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New & Notable
At Belletrista, we are constantly on the lookout for new and forthcoming books
that we think look exciting. Below are some of our favourites for Summer and
Autumn 2009. We are a diverse group, so we hope that there will be something
in here for everyone. We want to encourage our readers to experience literature
written in, or about, parts of the world their reading hadn't taken them to
before. In order to help with this, we have categorized the books according
to where we think they best represent. Of course, we couldn't resist adding a
few of our more familiar favourites in there as well. We have provided some
publisher information to help you track down the books you are interested in,
but this can vary from place to place. If you like the look of something,
check with your local bookshop or library for the best way to get hold of it.
Bon voyage!
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EUROPEAN REGION
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THE JEWISH HUSBAND
Lia Levi
Translated from the Italian by Anthony Shugaar
A tender, if bittersweet love story between a young Jewish professor and a
privileged daughter of wealthy, gentile family set in 1938 when Italy has
imposed its infamous race laws. Winner of the Moravia Prize for fiction.
Europa Editions (US & UK), paperback, 9781933372938, (Sept.)
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LONG DAYS
Maike Wetzel
Translated from the German by Lyn Marvel
With pared down but insistent language, Wetzel achieves in these short stories,
a poise and clarity and presents lives that are as arresting as they are arrested.
Comma Press (UK), paperback, 9781905583027
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BABA YAGA LAID AN EGG
Dubravka Ugresic
Translated from the Croatian by Ellen Elias-Bursác, Celia Hawesworth and Mark Thompson
Part of the Canongate Myth series, Ugresic's novel retells, through the voices
of three contemporary women, the story of Baba Yaga, one of the most famous stories
in Russian and Eastern European mythology.
Canongate (UK), hardcover, 9781847670663
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WESTERN
Christine Montalbetti
Translated from the French by Betty Wing
Taking on the most classically male American genre, French novelist,
playwright and literary critic Montalbetti borrows movie technique to
tell the story of a mysterious cowboy with a terrible secret.
Dalkey Archive Press (US), paperback, 9781564785282
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ALL OUR WORLDLY GOODS
Irene Nemirovsky
Translated from the French by Sandra Smith
First published in France in 1947 after the author's death, All Our Wordly
Goods is a gripping story of family life and starcrossed lovers, of money and
greed, set against the backdrop of France from 1911 to 1940 between two terrible wars.
Vintage (UK), paperback, 9780099520443
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ON BLACK SISTERS' STREET
Chika Unigwe
A story of courage, unity, and hope, this novel follows four very
different African women as they make their way to Europe. Chika Unigwe
was born in Nigeria and currently lives in Belgium
Jonathan Cape (UK), paperback, 9780224085304
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KASSANDRA AND THE WOLF
Margarita Karapanou
Translated from the Greek by N. C. Germanacos
First published in 1974, this is a new publication of Karapanou's acclaimed
first novel, a modern retelling of the story of Kassandra and the Wolf.
Interlink (US), paperback, 9781566567718 (Oct.)
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THE WATER'S EDGE
Karin Fossum
Translated from the Swedish by Charlotte Barslund
A peaceful community is deeply shaken by the murder of a young boy.
Inspector Sejer is investigating when a second child goes missing.
Harvill Secker (UK), hardcover, 97828446551703
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (US), hardcover, 9780151014217
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THERE ONCE LIVED A WOMAN WHO TRIED TO KILL HER NEIGHBOR'S BABY: SCARY FAIRY TALES
Ludmilla Petrushevskaya
Translated from the Russian by Keith Gessen and Anna Summers
Blending the miraculous with the macabre, and leavened by a mischievous
gallows humor, these bewitching tales are like nothing being written in
Russia, or anywhere else in the world today.
Penguin, paperback, 9780143114666
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