Review: A Perfect Crime by A Yi

A Perfect Crime by A Yi, translated by Anna Holmwood (Oneworld Publications, 210 pages)

This latest novel by the Chinese writer A Yi is a quick read, not just because it's a bit over 200 pages, but because it's a crime novel narrated by the killer himself, so...

I'm always intrigued by stories like this, because writers can delve into the psychologies of their main characters and dredge up some qualities that we might see within ourselves. I'm thinking here, for instance, about Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley and Hughes's In a Lonely Place. And this is precisely what Yi does with his unnamed, muderous teenaged narrator, bringing us into his mind as he plans and then executes his crime.

Random Recommendation Guest Post: The Book in the Renaissance by Andrew Pettegree

This recommendation comes from John E. O. Stevens. Follow him on twitter @eruditeogre and check out his blog here.

The Book in the Renaissance (2010) by Andrew Pettegree

"The dawn of print was a major turning point in the early modern world. It rescued ancient learning from obscurity, transformed knowledge of the natural and physical world, and brought the thrill of book ownership to the masses. But, as Andrew Pettegree reveals..., the story of the post-Gutenberg world was rather more complicated than we have often come to believe. The Book in the Renaissance reconstructs the first 150 years of the world of print, exploring the complex web of religious, economic and cultural concerns surrounding the printed word. From its very beginnings, the printed book had to straddle financial and religious imperatives, as well as the very different requirements and constraints of the many countries who embraced it, and, as Pettegree argues, the process was far from a runaway success. More than ideas, the success or failure of books depended upon patrons and markets, precarious strategies and the thwarting of piracy, and the ebb and flow of popular demand. Owing to his expert and highly detailed research, Pettegree crafts an authoritative, lucid, and truly pioneering work of cultural history about a major development in the evolution of European society."

Review: The Dead Mountaineer's Inn by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky, translated by Josh Billings

 





Review on the Speculative Fiction in Translation site

Review: This Place Holds No Fear by Monika Held

This Place Holds No Fear by Monika Held, translated by Anne Posten (Haus Publishing, 277 pages)

When I hear the word "Auschwitz," I automatically think about the Jews who were murdered there. But then I remind myself that the Jews suffered alongside many other people, including political prisoners, who were sent to the camp because they were Communists or simply spoke out against the Nazis. This Place Holds No Fear, like The Zookeeper's Wife, Gertruda's Oath, and On Hitler's Mountain, reminds us of the sacrifices and sufferings of Christian Europeans who resisted the evils of WWII.

In this fictionalized account of the life of an actual Auschwitz survivor, Held explores what it means to be a "survivor" and continue living, always remembering the horrors and unspeakable crimes witnessed in the camps. This is the story of Heiner Rosseck from Vienna, prisoner number 63,387 at Auschwitz, arrested and sent to the camp for being a Communist. As one of Heiner's friends remarks to his wife, Lena, "Heiner's mission was: Stay alive. Be a witness. Stand in a court of law and say: I saw what happened there."

Books to Look For (April): Science Fiction

Teranesia by Greg Egan (Night Shade Books, 280 pages, April 21)

Bizarre evolutionary mutations in the Teranesian island's butterfly population have drawn two married biologists and their kids to live there and do research. They are forced to leave the island, though, when civil war breaks out in Indonesia, but twenty years later, daughter Madhusree returns to pick up where her parents left off. Prabir, her brother, follows her there unwillingly. What they find is both beautiful and dangerous. This reminds me of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy in many ways, and I'm intrigued.



The Affinities by Robert Charles Wilson (Tor Books, 304 pages, April 21)

I haven't yet heard of a novel that tackles the "social media" topic well, so I'm cautious, but The Affinities sounds promising. In that reality, new analytic technologies can sort people into "Affinities," where the like-minded can easily talk to one another and cooperate on projects or social events. Pretty soon, though, the Affinities challenge the authority of governments and corporations, and ultimately go to war with one another. Hmmm...

Reading More Translated Books Will Make You a Better Person

One of my literary New Year’s resolutions was to read more works in translation, and so far, I’ve done pretty well. According to my records, nearly 50% of my reading has been translated fiction.

Why did I make this one of my resolutions? Because reading a book that wasn’t written in my native language, by someone whose culture I’m probably unfamiliar with, will help make me a better person.

Now, I’m no la-dee-da-utopia-flowers-unicorns-loooooooove-sparkly-stars! kind of girl. As you know. But I do know, from my own experience and from reading essays and posts by translators, as well as articles and introductions by translated writers, that the very act of translation is a bridging of (seemingly disparate) cultures. Of course, American culture is different from French culture is different from Indonesian culture, etc. Ultimately, though, we are all plain ol’ humans, and humans have some, you know, cross-cultural/national/ethnic similarities. We all love, hate, fight, care for one another, dream, and above all, tell stories.