Fiction in translation

Book SynopsisThe little crocodile Mawhoub does not go to school, but helps his family clean the house and collect firewood. But when the talkative fox told him about school, the crayons, and notebooks, and all the fun activities, he felt a strong desire to learn like other little ones. Mawhoub's father opposed his desire and told him that work is more useful than education! Can Mawhoub find a way to convince his father that children have the right to education?

Read more less

Book SynopsisA robot mom would be fun to have. She would fulfill all her child's requests, neither does she order nor punish! She would never leave to work, and stays near her little one, always! But does a robot mom know how to cuddle like your real mom? Can she give you hugs and kisses just like Moms do?

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf we look around us, we will find many shapes, some that we know and get to know the others. So, the sun is circular, tent is triangular, while the door is rectangular, and when we search well, we will find the square, hexagon, oval and octagon too. Unleash your imagination, and enjoy exploring the shapes in the house, nature, and wherever you go!

Read more less

Book Synopsis"Around the globe, thoughts circulate freely, visiting all people... She knocks on our doors seeking to enter, so we allow her... We host her to the table, offer a cup of tea, and a piece of cake... Together we laugh and entertain. But there are thoughts that breaks through the window, without permission... She enters, forcing us to host her... She coercively sits at the table, demand a cup of tea and a piece of chocolate cake. What if you welcome her, and sit in front of her at the table, what if you refuse to listen to her? and what if you listen?!"

Read more less

Book SynopsisText in Arabic. Nine disparate women, unknown to each other, are brought together by a tenth, a therapist, to share their stories. Regardless of their social standing, age, or profession, each woman is burdened by fear, insecurity, and loneliness. Some face a past they cannot leave behind; others, a present that is untenable, or a future that looms ominously. They find peace in one another and discover that courage overcomes all.

Read more less

Book SynopsisText in Arabic. Set in the dark days of the Spanish Civil War, Qalam an-Najjar charts the linked destinies of Dr Daniel Da Barca, the Republican who cheats death in Francos prisons, and Herbal, the illiterate Falangist, and of the unnamed painter with the carpenters pencil, the man who unites them in life and death. All are bound together by the events of the Civil War -- the artists and the peasants alike -- and all haunted by the power of the carpenters pencil.Trade ReviewI have learned more about the Spanish Civil War by reading The Carpenter's Pencil by Manuel Rivas than through all the history books. -- Gunter Grass, Nobel Prize of Literature 1999 A strange and haunting novel... a sincere and beautiful portrait of a brutal, ugly period of Spanish history. The Guardian El l piz del carpintero brings together the taste of popular legends from around the world Paris Match A profound tale of love, art, politics and the lingering effects of a gentleness and cruelty on the soul The Miami Herald A startling novel. I have rarely read a piece of writing so poetic Daily Telegraph The novel is magnificently structured... The language is rich... one of the best Spanish novels of recent years. It tells a story of great emotional power and speaks movingly of the ability of moral principle to resist fascism Times Literary Supplement Rivas is a superb stylist in the Spanish tradition of less is more Washington Post Magnificent Le Monde

Read more less

Book SynopsisText in Arabic. Gregorio is a middle-aged clerk, grey and ordinary, whose youthful aspirations for an exciting, more fulfilling life have faded completely. One day, he meets a man named Gil over the phone and everything begins to change. Through his conversations with Gil, Gregorio forges another personality for himself as Faroni, an attractive polyglot, engineer, poet, and world traveler. When Gil announces that he is finally coming to meet him, Gregorio becomes desperate to preserve his own lies and embarks upon a dangerous path. First published in Spanish in 1989, this novel won Spains Critics Prize that same year, followed by the National Literature Prize in 1990, making Luis Landero one of the top names in contemporary Spanish literature.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDovlatov and Surroundings is a literary ode by one of the most consequential late 20th-century Russian writers, Alexander Genis, to another: Sergei Dovlatov. Though the book’s focus is ostensibly the man himself, the text unfolds as a comprehensive look at the Soviet, post-Soviet, and American cultures that shaped him and which he shaped. Dovlatov and Surroundings constantly, but effortlessly shifts its focus from the intimate to the sweeping, as Genis’s reflections on his friendship with Dovlatov organically give way to recollections about diaspora life, which transition smoothly into analyses of language, culture, politics, and literature. Characterized by Genis as an obituary, this book makes plain the significance of Dovlatov to Russian literature and the nuances of the Soviet cultural heritage.Trade Review“Appearing almost a quarter of a century after the publication of the Russian original, Rojavin's translation into English of Aleksandr Genis’s Dovlatov i okrestnosti, an ambivalent tribute to Russian literary historian Sergei Dovlatov, is flawless. … Including (often-unattributed) witticisms… this book… provides a sociohistorical record of the Russian immigrant life and elements of the diaspora trying to maintain the identity of their native land. … Recommended.— D. Hutchins, CHOICE“Dovlatov and Surroundings in this new translation offers a cocktail of brilliant spirits: An informative introduction by accomplished scholar Mark Lipovetsky, then Alexander Genis’s striking and influential study of beloved (and tremendously funny) émigré author Sergei Dovlatov. Bilingual translator Alexander Rojavin has brought Genis’s work into precise and idiomatic English, hitting every note right.”— Sibelan Forrester, Susan W. Lippincott Professor of Modern and Classical Languages and Russian, Swarthmore College“A famous Russian émigré writer and a sharp Russian literary critic meet in this blend of a literary biography and a memoir. Sergei Dovlatov’s massive personality is portraited by Alexander Genis sympathetically and with keen observations. In this book, life and literature intertwine seamlessly, as was the case for both Dovlatov and Genis. Those interested in a detailed account of the aspirations and mind-set of the Soviet immigrants’ literary milieu in New York will find this narrative educational and fascinating. The book works as a perfect entrée to Dovlatov’s simple, but exquisite prose.”— Olga Bukhina, Translator, Author, Children’s Books Specialist“Genis achieves the same effect that Dovlatov did: he simultaneously makes the Third Wave of immigration more intimate and more mythological. On the one hand, Dovlatov and Surroundings is the best possible memorial to a generation of immigrants who left the Soviet Union on a Jewish visa and created a new Russian literature abroad. On the other hand, it is a house, filled with joyful and dramatic life, whose doors are open to all who wish to enter. The fact that Genis’s philological novel is coming out in English today is proof of this project’s success. When all is said and done, Genis’s book is an inexhaustible source of optimism…”— Mark Lipovetsky, from the prefaceTable of ContentsForeword: Genis and Surroundings, or Twenty Years Later by Mark Lipovetsky The Last Soviet Generation Laughter and Trepidation The Poetics of Prison Do You Like Fish? The Metaphysics of Error Cabbage Soup from Borjomi Tere-Tere Poetry and Truth None of Us Are Lookers An Empty Mirror A Dotted Novel All That Jazz Pushkin A Concert for an Accented Voice Halfway to the Homeland A Matryoshka with Genitals The Unwilling Son of the Ether Death and Other Concerns Without Dovlatov A Brief History of The New American Dovlatov as an Editor Dovlatov on the Screen Dovlatov and Death

Read more less

Book Synopsis“[A] gripping mix of stories and poems… interwoven with moments of quiet, affecting beauty… This remarkable work rescues an important 20th-century Israeli voice from obscurity.” — Publishers WeeklyThis book represents an anthology of Avigdor Hameiri’s ten most compelling war stories and poetry. His war stories are unique, and different from his Hebrew writer contemporaries in that they mix the supernatural and macabre with war, pogroms, and antisemitism. These stories and poems reflect like no other the unique complexity of the Jewish soldier’s experience of the most vicious and shocking war the world had witnessed to date — the battles, the agony, the dilemmas faced by the Jewish soldier, bravery versus cowardice, the notion of imminent death, breaking the sixth commandment (Thou Shalt Not Murder), elements of pacifism (particularly involving camaraderie between the common soldiers on both sides of the battlefield and their shared hatred for rank), and more.Table of ContentsIntroduction by Editors and TranslatorsIntroduction1. Under a Bloodred Sky (Poem)2. Christians (or, How My Hair Turned White Overnight)3. Silence (Poem)4. Revenge5. Satan’s Idyll (Poem)6. On the Verge7. Kill the Lights (Poem)8. The Spider9. On Guard (Poem)10. A Blessed Fall Dawn11. Question and Answer (Poem)12. Hanale13. Matrimony (Poem)14. A Night of Vigil15. By Hands of Man (Poem)16. The Storm17. The Filth King (Poem)18. Sarah Bänger19. The Bereaved Mothers (Poem)20. Gift21. On Fascism and Its Goal (Speech at the ceremonial opening of the Second National “Antifa” Conference in Tel Aviv, April 12, 1935 at Mugrabi Theater)

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis anthology, the first of this kind in twenty-five years, collects eighteen astounding works of Jewish fiction.This is the first anthology of translated multilingual Jewish fiction in 25 years: a collection of 18 splendid stories, each translated into English from a different language: Albanian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Ladino, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Yiddish. These compelling, humorous, and moving stories, written by eminent authors that include Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Isaac Babel, and Lili Berger, reflect both the diversities and the commonalities within Jewish culture, and will make you laugh, cry, and think. This beautiful book is easily accessible and enjoyable not only for Jewish readers, but for story-lovers of all backgrounds.Authors (in the order they appear in the book) include: Elie Wiesel, Varda Fiszbein, S. Y. Agnon, Gábor T. Szántó, Jasminka Domaš, Augusto Segre, Lili Berger, Peter Sichrovsky, Maciej Płaza, Entela Kasi, Norman Manea, Luize Valente, Eliya Karmona, Birte Kont, Michel Fais, Irena Dousková, Mario Levi, and Isaac Babel. Trade Review“Gold... collects a remarkably diverse array of translated Jewish stories and novel excerpts... This broad and wide-ranging anthology is a fitting ode to the ‘nearly inexhaustible richness and strength’ of the Jewish multilingual tradition."— Publishers Weekly“The stories Gold has chosen are almost uniformly gripping. Not only do their plots compel and the skill of their respective translators astonish; they also move the reader to reflect on the multifarious moral dilemmas that have faced the Jewish people, both as Jews and simply as human beings, in all the lands of their dispersion and at all phases of their history. … There is variety and delight in these stories, whose provenance circles the globe. Deeper still is their reflection on the soul of an ancient people spinning dizzily in a modern world.”— Rabbi David Wolpe, Los Angeles Review of Books“Edit­ed by Nora Gold, the book deliv­ers on its promise to share beau­ti­ful­ly craft­ed fic­tion that trans­ports read­ers across the globe in fif­teen min­utes or few­er. … This book serves as a tes­ta­ment to the pow­er of trans­la­tion.”— Deb­o­rah Miller, Jewish Book Council“What a treasure!”— Alberto Manguel, Director of the National Library of the Argentine Republic“[F]iction, particularly when it reflects the diverse experience of Jewish life throughout the world, gives readers the power to know more and expand the perspectives of the Jewish world we thought we knew. … Buy this anthology particularly if you consider yourself a lover of Jewish literature. It’s an outstanding introduction to the rich diversity that exists in Jewish writing around the world these days.”— Aaron Howard, Jewish Herald-Voice“What the translations of these pieces show is that there is spiritual unity among the themes expressed in these stories that identify them with the bitter-sweet and tragic history of the Jewish people. … Five stars.”— Chicago Book Review“This is a landmark anthology. Nora Gold is a remarkable pioneer who has my heartfelt admiration.”— Cynthia Ozick“This book by Nora Gold is like a treasure chest of marvels, each story a gem from a different time and place. There are living marvels here from so many times and places and voices and experiences that every reader’s idea of Jewish literature will have to be fargresert un farbesert—enlarged and improved.”— Dara Horn, award-winning author of People Love Dead Jews and Eternal Life“Rich and varied, 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages reminds us how diverse the Jewish experience is. For anyone interested in Jewish literature, it's a must-read book and an important addition to the Jewish literary canon.”— Joshua Henkin, Winner of the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for American Jewish Fiction“With this remarkable book, Dr. Gold makes a signal contribution to the current state and study of contemporary Jewish literature. Her anthology offers readers a world tour of Jewish literatures in one volume: 18 works that are of consistently high quality and represent numerous linguistic traditions. I know of no other anthology like this. It deserves significant critical attention and certainly will be of interest to teachers, students, and readers of Jewish literature, comparative literature, and world literature.”— Adam Rovner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English & Jewish Literature, and Director, Center for Judaic Studies, University of Denver“One thing is for certain: whether winners of the Nobel Prize or secret scribblers in remote Eastern European shtetls (or both), these writers have clung to their Judaism as if to their very being. Yet, ironically, it is this clinging to identity which makes this collection so universal. They are saying that, in all of the best and worst circumstances, this is who we are and who we shall remain. Nothing can change that. What a treat it is to ‘hear’ the voices from far and wide affirming our humanity.”— Joseph Kertes, Winner of a Canadian National Jewish Book Award and the U.S. National Jewish Book Award for Fiction“18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages explores the modern Jewish identity through the lenses of brutally honest writers. This luminous collection brims with unsettling glimpses of relatable moments, with evocative characters struggling to make sense of a mutable world. A crucial addition to Jewish fiction and an ideal book club choice, with countless themes for discussion.” — Shelly Sanders, Bestselling author of Daughters Of The Occupation (Harper Collins, 2022)“With editorial aplomb and resourcefulness, Gold has selected a wide variety of stories culled from the Jewish Diaspora. To shift the Biblical paradigm, one could also imagine the multicoloured mosaic on the cover as a Joseph’s coat of many colours whose fabric is on display in each of these stories. That garment may be torn or mended – stitched together and stretched across the linguistic spectrum of the Diaspora. … From the Tower of Babel to Isaac Babel, Nora Gold’s 18 is a treasure-trove of translated stories.”— Michael Greenstein, The Miramichi Reader“Nora Gold’s 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages is a multilingual journey through Jewish culture. … Gold’s curation allows readers to explore the vastness of Jewish culture through the eyes of renowned authors, offering a collection that is not only culturally enriching but also universally resonant. And it is not just for Jewish readers; it is a must-read for all lovers of stories illuminating the human experience in all its complexity. … Nora Gold’s meticulous curation and the anthology’s unique features make it a standout contribution to the world of literary collections, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of Jewish literature.”— Norm Goldman, BookPleasures“Readers interested in Jewish literature will find much to enjoy in 18. The anthology definitely shows the richness of Jewish fiction across the world.”— Rabbi Rachel Esserman, Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton’s The ReporterTable of ContentsForeword by Josh Lambert Introduction by Nora Gold Hostage Elie Wiesel Translated from French by Catherine Temerson The Guest Varda FiszbeinTranslated from Spanish by Andrea G. Labinger And The Crooked Shall Be Made Straight S. Y. AgnonTranslated from Hebrew by Michael P. Kramer The First Christmas Gábor T. SzántóTranslated from Hungarian by Walter Burgess and Marietta Morry Purimspiel Jasminka DomašTranslated from Croatian by Iskra Pavlović Purchase of Goods of Dubious Origin Augusto SegreTranslated from Italian by Steve Siporin The Rebbetzin's Sense of Justice Lili BergerTranslated from Yiddish by Ronnee Jaeger New York Peter SichrovskyTranslated from German by John Howard Golem Maciej PłazaTranslated from Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones Frozen Spring—Jerusalem Returning Entela Kasi Translated from Albanian by the author with assistance from Sarah Lawson Place of Birth Norman ManeaTranslated from Romanian by Jean Harris Sonata in Auschwitz Luize ValenteTranslated from Portuguese by Claudio Bethencourt The Washerwoman’s Daughter Eliya KarmonaTranslated from Judeo-Spanish by Michael Alpert A Place Nowhere Birte KontTranslated from Danish by Nina Sokol The Researcher Michel Fais Translated from Greek by Mina Karavanta Luck Irena Dousková Translated from Czech by David Livingstone Where Were You When Darkness FellMario Levi Translated from Turkish by Leyla Tonguç Basmaci Red Cavalry Isaac Babel Translated from Russian by Boris Dralyuk Acknowledgments Contributors Notes

Read more less