#WITMonth 2023 – Women in Translation

Another reading month I always look forward to with great anticipation is WIT Month – Women in Translation, founded by Meytal Radzinski. One thing I like to do each year is review my past year’s reading of women authors in translation, and I’m delighted to say it’s my best year ever. Admittedly, that’s buoyed by my own Nordic FINDS reading month in January (which will happen again in 2024), but also taking part in various other language reading months: Japan, France, Spain/Portugal and Germany usually.

What particularly pleases me about the month below is my increase in South American reading – Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay all feature. I particularly seemed to concentrate on Iceland outside of Nordic FINDS, but there is room for a good handful of French novels – which are probably my favourites. I have two French books to review (the latest from Amélie Nothomb and Valérie Perrin) for Shiny New Books, and Claudia Pineiro’s new novel, A Little Luck, to read (thank you to Charco Press), plus loads more already on my shelves including Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal.

Here’s the list of the Women in Translation I’ve read since last #WITMonth. As you’ll see missing after Japan, is the rest of Asia, and all of Africa from this list (I have read several novels from these continents written in English, just not in translation). I am particularly enjoying my South American and European focus though…

August 2022

• Lost World by Patrícia Melo – Review – Brazil / Portuguese
• Marzahn, Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp – (10/10) Review – German
• Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto –  Review – Japanese
• Harm by Sólveig Pálsdóttir – Review – Icelandic
• Betty Boo by Claudia Pineiro – Review – Argentinian / Spanish
• Deceit by Jónína Leósdóttir – Review – Icelandic
• Salt Crystals by Cristina Bendek –  Review – Colombian / Spanish
• We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets – Review – Dutch
• Urgent Matters by Paula Rodriguez –  Review – Argentinian / Spanish
• I Remain in Darkness by Annie Ernaux –  Review – French
• Animal Life by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir – Review – Icelandic

2023

• This Should be Written in the Present Tense by Helle Helle – Review – Danish
• The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson – Review – Finnish
• You Will Never Be Found by Tove Alsterdal – Review – Swedish
• The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin – Review – French
• The Hand That Feeds You by Mercedes Rosende – Review – Uruguay / Spanish
• The Acapulco by Simone Buchholz – Review – German
• Skin Deep by Antonia Lassa –  Review – French
• First Blood by Amélie Nothomb – Belgian / French
• Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen – Review – Danish
• The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson – Review – French
• Forgotten on Sunday by Valérie Perrin – French
• Deadly Autumn Harvest by Tony Mott – Review – Romanian