8 books to read in celebration of Women in Translation month

Women in Translation Month is an annual celebration that toasts to women authors from around the globe who write in languages other than English. With the growing interest in translated fiction, it is refreshing to note that curating this year's list was relatively easier than last year's. There was a wide array of options from European to South American works, as well as an encouraging emergence of Southeast Asian literature. However, it is worth noting that the selection of titles by Bangladeshi female authors (or South Asian authors, in general) translated into English remains limited.

Truth be told, all of this Brazilian author's titles could fit perfectly into this category. However, for the sake of calling favourites, we are including Near to the Wild Heart. This youthful, ferocious, passionate tale follows two women—Joana and Lidia—interlaced by the wretched adoration of Otavia, their lover. While Joana is a freethinking individualist, Lidia is the secure embrace of a mother, which creates a visible contrast in their worlds and questions the existential and emotional justification of the human psyche. From a superficial viewpoint, this tale might seem a tad conventional, but Lispector's stylistic prose is bound to make you think beyond your horizons. 

An honourable mention in the Global Humanities Translation Prize, Bright tells the poignant story of Kampol, a young boy who is abandoned by his father and then raised collectively by his community. At the age of five, Kampol is told by his father to wait for him in front of a dilapidated apartment complex. Obedient and confused, Kampol waits endlessly until the harsh realisation sets in—his father is not coming back. Taken in by the community, Kampol finds himself under the care of various figures. Chong, the local shopkeeper, becomes a surrogate parent, renting out phone calls and falling into debt while generously extending credit to his customers. Kampol also forms friendships with local children like Noi, whose shirt is so tattered it tears in two, and Penporn, an innocent yet mischievous toddler. From duelling flea markets and a frantic search for a lost ten-baht coin on the beach, to pet crickets that end up as dinner, schoolyard fads like bouncy balls, and the intense loneliness that robs a boy of his appetite, Bright weaves together a tapestry of Kampol's life. This groundbreaking novel, the first by a Thai woman to be translated into English, offers a vivid portrayal of childhood resilience amidst hardship.

Students of the Delta Bilingual Academy, Fernanda and Annelise are more sisters than friends, impossible to separate, one and the same. Every day after school, Fernanda, Annelise and their friends assemble to embark on a sinister adventure, one that is simultaneously thrilling but increasingly perilous. They have their own conception of God- albeit introduced by Annelise- and their rituals are eerily anomalous. However, it is not the only secret Fernanda and Annelise share. Meanwhile, Miss Clara, a deficient literature teacher in the same academy is bedevilled by her dead mother, and in the process, grapples with her hard-earned sanity. 

A powerful and heart-rending narrative of love and loss, River of Blood follows Boori, a spirited and resilient young girl, as she navigates the complexities of adulthood. After marrying an older relative, Boori struggles with the stigma of infertility and later confronts the challenges of raising a son who is born deaf and mute. With Muktijuddho engulfing the coast of her village, Haldi, the now-widowed Boori must face the most life-altering decision she has ever had to make. Not only is this book a gripping portrayal of the Liberation War, it also advocates for women's rights and stands firm against patriarchy, leaving an indelible impact on readers long after they finish the last page.
 

Set against the sequestered backdrop of a quiet Polish village, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is the story of Janina- a house-sitter of wealthy summer homes, a translator of William Blake poetry and a hobbyist student of astrology. It comes as no revelation that our protagonist is not only a recluse but also a misfit, and when a Big Foot neighbour, then another, lands up dead, Janina throws herself into the heart of the investigation. An incendiary exploration of morality, the grey border between sanity and madness, this novel will leave the act of justice in your hands. 

Written In Tears is an emotive collection of eight short stories that delve into the decades-long violence in Assam, exploring its profound impact on women. Originally written in Assamese, these stories portray strong female characters who, despite enduring unimaginable suffering, manage to rise above their hardships. In one story, a woman witnesses her husband's family grappling with the absence of her insurgent brother-in-law. In another, a girl's life is forever altered after a brutal rape. Kalita's writing vividly captures the hollow vein of violence, the oppression of women, and the often senseless nature of patriarchy. Through her personal experiences, she transports readers to an Assam caught amid violent uprisings, where ideologies clash, innocent lives are destroyed, and women suffer both physical and emotional violations—all in the name of freedom. 

Prisoners during the "Lead Years" of Morocco, a man and a woman, wrestle against systematic oppression for the sake of emancipation. Shifting between past and present, Mouline and Leila recount their experiences both inside the prison cell and beyond it, navigating the torture chamber, the judicial operation, and the challenges they confronted after their exemption. Narrated in vivid details, their strategies for survival and resistance offer clear and often intense reflections. Additionally, they re-evaluate their political commitments and the movements in which they were involved. Harrowing yet resilient, this is the book about fortitude, power and the sheer will to freedom. 

A Perfect Day to Be Alone
Nanae Aoyama, Jesse Kirkwood (Translator)
MacLehose Press, 2024

After her mother migrates to China for work, 20-year-old Shizu is left with no choice but to move in with an estranged, fairly distant relative. 71-year-old Ginko is an eccentric cat lady,

living in a decrepit Tokyo house that is more congenial to the passing trains than it is to the residents. Inhabiting together in an imperfect harmony, the two distant kins establish an uneasy companionship. And although their arrangement is straining in a myriad of ways, it ultimately stands the test of those beautiful, drifting seasons. For when a lonely soul finds its path to another, it is lonely no longer. It forms a comfortable bond of blissful solitude. 

Nur-E-Jannat Alif is a gender studies major and part-time writer who dreams of authoring a book someday. Find her at @literatureinsolitude on Instagram or send her your book/movie/television recommendations at nurejannatalif@gmail.com.