Books in Translation

What are books in translation? Books in translation are books that have been translated from their original language into another one. This list includes books that were originally written in French, Spanish, Arabic, and more!

• At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop – A historical fiction set during World War I that follows Senegalese rifleman, Alfa Ndiaye, as his mental health spirals after performing what he believes to be an act of cowardice by refusing to kill his slowly dying best friend. The book explores guilt, the brutality of war, as well as Ndiaye’s family history and what fighting in a war has forced him to become.  

• The Story of a Goat by Perumal Murugan – Follows Poonachi, a goat living on a farm in southern India after being gifted to an elderly couple by a mysterious and potentially mystical being. Readers experience life in the village through Poonachi’s eyes, thoughts, and feelings. Murugan uses Poonachi as an allegory for the human condition and what it means to exist in a society that neglects those it should protect.

• Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrique – A 1599 Roman tennis match between the Italian painter Caravaggio and the Spanish poet Quevedo represents the way the world changed in their times, in a novel that goes from the execution of Anne Boleyn to Mexico after the conquest.

• The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz – A dystopian tale that follows Yehia, a man who is seeking a permit that will allow him to have life saving surgery. In order to get this permit he has to go to The Gate and join the ever growing and never shrinking queue. While in this queue Yehia learns why those near him are in the queue and begins to wonder if he’ll ever be able to get the permit that is legally required for him to have a surgery that will save his life.

• Until I Meet My Husband by Ryousuke Nanasaki – A memoir written by gay activist Ryousuke Nanasaki that recounts his experiences as a gay man living in Japan, ranging from his first crushes and awkward sexual experiences to marrying his husband in 2016 in what was the first religiously recognized same sex wedding in Japanese history.

• The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir by Karen Cheung – Born just before the United Kingdom handed Hong Kong over to China, Cheung’s memoir takes readers on a journey that is both joyous and tumultuous as she recounts what it was like to grow into her own person in a city that was also on a coming of age journey. 

• You Can Be the Last Leaf: Selected Poems by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat – Translated from the Arabic and introduced by Fady Joudah, You Can Be the Last Leaf draws on two decades of work to present the transcendent and timely US debut of Palestinian poet Maya Abu Al-Hayyat

• The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa – Part diary and part memoir, this “factless autobiography” is a collection of reflections on life by author Fernando Pessoa as he explores the human condition. 

Welcoming Week: International Movies

• Rafiki– When love grows between two long-time Kenyan female friends from families with different political views, they form a romantic relationship and must decide between their happiness or safety in their own country.

• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – A musical romantic drama where a young woman is separated from her lover who must go to war. After two years he returns but will she be there waiting for him?

• Memories of Murder = Salinui chueok – Based on the true story of a string of serial killings that rocked a rural community in the 1980s, a local officer reluctantly joins forces with a seasoned Seoul detective to investigate the crimes, leading each man on a wrenching, years long odyssey of failure and frustration that will drive him to the existential edge.

• Kibyoshi : the yellow cover – Ikue Mori continues to be one of the most respected and original voices in the laptop electronic music scene. Distinct and personal, her sounds are immediately recognizable as her own. For the past several years she has been incorporating visual imagery into her presentations, animating cutouts from Japanese woodblock prints in ways both charming and disturbing.

• Indoo Ki Jawani – A coming-of-age story of a girl who experience life through misadventures and dating apps.

• The beaches of Agnes – Provides a reflection on art, life, and the movies through a rich cinematic self portrait that touches on everything from the feminist movement and the Black Panthers to the films of Agnes Varda’s husband, Jacques Demy, and the birth of the French New Wave.

• The Firemen’s Ball – In a small provincial town, arrangements and events surrounding the firemen’s annual ball, honoring a retiring firechief, go wrong at every turn.

• 8 ½ – A semi-autobiographical film of Fellini about a film director (Mastroianni) who finds himself creatively barren at the peak of his career. He fantasizes at a resort to get away from the pressures of wife and staff.

Welcoming Week: Cookbooks

• The North African kitchen: regional recipes and stories by Fiona Dunlop – Features the cuisine of eight cooks working and living in North Africa, including brief biographies, favorite recipes from each cook, and photographs showcasing life in that region.

• Maydān : recipes from Lebanon and beyond by Rose Previt and Marah Stets – Rose Previte introduces readers to the eclectic cultures of the region spanning North Africa, the Caucuses, and the Middle East through food, offering a nuanced, informed, and yet entirely warm and personal way.

• Rambutan : recipes from Sri Lanka by Cynthia Shanmugalingam – Since Cynthia Shanmugalingam was a young girl, she has worked to piece together her sense of Sri Lanka, her ancestral homeland that she experienced through the wondrous flavors of her immigrant parents’ kitchen in London. In Rambutan, these ingredients, methods, and tastes-combining Javanese, Malay, Indian, Arab, Portuguese, Dutch and British influences-come together to create an irresistible portrait of modern Sri Lankan cuisine.

• A taste of Latin America : culinary traditions and classic recipes from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico & Venezuela by Patricia Cartin – This cookbook not only provides mouth watering recipes but also goes over the history and cultural importance of the dishes mentioned.

• Vegetarian India : a journey through the best of Indian home cooking by Madhur Jaffrey – Part cookbook and part travel log, Jaffrey collects her favorite vegetarian recipes from all across India and shares them with readers in this appetizing book. 

• Ever-green Vietnamese : super-fresh recipes, starring plants from land and sea by Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen – Although many people think of Vietnamese cooking as beefy pho and meat-filled sandwiches, traditional Vietnamese cooking has always involved a lot of plants and seafood and a little meat. In Ever-Green Vietnamese, Andrea Nguyen details how cooks in her home country draw on their natural resourcefulness and Buddhist traditions to showcase a wide array of herbs and vegetables in flavorful, comforting recipes.