August is Women in Translation Month! For many of you, this has had zero impact on your reading life (although if you’ve been seeing more pieces focusing on translated works this week, perhaps this explains why?). Meytal Radzinski established Women in Translation Month in 2014. The purpose has always been to read and promote the works of women in translation, and the works of women whose work has not yet been translated.
The purpose of the month, and the reason for its specific focus, is layered: a vanishingly small percentage of books published in the U.S. are translated works, and in the years between 2008 and 2013, just before Women in Translation Month was established in 2014, only 26% of those translated works were by women. That percentage is shifting. Publishers Weekly cited that between 2022 and 2024, 47% of books in translation were written by women. The gap, while still present, is slim.
I’ve read increasingly more translated works in recent years. My theory on why is twofold: though a notoriously small percentage of books sold in the United States are translated works (3% is an often-cited figure), I’ve found a few favorite small presses who regularly publish works in translation. My list of read-and-loved translators and authors in translation has grown longer, and I rely on these small presses to point me toward as-yet-undiscovered works. Since I have more translated works at easy reach, it’s no surprise I’m reading them more frequently.
Why read in translation? These works take readers beyond armchair tourism: they allow readers to travel far away thanks to the written word, but go a step further, immersing us in cultures that are different from those familiar to us. Not only have I learned about the wider world and its literature through reading in translation, I’ve also come to more deeply understand much that previously remained invisible and unquestioned about the style and conventions of the American and British novels that occupy the biggest chunk of my reading time.
For your literary perusal and convenience, we’ve rounded up our book lists featuring translated works below. I hope you enjoy this collection and that it introduces you to new favorite authors and translators.
12 books to read for Women in Translation Month.
20 wonderful new and backlist books in translation.
10 books in translation for Women in Translation month.
Expand your literary horizons with these 20 books in translation.
7 favorite books in translation to read this year.
Do you have a book in translation on your TBR list this month? Tell us what you’re reading—or what you recommend—in the comments.
10 comments
I’m currently reading The Wall by Marlen Haushofer (translated by Shaun Whiteside), originally published in 1963. The premise follows a middle-aged woman vacationing in the Austrian Alps who wakes up to discover that an invisible wall has mysteriously separated her from the rest of the world.
I first heard about it on a podcast, and while the premise sounded a little strange, I couldn’t resist picking it up. So far, I’m finding the writing absolutely beautiful, and the story has completely pulled me in. I’m really looking forward to seeing where it goes.
I’d recommend When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen which is a beautifully written story about old age (although if you are currently caring for elders then maybe skip it?) and Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin which is a fantastic story about the caretaker of a cemetery and is somehow not as depressing as that sounds (although there are some difficult passages).
I recently finished When the Cranes Fly South. A wonderful book but very sad.
Three Apples Fell from the Sky (Armenia)
The Door -Szabo (Hungarian)
You with Hands More Innocent (Croatian)
Laurus (Russian)
When the Cranes Fly South (Swedish)
Adventures with Waffles (Norwegian)
The Memory Police (Japanese)
Inkheart (German)- reading with my kids right now and loving it. Lots of book references!
I just finished The Letter Carrier (Italian) about an independent woman forging her own path in Italy through to 1930s to 1950s. This story was actually inspired by the author’s grandmother. I appreciated that the details of WWII were skipped over allowing more time for other important events (women’s suffrage etc.).
I recently read “Marigold Mind Laundry” by Jungeun Yun. It is a Korean novel translated by Shanna Tan. It was SO very good! I have “The Kamagawa Food Detectives” by Hisashi Kashiwai and “Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi in my TBR list.
One of the links mentioned Madame Victoria by Catherine Leroux which I haven’t read. But I did read and love The Future by her after it was picked for our Canadian annual book contest, Canada Reads, in 2024.
Another book by a Quebecois writer, who is also indigenous, that I recommend is The Lover, the Lake by Virginia Pesemapeo Bordeleau. Both of these books were translated by Susan Ouriou, who does a great job.
One of my favorite translated books is Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk. It grabs you and won’t let go.
I’ve read two translated books by the French author Marc Levy. “The Heart of Everything” was a wonderful romantic story about family, music, and love. I’m currently reading “Replay,” which is a thriller/murder mystery. A real page-turner.
Thanks for this. I also enjoy books in translation because they take me to new places. The authors come from other cultures, literary traditions, and address other themes.
Sometimes I find books in translation in the lists of Booker International long lists.
A couple of my favorites from recent years are:
You Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrique
The Director by David Kehlmann
Greek Lessons by Han Kang
Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrero