Good literature can be found across the globe. Some of the most popular books written by international authors are listed in our monthly recommendations. Curl up with a hot drink, crack open a book that has been translated from another language and maybe discover another perspective.

 

The Enigma of Room 622 by Italian author Jӧel Dicker is a mystery wrapped in a mystery. It begins with a body found in room 622 of a fancy hotel in the Alps. A writer named Joel Dicker who is struggling with the plot for another book, stumbles into room 622’s mystery, gains a sidekick and investigates. That is just one mystery. Robert Bononno translated Dicker’s fifth book.

 

Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin “is a nightmare come to life,” in the original Spanish or translated into English by Megan McDowell, states the book blurb. Both cautionary tale and love story, it is disjointed and absorbing. Hospitalized Amanda is dying in the fit of a fever dream while a boy named David sits and talks with her about toxins as they try to piece together distressing memories about the recent past.

 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is set in contemporary Sweden. A crotchety old man with a tragic backstory has his life turned upside down when a young family moves in next door. Not fazed by Ove’s crusty exterior, his new neighbors persistently interfere in his life in this comical story. Made into a Swedish movie in 2015, Tom Hanks revisited the role in 2022 with the movie titled A Man Called Otto. The book was translated by Henning Koch.

 

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich weaves together personal interviews of more than 500 eyewitnesses of the disaster. Alexievich, a Nobel Laureate and journalist, recorded stories over a decade to capture the unimaginable events during and after the 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown. Keith Gessen and Alma Lapinskienė translated.

 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho won several literary awards. The fantasy novel, originally written in Portuguese, is a tale about a young shepherd following his dreams on an epic journey of self-discovery across the world. Coelho was closely involved with each new language translation and the title holds a Guinness World Record for most translated books by a living author.

 

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck creates a silent character from a house set in the woods near Brandenburg, Germany. This house-centered tale begins in WWII and tells the story of twelve inhabitants, moving back and forth in time and ultimately covering 100 years of Germanic history. This short but moving novel won several literary awards. It was translated by Susan Bernofsky.

 

Three Strong Women by Marie NDiaye was first written in French. The stories of three women, each with undeniable self-worth and resilience, take place in France and Senegal. Divided into three parts, each story is interconnected by themes of survival, and the fear of repeated intergenerational misdeeds. NDiaye was the first black woman to win France’s most prestigious literary award, Prix Goncourt, for this book in 2009. Translated by John Fletcher.

 

The Door by Hungarian author Magda Szabó has a simple plot about a writer and the woman she hires to help manage her household. The relationship between the two women starts caustically but slowly changes over two decades. The reader gets to know both characters and the reasons behind their behavior along the way. This powerfully written tale was translated by Len Rix.

 

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata is a heartwarming, quirky story about a Tokyo convenience store and the peculiar 30-something woman who works there. Aware she has never fit in, Keiko acts normal, mostly, even as she faces increasing pressure from family and friends to further conform. Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.

 

Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok-yong tells the tale of 100 years of Korean history through the ordinary lives of a rail worker family. The Mater 2-10 is a captured locomotive that was destroyed by the Americans. Restored some 50 years later, it became a relic of a divided country. This impressive tome was translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae.

 

Forest of a Thousand Daemons: A Hunter’s Saga  – D.O. Fagunwa was the first novel written in Yoruba, the language of Western Nigeria. It still holds wide acclaim since its 1939 publication, as manifested by its profound influence on Nigerian literature. In true saga style, this story blends myth, creation, adventure, relationships and a fight between good and evil. Translated by Wole Soyinka.

 

By Celeste McNeil; courtesy photos