Lizzy's Picks for Women in Translation Month

Started in 2014, August has been an annual chance to celebrate women writers that write in languages other than English. It's a really important time for helping to get more people reading and talking about books from places elsewhere, and to promote an expanding awareness of international writing perspectives. For me, I have found some of my favourite books and authors through trying out translated books and have a whole load more on my TBR. I've rounded up a few authors from a few different countries who I think are well worth checking out, as well as 1 translator who I loved hearing from when she visited the Auckland Writers Festival earlier this year. I also have a heap more books all collated in one handy list for you to browse!

Emi Yagi has two incredible sounding books that are right up my alley - both small, slim volumes about women in slightly weird situations doing slightly weird things. 'When the Museum is Closed' is a quirky story about a woman who gets a new job hanging out with a statue of Venus after hours in the museum, but soon falls in love. 'Diary of a Void' is a clever and stressful story of a woman who decides to pretend she is pregnant in order to avoid harassment at work, and it's one of those books you can't put down because there's no way it can all resolve without a bit of chaos. This was her first cult hit, and won a debut fiction prize in Japan when it was published. Either of these would be worth a read if you enjoy stories about people who don't quite fit in, and novels that challenge typical societal expectations (perfect if you, like me, loved 'Convenience Store Woman'!).

I'm in my horror era and Mariana Enriquez is an author I have been meaning to read for AGES. She is an Argentine journalist and writer of essays, novels and short stories and part of the neo-gothic Latin American writing trend that I'm pretty obsessed with. Her horror writing is visceral and grounded in the most intimate parts of our lives, full of uncertainty and ambivalence. If horror is your thing you should absolutely try picking up one of her books - either her short story collection 'The Dangers of Smoking in Bed' or the supernatural saga of a father and son in 'Our Share of Night'. 

Han Kang has written one of my favourite books of all time, 'The Vegetarian', a disturbing story of a woman who decides to reclaim control of her life by restricting her eating. It's an incredibly visceral novel with images and scenes that have stayed with me for the years after having read it. Han Kang holds back no punches, with her books often confronting trauma on a personal level or historical/societal level. 'Human Acts' is a brutal book of hers, exploring the trauma and aftermath of the Gwangju Uprising in South Career.  Starting her writing career as a poet, her books are devastating with their use of language and the translations deliver the impact flawlessly. 

Solvej Balle is a new favourite for me after getting absolutely absorbed in incredible 'On the Calculation of Volume' series. Think Groundhog day turned literary fiction with this series translated from Danish, all about a woman who somehow falls into a time loop where she can't stop reliving November 18th. The first book was a quietly reflective meditation on time and the distance created by it, and I can't wait to continue with Volume 2! If literary fiction is your thing, and your okay with writing that is more vibes than plot (although I hear the plot does pick up!), then you should try this one. I am more than a little obsessed. 

The winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature, winner for the International Booker Prize with one novel ('Flights') and shortlisted with another ('Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead'), Tokarczuk is a contemporary voice in literature that everyone should be aware of. Her work defies being able to label as one particular genre, with each novel/collection exploring something new and experimental. First up for me is reading 'Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead' - an existential murder mystery about local animals getting revenge, full of mourning and rage. It sounds right up my alley!

I was lucky enough to hear from Shanna Tan at the Auckland Writer's Festival this year and it was fascinating listening to her reflect on the quiet healing romance novels she had been translating, as well as the feminist revenge book she was working on (now out! It's called 'Plant Lady' and it sounds amazing). I think it's easy to forget (at least for me) the importance of the translator in the process of getting international books into our hands, and how the translation itself is a relationship between writer and translator, and translator and reader. They are key to our reading experience, and do so much more than just replace one word with another one. Listening to Shanna made me reflect a bit more on the importance of a translator who understands and respects the source material, and also understands the audience they are translating it for. Shanna Tan is all over our 'healing fiction' genre - translating books from Korea, Japan and China, so make sure to go check some out!

I would love to hear what other authors I should check out from around the world! I have over 50 books collected together for Women in Translation - so make sure to go check that list out to because I had SO many favourites.