The shortlist for this year’s Best Translated Book Award has been announced. Ten works of prose have shortlisted for the fiction aspect of the award, while five works of poetry have been shortlisted for the poetry aspect for the award.
Without further ado Gentle Reader here is the shortlist for this year’s Fiction Award [in no particular order]:
Ófeigur Sigurðsson – Iceland – “Öræfï: The Wasteland,”
Virginie Despentes – France – “Pretty Things,”
Clemens Meyer – German – “Bricks and Mortar,”
Dubravka Ugresic – Croatia – “Fox,”
Shahriar Mandanipour – Iran – “Moon Brow,”
Anne Serre – France – “The Governesses,”
Ahmed Bouanani – Morocco – “The Hospital,”
Sayaka Murata – Japan – “Convenience Store Woman,”
Patrick Chamoiseau – Martinique (French language – “Slave Old Man,”
In Koli Jean Bofane – Democratic Republic of Congo – “Congo Inc.: Bismarck's Testament,”
There are surprising omissions from this year’s shortlist for fiction. The obvious omission is “Flights,” Olga Tokarczuk. The fragmented novel, with numerous digressions on matters of anatomy, travel (physical and philosophical), anecdotes, and strange stories, all wrapped up in a patchwork of fragmented prose, is missing from this year’s shortlist. Though last year, Olga Tokarczuk had won the Man Booker International Prize with her novel “Flights,” and is once again shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize with her most recently translated novel: “Drive Your Plow over the Bones of The Dead.” These previous wins of course could have played a part in the judge’s deliberations of whether or not to include Olga Tokarczuk on the fiction shortlist. Award precedence and new found recognition aside, “Flights,” is a phenomenal novel.
Can Xue and her novel “Love in the New Millennium,” also found itself omitted from this years shortlisted authors. Can Xue had previously won the Best Translated Book Award in two-thousand and fifteen, and was also sadly not permitted access to this year’s Man Booker International Prize shortlist, though she was longlisted. Her surreal and visceral imaginative and Kafkaesque prose is notoriously difficult for readers to digest and this could explain why her novels have been denied from the shortlists.
Sjon is one of Iceland’s greatest literary exports. His novels have been well received both in the Nordic region as well as in the English language. His work carries both the high literary elements of postmodernism, with a keen interest to storytelling, narratives, and myths, which are noted as particular cornerstones in his longlisted novel “CoDex 1962: A Trilogy.”Yet Sjon also did not receive a position on the shortlist. Instead the other Icelandic author Ófeigur Sigurðsson received a coveted spot, with his novel: “Öræfï: The Wasteland,” a difficult postmodern romp, detailing a diverse conversation ranging from topography, myths, and death metal—it’s certainly a difficult novel that is not for faint of heart, but surely a worth contender.
It was surprising to see Guadalupe Nettel also not shortlisted for this year’s award. Nettel is considered one of Mexico’s most prominent young writers who have struck out in a fashion completely different from the previous Boom Generation. Despite this Nettel and her novel “After Winter,” did not secure a spot on this year’s shortlist.
It is interesting to see Sayaka Murata on this year’s shortlist. Of the three Japanese writers longlisted for this year’s award: Masatsugu Ono, Sayaka Murata, and Hideo Yokoyam—I had contemplated that Masatsugu Ono had the best chance of being inducted on this year’s shortlist. His novel “Lion’s Cross Point,” artfully dealt with tragedy via the perspective of a child in a remote fishing village in Japan. He has been considered the leading writer of the post-Murakami generation, and has been favorably compared to Nobel Laureate Kenzaburo Oe. Despite this, Sayaka Murata has made it to the shortlist. In her native Japan, Sayaka Murata is considered one of the most unique and exciting female writers currently at work in Japan’s literary scene. She tackles social and societal topics in her frank and often experimental works, which rebel against the social demands and conventions of contemporary Japanese society. “Convenience Store Woman,” is of no exception, mirroring and distorting the demands of Japanese society through the myopic and strange world of a narrator who has no sexual desires or romantic inclinations, who finds comfort and purpose in a dead end entry-level job with its strict code of conduct, and manual of regulated behaviors, which protects her from the unwritten and surreal world of the demands of family and society. Sayaka Murata and her novel “Convenience Store Woman,” is a powerful contender for this year’s award.
Anne Serre and her short novel “The Governesses,” did not receive a quick overview or blurb when I initially had discussed the longlist. Mistakenly I overlooked and underestimated the novel as a contender for the award, judging it as a contemporary tribute to the works of those three strange sisters: the Brontë’s (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne). Much like the novels of the Brontë’s, the novel takes place is a large country house isolated from the rest of the world, houses a family and three governesses who are responsible for the education of the young masters of the home. Unlike the moral stalwart, responsible and stoic governesses Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—these three governesses are frivolous, ambitious, desire ridden, and suffer boredom. The entire novel is written with a unique dark enticing fairytale like narrative, presented via telescopic voyeuristic lens. Surprise inductions only do to my own misguided and underestimating inability to take into account and consideration, the novels appeal and subjugating power.
The shortlist is unique, with a few surprise omissions, underestimated inclusions, and others as expected. It is also a testament to the difficulty of judging and measuring the weight of literature for an award, and contrary opinions are sure to be abound.
The
following Gentle Reader is the list of finalists for this year’s Poetry aspect
for this years award [in no particular order]:
Tanella
Boni – Ivory Coast/ Côte d'Ivoire – “The Future Has an Appointment with the
Dawn,”
Kim
Hyesoon – (South) Korea – “Autobiography of Death,”
Jure
Detela – Slovenia – “Moss and Silver,”
Luljeta
Lleshanaku – Albania – “Negative Space,”
Hilda
Hilst – Brazil – “Of Death. Minimal Odes,”
The
poetry shortlist was a great surprise Gentle Reader. As mentioned before, I am
not a poetry reader; not one bit. Yet I have some sense about it—if only to a
minimal degree. The omissions of Francis Ponge and his collection: “Nioque of
the Early-Spring,” and Friederike Mayrocker and her poetry collection
“Scardanelli.” Francis Ponge is considered one of the most revolutionary poets
of the twentieth century, renowned for his prose poems. The omission of his
recently translated and published collection “Nioque of the Early-Spring,”
which I thought for sure would reach it to the shortlist; I also thought the
same of Friederike Mayrocker’s recent collection: “Scardanelli.” This being
said, Friederike Mayrocker’s poetry is noted for being difficult,
uncompromising and complicated—still I thought that is what poetry readers enjoyed.
Kim
Hyesoon’s has made it on to the shortlist with her poetry collection: “Autobiography
of Death.” The (South) Korean poet is noted for her extreme poetry, which utilizes
surreal, visceral and experimental language, imagery, and metaphors to rebel
and revolt against the conservative and at times oppressive conventions and expectations
of Korean society. The body—specifically women bodies—is presented as a
machine, doomed to failure, and often the first act of rebellion, where one can
shut it up and close it off. “Autobiography of Death,” is once again no
different, only this time the body is dead, via unjust and violent ends—the spirits
wander and roam before being put back in the reincarnate cycle of life,
violence and death again. It’s a powerful poetry collection recounting the
national and violent tragedies and histories of the Korean peninsula, and has
been received remarkably well.
Both
Kim Hyesoon and Luljeta Lleshanaku have been shortlisted for this year’s Griffin
Poetry Prize in the international category.
On
a final note for poetry the title of Tanella Boni’s collection of poetry is the
most beautiful title on this list. A truly wonderful title! “The Future Has an
Appointment with the Dawn,” is an envious and marvelous title.
Congratulations
are in order for this year’s shortlisted authors and the best of luck to them!
Thank-you
For Reading Gentle Reader
Take
Care
And
As Always
Stay
Well Read
M.
Mary
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