In Translation: February Fiction and Poetry
February is rockin’ it with some great literary fiction from Italy, Germany, and Israel, as well as a bilingual edition of Brazilian poetry. Enjoy!
Beyond the Wall: New Selected Poems by Régis Bonvicino, translated by Charles Bernstein, Odile Cisneros, Therese Bachand (Green Integer, 150 pages, February 14)
Brazilian poet, editor, and anthologist Régis Bonvicino offers us poems written within the last fifteen years, building on his already solid reputation as one of Brazil’s most accomplished writers. His previous collection, Sky Eclipse, was published in 2000.
The Twenty Days of Turin by Giorgio De Maria, translated by Ramon Glazov (Liveright, 224 pages, February 7)
In English for the first time, this Italian cult classic promises to horrify and mesmerize. Written during the height of the 1970s when domestic terrorism was rampant across Italy, The Twenty Days of Turin explores the ramifications of collective paranoia and mass hysteria.
A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman, translated by Jessica Cohen (Knopf, 208 pages, February 21)
This short work takes place within a single night as a stand-up comedian just past his prime performs a powerful set. Amid the jokes and memories are stories about his mother (a Holocaust survivor), his father (who never understood his creative son), and many other people who influenced/were influenced by him. A Horse Walks into a Bar is a story about memory, trauma, and the transformative power of art.
Blumenberg by Sibylle Lewitscharoff, translated by Wieland Hoban (Seagull Books, 224 pages, February 15)
From German writer Sybille Lewitscharoff comes the story of a German philosopher and the supernatural lion that confronts him in his study one night and subsequently follows him around. Witty and spellbinding, Blumenberg is sure to make your head spin…in a good way.
