This is an archived issue of Belletrista. If you are looking for the current issue, you can find it here
Belletrista - A site promoting translated women authored literature from around the world
Image of Beirut39 logo photo of Asa Larsson photo of open book

Thirty-nine Arab writers under the age of 39. Akeela Gaibie-Dawood looks at the award and the women who were honored.

Carolyn Kelly in praise of Swedish author Åsa Larsson

SPECIAL FEATURE: More reviews! In keeping with our short fiction theme this month, we review anthologies.

Happy New Year, and welcome to Belletrista's exciting third issue!

In this issue we have chosen to emphasize short fiction. Author Tania Hershman has written a wonderful piece on the subject (click on "Stopping to Smell the Miniature Roses" below), and we have put together a special section of anthology reviews. We were very pleased to discover that The Guardian has recently published an article on women and short fiction, too (once again proving that great minds think alike)! Here's a link to their article; perhaps you will enjoy reading it as much as we have here at Belletrista.

We like to think we have something for every fiction reader in this issue, and we hope you will explore all the magazine has to offer—from our regular reviews and new & notable offerings, to our engaging feature pieces which explore the work of Åsa Larsson, Annie Ernaux, and the very welcome Beirut39 project.We hope you will enjoy Belletrista 3, and will be interested in reading some of the excellent books highlighted here. Please let us know what you think—your comments are always welcome!

Reviews
Below is a tantalizingly small selection of this month's reviews....
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MY DRIVER
Maggie Gee

A comedy set against the backdrop of war might not seem viable, but Maggie Gee makes it work.
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Reviewed by Amanda Meale
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TRANSLUCENT TREE
Nobuko Takagi
Translated from the Japanese by Deborah Iwabuchi

Translucent Tree is a story that redefines what we know about romance, love, and the traditional means by which we try to obtain that love.
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Reviewed by C. Lariviere
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AS THE EARTH TURNS SILVER
Alison Wong

Although As the Earth Turns Silver is Alison Wong's debut novel, the expectations are already high. In August this year she became just the third recipient of the Janet Frame award for fiction, which is fast becoming one of New Zealand's highest literary honours.
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Reviewed by Andy Barnes
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BABA YAGA LAID AN EGG
Dubravka Ugrešić
Translated from the Croatian by Ellen Elias-Bursac

Ugrešić's take on the Slavic Baba Yaga story is part of the Canongate "The Myths" series, for which an outstanding collection of writers have each produced a contemporary retelling of a myth. The prospect of a retelling of Baba Yaga by a writer I admire greatly was too much to resist....
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Reviewed by Rachel Hayes
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THE DISAPPEARED
Kim Echlin

The Disappeared, one of the five books shortlisted for the 2009 Giller Prize, is a novel about inexplicable loss and obsessive love. In this novel Anne Greves reflects on her lifelong love for Serey, a love that takes her from her sheltered life in Montreal to war-ravaged Cambodia.
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Reviewed by Joyce Nickel


Stopping to Smell the Miniature Roses
Picture of Tania Hershman
Author Tania Hershman on the wonders of short fiction.
TRIO:
Three Books by Annie Ernaux

Photo of Annie Ernaux
Darryl Morris introduces us to three novels by French author Annie Ernaux in Belletrista's first "TRIO" feature.
New and Notable Books
Photo of a pile of books
And with the New Year comes more interesting books for the Belletrista reader!