communism, patriarchal oppression, sexual violence, immigration and gender identity manages to be so warm and enjoyable is a huge achievement.’ -- Kate Gardner * Nose in a Book *‘[A] fascinating psychological portrait but also a careful exploration of desire and personal transformation.’ -- Michelle Bailat-Jones * Necessary Fiction *

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Book SynopsisThe latest thriller from South America's best-selling crime writer.When a Buenos Aires industrialist is found dead at his home in an exclusive gated community, the novelist Nurit Iscar - Betty Boo to her admirers-is invited to cover the story by her former lover, now the editor of a national newspaper. Working with the paper's veteran, but recently demoted, crime reporter and his hapless junior, Nurit uncovers a trail of murders that will lead all three to the highest echelons of power in Argentina. In Betty Boo Claudia Pineiro combines a chilling story of murderous revenge with a warm and funny portrait of friendship and love in middle age.Trade Review"Thursday Night Widows is a gripping story; rather like the maids and guards, we stand by and watch evil enter the lives of an obtuse, decadent, pseudo-community. There may be bloody murder at the centre of this novel, but the dystopia portrayed is an indictment not solely of an assassin but of Argentina's class structure and the willful blindness of its petty bourgeoisie." Times Literary Supplement "A fast-paced thriller, Pineiro's novel describes and critiques the lifestyles of Argentina' nouveau riche, chronicling their rise into the exclusive world of the Heights and their downfalls as the economy sours after 9/11. An excellent choice for fans of international crime stories." Booklist "Thursday Night Widows is a fine morality tale which explores the dark places societies enter when they place material comfort before social justice, and security before morality." Publishers Weekly "If you read only one crime book in translation this year, make "All Yours" the one, a book that grabs you from the start and whips along at pace. . Pineiro is a best-selling Argentinean author, and unlike many South American books this one doesn't loiter. It screams out to become a film - The Postman Only Brings Double Indemnity perhaps'. CrimeTime

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Book SynopsisSwiss Sensation Joël Dicker's compulsive follow-up to the phenomenally bestselling The Truth about the Harry Quebert AffairTrade ReviewSweeping, clever, heartbreaking and memorable. The perfect summer read -- Henrietta Richman * Grazia *Veers between nostalgia for what could have been and regrets for what can never be. Captivating and beautifully conceived -- Pascale Frey * Elle *A striking insight into America's weird class system, and a movingstory of brotherhood and family rivalry -- Melissa Katsoulis * The Times *A literary phenomenon -- Astrid de Larminat * Figaro *Once again, Dicker brilliantly combines all the elements that first enticed his legions of readers -- Julie Malaure * Le Point *Immense and detailed . . . The backstory is all-consuming and will not let you skip a single paragraph -- Rachael Revesz * Independent *Joël Dicker really knows how to tell a great story -- Stéphanie des Horts * Valeurs Actuelles *The Dicker who wrote The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair was a magician, a juggler. The Dicker of The Baltimore Boys has no need of such tricks. He is not just a good writer, he is a great writer -- Antonio d’Orrico * Corriere della Serra *A titan of a novel. Nabokovian. Highly recommended -- Laura Fernández * El Cultural de El Mundo *A new masterstroke from Joël Dicker. The ace up his sleeve -- Pierre-Yves Grenu * Culturebox *My goodness, this Joël Dicker can really spin a yarn -- Marianne Grosjean * Tribune de Genève *Really compelling. A multi-layered family saga that behaves like a thriller * Frankfurter Neue Presse *A novel with the power to enthral its readers and whose characters will remain fixed in your memory * ORF *A top-class literary thriller that smoothly outclasses its rivals -- Melissa Katsoulis * The Times on The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair *It's like 'Twin Peaks' meets Atonement meets In Cold Blood - the French thriller everyone is talking about -- Gaby Wood * Daily Telegraph on The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair *An expertly realised, addictive Russian doll of a whodunit -- Fanny Blake * Daily Mail on The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair *The book of the year * Simon Mayo on The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair *

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Book SynopsisThe profession he had always yearned for did not actually exist... he imagined a cross between a doctor and a priest, a man capable of understanding another's destiny at first glance. The very first investigation by eager young police secretary Jules Maigret leads him to a wealthy Paris family's dark secrets.Trade ReviewPraise for Georges Simenon:“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People “I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner “The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide “A supreme writer . . . Unforgettable vividness.” —The Independent (London) “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London) “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.”lle —Peter Ackroyd “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ― Times (London)"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ― Margaret Atwood"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ― Financial Times"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn."-- Stig Abell ― The Sunday Times (London)

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Book SynopsisAlienated from society, Harry Haller is the Steppenwolf, wild, strange and shy. His despair and desire for death draw him into an enchanted, Faust-like underworld. Through a series of shadowy encounters, romantic, freakish and savage by turn, Haller begins to rediscover the lost dreams of his youth.Trade ReviewThe gripping and fascinating story of disease in a man's soul, and a savage indictment of bourgeois society * New York Times *Existential masterpiece * The Times *A profoundly memorable and affecting novel * New York Times *

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Book Synopsis'Vital... [Erpenbeck] is asking a compelling and timely question' Sally Rooney, Irish Times Richard has spent his life as a university professor, immersed in the world of books and ideas. Recently retired, he steps into the streets of his city, Berlin, and discovers a new community. A tent city has grown up on Oranienplatz, established by African asylum seekers. Hesitantly getting to know the people there, Richard finds his life changing, as he begins to question his own sense of belonging in a city that once divided its citizens into them and us. At once a passionate contribution to the debate on race, and a beautifully written examination of an ageing man's quest for meaning, Go, Went, Gone showcases one of the great contemporary European novelists at the height of her powers. 'Profound, beautiful and deeply affecting... [An] extraordinary novel, bearing unflinching testament to history as it unfolds' Neel Mukherjee, New Statesman 'One of Europe's most highly regarded writers... Erpenbeck's most significant work to date' Financial TimesTrade ReviewErpenbeck is becoming one of Europe's most highly regarded writers, perpetually striving to create an artistic prism through which to interpret history's arc... Superbly translated by her usual collaborator Susan Bernofsky [...] there is a melancholic undertone to the novel, murmuring beneath its condensed, liquid prose. Deceptively unhurried, yet undeniably urgent, this is Erpenbeck's most significant work to date -- Catherine Taylor * Financial Times *Europe's outstanding literary seer, Jenny Erpenbeck's new novel resonates with an unexpected simplicity that is profound, unsettling and subtle. Astutely translated by Susan Bernofsky [...] Erpenbeck's powerful tale, delivered in a wonderfully plain, candid tone, is both real and true. It will alert readers, make us more aware and, it is to be hoped, more human -- Eileen Battersby * Guardian *A remarkable novel which questions our understanding of borders and identity and which calls above all for compassion -- Annie Rutherford * Skinny *Susan Bernofsky's finely crafted translation [...] reaches Anglophone readers at an opportune moment... Erpenbeck binds the upheavals of past and present, Europe and Africa. Lyrical and satirical by turns, she shows that fearful isolation, emotional or political, hurts wall-builders and wall-jumpers alike * Economist *Vital... [Erpenbeck] is asking a compelling and timely question -- Sally Rooney * Irish Times *Acclaimed novelist Jenny Erpenbeck has gone further than most in examining the ephemeral nature of human life... An immensely ambitious novel, tackling a wide, complex range of themes, it is about the arbitrariness of borders, both literal and metaphorical, and the notion of foreignness as opposed to belonging. It is about the complex nature of comprehension and compassion, and the places genuine empathy between foreign bodies might be achieved... It is also a clarion call, a righteous protest against dehumanising government systems [...] Ultimately Erpenbeck - wise, caring and profound - triumphs in this heart-rending plea for universal tolerance and respect -- Jane Graham * Big Issue *[In] this wise, moving novel [...] Erpenbeck demands that her fellow countrymen show compassion to those whose lives have been "cut off, as if with a knife"' -- Paul Connolly * Metro *At once urgent and contemporary [...] the brilliant German novelist, Jenny Erpenbeck, has taken on the churn of the great issues of refugees, illegal immigration and asylum in her latest novel, Go, Went, Gone and created something profound, beautiful and deeply affecting... It is a mark of Erpenbeck's compassion and her complex, nuanced understanding of the human motivations of sympathy that she can make [a] (white, liberal) weakness of Richard a tender, even humorous seam in her book... [An] extraordinary novel, bearing unflinching testament to history as it unfolds -- Neel Mukherjee * New Statesman *Jenny Erpenbeck shows us that we are involved already, whether we want to be or not -- Maren Meinhardt * TLS *Not only timely but masterful -- Michael Pollan * Guardian *Very moving -- Carol Morley * Observer *Lyrical, absorbing -- Julia Alvarez * International New York Times *

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Book SynopsisIn 1989, a North Korean dissident writer, known to us only by the pseudonym Bandi, began to write a series of stories about life under Kim Il-sung's totalitarian regime. Smuggled out of North Korea and set for publication around the world in 2017, The Accusation provides a unique and shocking window on this most secretive of countries. Bandi's profound, deeply moving, vividly characterised stories tell of ordinary men and women facing the terrible absurdity of daily life in North Korea: a factory supervisor caught between loyalty to an old friend and loyalty to the Party; a woman struggling to feed her husband through the great famine; the staunch Party man whose actor son reveals to him the absurd theatre of their reality; the mother raising her child in a world where the all-pervasive propaganda is the very stuff of childhood nightmare. The Accusation is a heartbreaking portrayal of the realities of life in North Korea. It is also a reminder that humanity can sustain hope even in the most desperate of circumstances - and that the courage of free thought has a power far beyond those seek to suppress it.Trade ReviewSpare, direct, unflinching and bitterly angry ... Bandi's characters struggle to live with love, humour and humanity while conforming to the demands of the regime, but are undone by the impossibility of the proposition, by the routine injustice, corruption and cruelties endemic in the system * Observer *A cross between parable and absurdist fiction ... yet Bandi [presents] a world in which North Koreans are nuanced: broken-hearted, idealistic, still full of life * Times Literary Supplement *Fascinating and chilling. Heartfelt and heartbreaking -- Margaret AtwoodCourageous and confounding ... It's a quiet privilege to be given access to the voiceless by listening to such vivid and uncompromised storytelling ... this collection of stories seems both a flickering light in North Korea's darkness and an unintentional reminder that it is getting darker here, too. * New Statesman *An extraordinary story of people in North Korea ... highly readable, nuanced and credible -- Stephen Evans, BBC South Korea Correspondent * BBC World Service *If poetry, as Wordsworth said, can be glossed as powerful emotion recollected in tranquillity, The Accusation reads like powerful emotion felt right now, in a condition of ongoing crisis ... In its scope and courage, The Accusation is an act of great love. -- RO Rwon * Guardian *What's especially satisfying about this collection is that its worth goes well beyond the political or historical. Without melodrama or hyperbole, Bandi places us in a parallel universe of oppressive ritual, military-style code words and bizarre restrictions ... it reads like an Orwellian dystopia, Bandi tears at the heart with simple illustrations of the tenderness between husband and wife, parent and child, and a people who gaze at the larks swooping and soaring above them and marvel at their freedom. -- Jane Graham * The Big Issue *Revealing the terrible truth of living in a country where any freedoms are curtailed, where famine and brutality are rife, but where human belief and hope can survive any odds, this is a defining read for 2017. * Emerald Street *The Solzhenitsyn of Pyongyang ... A luminous testimony, crammed with irony, on the insane regime of Kim Il-Sung and the hopelessness of the citizens of North Korea * L’Express *Even if one did not know anything about the writer or the way the manuscript was smuggled out of the country, it would not diminish the fact that the force of this collection of novellas evokes the classics of world literature about totalitarianism * L’ours *

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