Get Lost in Translations

Weeks and weeks ago, writer Aleksandar Hemon showed up in Time magazine—a whole page devoted to him. In fact, he's gotten lots of mainstream press recently, as has his publisher, Dalkey Archive Press (which I've mentioned on Lull numerous times). Hemon's book, Best European Fiction 2010, is being touted as a must-read, especially for folks who take their translations in small doses.

If you're like me—an avid reader who reads very few new translations of books—it's time to stretch and see what we've been missing. In addition to the Dalkey Archive Press, check out Open Letter Books, the University of Rochester's publishing arm that specializes in translations.

Or go to UR's literary site, Three Percent. The name is a reference to the percentage of all books published in the U.S. that are translations. Translated literary fiction and poetry represent only 0.7 percent of the books. With numbers like this, you probably won't find a translated novel on that 3 for 2 table at your local Borders.

So rely on these Web sites to give you the latest news about translations, and synopses that will help you choose something you're interested in. Then, expand your world with a novelist you don't know.

"A book is an axe to the frozen sea around us."
—Franz Kafka

[Art courtesy of Picasso.]