Category Archives: Books in Spanish

Un Amor by Sara Mesa, translated by Katie Whittemore

Posted on May 2, 2024 by mandywight

I really enjoyed Sara Mesa’s short story collection Mala Letra (Bad Handwriting) so was delighted to find that Pereine Press are now publishing her novel Un Amor in English translation. Some of the same themes in the short story collection … Continue reading →

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Volver la vista atras- Retrospective by Juan Gabriel Vasquez, translated by Anne Mclean.

Posted on April 26, 2024 by mandywight

This most recent novel by Juan Gabriel Vasquez focuses on the life of Colombian film director Sergio Cabrera. The frame story is Sergio’s trip to Barcelona, where a retrospective festival of his films is taking place. Just before the festival … Continue reading →

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Not A River by Selva Almada translated by Annie McDermott

Posted on April 11, 2024 by mandywight

Not A River, shortlisted for this year’s International Booker Prize 2024, is the final novel in a trilogy about masculinity by Argentinian writer Selva Almada, following on from Brickmakers and The Wind That Lays Waste. The International Booker Prize recognises … Continue reading →

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The Farm by Hector Abad, translated by Anne McLean

Posted on March 16, 2023 by mandywight

Héctor Abad’s 2014 novel The Farm, like much Colombian literature, has a strong sense of place. (I’m thinking The Lucky Ones by Julianne Pachico, set around Cali, Pilar Quintana’s Atlantic Coast novel La Perra, Juan Gabriel Vásquez’s La Forma de … Continue reading →

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Peak Reads of 2022

Posted on December 30, 2022 by mandywight

It’s been a great year for books, book events and opportunities. I really enjoyed browsing in Freiburg, Berlin and Bordeaux, attending readings at festivals like Festilitt, Sheffield’s Off the Shelf and, virtually, at Edinburgh. On a more sombre note, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books in English, Books in German, Books in Spanish, Books in Translation, Books on Ukraine, Books set in South America, History, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Best of Young Spanish Language Novelists 2- Granta-edited by Valerie Miles.

Posted on March 14, 2022 by mandywight

When I heard Valerie Miles talking with Elizabeth Day on BBC Radio 4 Open Book about the new Granta collection I was intrigued and excited—there’s nothing I love more than a carefully curated anthology as a way of discovering new … Continue reading →

Posted in Books in Spanish, Books in Translation, Books set in Central America, Books set in South America, Short Stories, Translation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Peak reads of 2021!

Posted on January 5, 2022 by mandywight

So better late than never, here are my top 10 reads of 2021 and it’s no surprise to anyone to see that my faible is for translated fiction: 6 of the 10 are translated fiction, and 5 are published by … Continue reading →

Posted in Books by Austrian writers, Books in English, Books in Spanish, Books in Translation, Books on Ukraine, Books set in Central America, History, Memoir, Poetry, Short Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Los Abismos- Abysses- by Pilar Quintana

Posted on August 3, 2021 by mandywight

Colombian writer Pilar Quintana came recently to an English speaking readership when her novel, The Bitch, was published in 2020 by World Editions in translation by Lisa Dillman. That novel is set on the Pacific coast of Colombia and its … Continue reading →

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Holiday Heart by Margarita Garcia Robayo translated by Charlotte Coombe

Posted on July 26, 2021 by mandywight

With this title you might well think we’re talking holiday romance in San Andrés or Santa Marta. Not so. This is a book about the last throes of a 19 year marriage, and though I’m not drawn to novels forefronting … Continue reading →

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Slash and Burn by Claudia Hernandez, translated by Julia Sanches

Posted on July 12, 2021 by mandywight

This novel by Salvadorian writer Claudia Hernandez is an intense and compelling account of a family of women caught up in a long and devastating civil war and its aftermath. Though not mentioned by name, I’ve assumed the story is … Continue reading →

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