Thoughts on translated fiction from a member of our Teen Advisory Board
Scarlett from our Teen Advisory Board discusses (and recommends!) fiction in translation.
One of my favourite genres is translated literature! It provides fresh perspectives, from all around the world, on issues individuals and society are facing. This gives readers like me a more holistic view of the world they live in and expands our perspective of humanity.
As a child, I grew up learning from my Mum the struggles she had to endure from escaping an unsafe home country, but she also taught me the love she has for the different languages she was forced to learn. Growing up as an immigrant has taught me how each language can teach you different things and are representative of the culture of the country. For example, the word Tsundoku in Japanese means acquiring more books than you could realistically read. A single word in one language could translate and mean something completely different in another, which is why I take pride in trying to find books that were originally written in a different language. Reading translated books helps to deepen my understanding of the world, including the hardships that people in another country may face daily, even though I may never have had to go through it.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (translated from Swedish by Neil Smith)
This heart-warming, tear-jerking and absolutely hilarious contemporary Swedish novel has become popular within the online book community — as it should be. The story of Anxious People centres on a botched bank heist that turns a viewing of an apartment into a hostage situation, as well as the investigation that follows. The bank robber is distressed, the victims are contentious and difficult, and the realtor is incompetent. But things take a dangerous turn when a gunshot is fired, and the cops discover a bloody apartment.
This is a darkly humorous yet upbeat tale about a collection of impossibly difficult characters who are all thrown together. It is about empathy and the problems we all face, about people's struggles, hopes, and dreams, and about a missing bank robber whom the police are unable to find. This book is the definition of a character-driven story, and was my favourite book last year. I laughed and cried along with the characters, as Backman explored the meaning of love and life, in such a unique way. Everyone needs to read this book.
The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa (translated from Japanese by Stephen Snyder)
A heartrending dystopian Japanese novel with a focus on humanity and what we take for granted, which the book expresses through a bizarre twist.
Things are disappearing on an unidentified island off an unnamed coast, starting with hats and progressing to ribbons, birds, and roses before things get much worse. Most people on the island are unaware of these changes, and the few people who have the ability to recall the vanished items must live in fear of the brutal Memory Police, who are dedicated to keeping what has vanished forgotten.
A young woman who is battling to sustain her profession as a novelist devises a scheme to conceal her editor under her floorboards when she learns that he is in danger from the Memory Police. They cling to her writing as the last remaining means of preserving the past while dread and loss encircle them.
A bizarre, thought-provoking fable about the terrors of state surveillance, the power of memory, and the anguish of loss.
A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos (translated from French by Hildegarde Serle)
A preconceived idea in the reading community is that only commentary novels can tackle harder topics, but this book proves otherwise. This beautiful fantasy quartet was translated from French and the first book, A Winter’s Promise, is a sensational story of a girl whose life was placed under the care of a man against her will.
In the world of A Winter’s Promise, God decreed a rupture upon the globe, causing it to shatter into arks because he felt that the people did not satisfy him enough. People who live on each of these arks have special, almost magical talents. One of these inhabitants, Ophelia, has the capacity and talent to read the histories of things. Her idyllic life is upended when she has to marry Thorn, an influential and disliked member of another ark clan. She is subsequently forced to leave her home and relocate to her fiancé's ark: The Pole. Ophelia must hide since nobody can be trusted. Murders are committed, suspicious poisonings arise, and certain dark secrets and identities are revealed.
A Winter’s Promise is a very classical young adult book and has the characteristic whimsy that French writing often possesses. The main themes are manipulation, love, and abuse of power. I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone who likes suspense, cliffhangers, and slow-burn romance. A Winter’s Promise is truly a wonderful adventure.