Synopses & Reviews
Featuring the work of more than 28 writers from upwards of 20 countries,
Words Without Borders: The World through the Eyes of Writers transports us to the frontiers of the new literature for the twenty-first century.
In these pages, some of the most accomplished writers in world literature among them Edwidge Danticat, Ha Jin, Cynthia Ozick, Javier Marias, and Nobel laureates Wole Soyinka, Günter Grass, Czeslaw Milosz, Wislawa Szymborska, and Naguib Mahfouz have stepped forward to introduce us to dazzling literary talents virtually unknown to readers of English. Most of their work short stories, poems, essays, and excerpts from novels appears here in English for the first time.
The Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman introduces us to a story of extraordinary poise and spiritual intelligence by the Argentinian writer Juan Forn. The Romanian writer Norman Manea shares with us the sexy, sinister, and thrillingly avant garde fiction of his homeland's leading female novelist. The Indian writer Amit Chaudhuri spotlights the Bengali writer Parashuram, whose hilarious comedy of manners imagines what might have happened if Britain had been colonized by Bengal. And Roberto Calasso writes admiringly of his fellow Italian Giorgio Manganelli, whose piece celebrates the Indian city of Madurai.
Every piece here be it from the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Caribbean is a discovery, a colorful thread in a global weave of literary exchange.
Edited by Samantha Schnee, Alane Salierno Mason, and Dedi Felman
Review
"The pieces themselves are all gems....Imperfect, but one of the best introductions to non-Western writers there is." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
A cutting-edge compilation of literary works from around the world features an array of avant garde stories, poems, novel excerpts, essays, and other nonfiction from little-known writers representing more than fifteen countries, all introduced by such world renowned authors as Ha Jin, Wole Soyinka, Ariel Dorfman, and Jose Saramago. Original. 20,000 first printing.
Synopsis
Featuring the work of more than 28 writers from upwards of 20 countries, this collection transports us to the frontiers of twenty-first centuryliterature.
In these pages, some of the most accomplished writers in world literature among them Edwidge Danticat, Ha Jin, Cynthia Ozick, Javier Marias, and Nobel laureates Wole Soyinka, Gunter Grass, Czeslaw Milosz, Wislawa Szymborska, and Naguib Mahfouz have stepped forward to introduce us to dazzling literary talents virtually unknown to readers of English. Most of their work short stories, poems, essays, and excerpts from novels appears here in English for the first time.
The Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman introduces us to a story of extraordinary poise and spiritual intelligence by the Argentinian writer Juan Forn. The Romanian writer Norman Manea shares with us the sexy, sinister, and thrillingly avant garde fiction of his homeland s leading female novelist. The Indian writer Amit Chaudhuri spotlights the Bengali writer Parashuram, whose hilarious comedy of manners imagines what might have happened if Britain had been colonized by Bengal. And Roberto Calasso writes admiringly of his fellow Italian Giorgio Manganelli, whose piece celebrates the Indian city of Madurai.
Every piece here be it from the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Caribbean is a discovery, a colorful thread in a global weave of literary exchange.
Edited by Samantha Schnee, Alane Salierno Mason, and Dedi Felman
"
About the Author
Alane Salierno Mason is a senior editor at W. W. Norton & Company. She lives in New York City.
Dedi Felman is a senior editor at Oxford University Press. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Samantha Schnee is the former senior editor of Zoetrope: All-Story. She lives in Houston, Texas.
Table of Contents
Introduction ANDRE DUBUS I I I
Where Are You Running To?
MA JIAN
China
Introduced by Jonathan Safran Foer
Translated from the Chinese by Flora Drew
Meteorite Mountain
CAN XUE
China
Introduced by Ha Jin
Translated from the Chinese by Zhu Hong
Looking for the Elephant
JO KYUNG RAN
South Korea
Introduced by Don Lee
Translated from the Korean by Heinz Insu Fenkl
Children of the Sky
SENO GUMIRA AJIDARMA
Indonesia
Introduced by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Translated from the Indonesian by John H.McGlynn
The Scripture Read Backward
PARASHURAM
Bangladesh
Introduced by Amit Chaudhuri
Translated from the Bengali by Sukanta Chaudhuri
The Unfinished Game
GOLI TARAGHI
Iran
Introduced by Francine Prose
Translated from the Persian by Zara Houshmand
The Day in Buenos Aires
JABBAR YUSSIN HUSSIN
Iraq
Introduced by Alberto Manguel
Translated from the Arabic by Randa Jarrar
Two Poems
SANIYYA SALEH
Syria
Introduced by Adonis
Translated from the Arabic by Issa J. Boullata
Faint Hints of Tranquillity
ADANIA SHIBLI
Palestine
Introduced by Anton Shammas
Translated from the Arabic by Anton Shammas
Shards of Reality and Glass
HASSAN KHADER
Palestine
Introduced by Ahdaf Soueif
Translated from the Arabic by Ahdaf Soueif
A Drowsy Haze
GAMAL AL-GHITANI
Egypt
Introduced by Naguib Mahfouz
Translated from the Arabic by William Maynard Hutchins
The Uses of English
AKINWUMI ISOLA
Nigeria
Introduced by Wole Soyinka
Translated from the Yoruba by Akinwumi Isola
from Provisional
GABRIELA ADAMESTEANU
Romania
Introduced by Norman Manea
Translated from the Romanian by Carrie Messenger
Two Poems
SENADIN MUSABEGOVIC´
Bosnia
Introduced by Aleksandar Hemon
Translated from the Bosnian by Ulvija Tanovi´c
from Experiment with India
GIORGIO MANGANELLI
Italy
Introduced by Roberto Calasso
Translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein
from The Fish of Berlin
ELEONORA HUMMEL
Germany
Introduced by Günter Grass
Translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky
Seven Poems
BRONISLAW MAJ
Poland
Introduced by the Editors
Translated by Clare Cavanagh
from His Majesty, Almighty Death
MYRIAM ANISSIMOV
France
Introduced by Cynthia Ozick
Translated from the French by C. Dickson
from October 27, 2003
ETEL ADNAN
France
Introduced by Diana Abu Jaber
Translated from the French by C. Dickson with Etel Adnan
Vietnam.Thursday.
JOHAN HARSTAD
Norway
Introduced by Heidi Julavits
Translated from the Norwegian by Deborah Dawkin and Erik Skuggevik
Lightweight Champ
JUAN VILLORO
Mexico
Introduced by Javier Marías
Translated from the Spanish by Lisa Dillman
The Sheikas Condition
MARIO BELLATIN
Mexico
Introduced by Francisco Goldman
Translated from the Spanish by Cindy Schuster
When I Was a Man
AMBAR PAST
Mexico
Introduced by Elena Poniatowska
Translated from the Spanish by Samantha Schnee
from Revulsion
HORACIO CASTELLANOS MOYA
El Salvador
Introduced by Roberto Bolaño
Translated from the Spanish by Beatriz Cortez
The Chareron Inheritance
EVELYNE TROUILLOT
Haiti
Introduced by Edwidge Danticat
Translated from the French by Avriel Goldberger
from Kinds Silence
MARCELA SOLÁ
Argentina
Introduced by Luisa Valenzuela
Translated from the Spanish by Tobias Hecht
Baked Mud
JUAN JOSÉ SAER
Argentina
Introduced by José Saramago
Translated from the Spanish by Sergio Waisman
Swimming at Night
JUAN FORN
Argentina
Introduced by Ariel Dorfman
Translated from the Spanish by Marina Harss