Global Literature: Literature in Translation

· by · in Graham Library Collections, New to the collection. ·

Why read translated literature?

Books have the value of transporting readers into another world, or in the case of translated works, another part of the same world. By reading literature that was originally published in a language other than one’s own, a reader becomes privy to the happenings of a different city, country, and/or culture that otherwise might remain inaccessible to them. Not only can it help offer insight into diverse experiences and foster positive feelings of empathy, but it can also in turn allow us to draw parallels between our own lives and the lives of others, shedding light on the human condition.

Approximately only 3 percent of books published each year in English are translated from another language (“Three Percent,” University of Rochester), however readership continues to grow. The Booker Prizes reported in April 2023 that “In 2022, over 1.9 million copies of translated fiction were sold in the UK, an increase of 22% on 2021,” (“Generation TF,” The Booker Prizes).

The Graham Library circulation display for February 2025 aims to highlight literature from around the world, as well as champion the work that translators do in bringing these stories to new audiences. Diversify your reading by checking out one (or more) of these titles below.

New acquisitions

  • One part woman, by Perumal Murugan and translated from Tamil by Aniruddhan Vasudevan [click here to request!]
  • Notes of a crocodile, by Ma Jian and translated from Mandarin by Bonnie Huie [click here to request!]
  • The details, written in Swedish by Ia Genberg and translated to English by Kira Josefsson [click here to request!]
  • Not a river, by Selva Almada and translated from Spanish by Annie McDermott [click here to request!]
  • Mater 2-10, by Hwang Sok-yong and translated from Korean by Sora Kim-Russell, Youngjae Josephine Bae [click here to request!]
  • A dictator calls, by Ismail Kadare and translated from Albanian by John Hodgson [click here to request!]
  • Crooked plow, by Itamar Vieira Junior and translated from Portuguese by Johnny Lorenz [click here to request!]
  • What I’d rather not think about by Jente Posthuma and translated from Dutch by Sarah Timmer Harvey [click here to request!]
  • You dreamed of empires by Álvaro Enrigue and translated from Spanish by Natasha Wimmer [click here to request!]
  • Under the eye of the big bird by Hiromi Kawakami and translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda [click here to request]
  • Simpatía : a novel by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón and translated from Spanish by Noel Hernández González and Daniel Hahn [click here to request!]

Short reads

Busy with school or other work but still want to fit in a quick read? Here are seven titles under 200 pages!

  • Love in the rain, by Naguib Mahfouz, translated from Arabic by Nancy Roberts [click here to request!]
  • Not a river, by Selva Almada and translated from Spanish by Annie McDermott [click here to request!]
  • Of love and other demons, by Gabriel García Márquez and translated from Spanish by Edith Grossman [click here to request!]
  • The Details, by Ia Genberg and translated from Swedish by Kira Josefsson [click here to request!]
  • Too loud a solitude, by Bohumil Hrabal and translated from Czech by Michael Henry Heim [click here to request!]
  • Tribaliks : contemporary Congolese stories, by Henri Lopes and translated from French by Andrea Leskes [click here to request!]
  • Season of migration to the North, by Tayeb Salih and translated from Arabic by Denys Johnson-Davies [click here to request!]
  • Spring flowers, spring frost : a novel, by Ismail Kadare and translated from Albanian by David Bellos [click here to request!]

Full list of displayed titles

Title, author, translatorLink to request
A Dictator Calls / Ismail Kadare ; translated from Albanian by John Hodgsonhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991107283151806196

Baudolino / Umberto Eco ; translated from Italian by William Weaver		https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991106440043306196
Beijing coma / Ma Jian ; translated by Flora Drewhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106274319206196
Beware of pity / Stefan Zweig ; translated from German by Phyllis and Trevor Blewitthttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991105940629806196
Blindness / José Saramago ; translated from Portuguese by Giovanni Pontierohttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106766978406196
Coin locker babies / Ryū Murakami ; translated from Japanese by Stephen Snyderhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106709805106196
Crooked Plow / Itamar Vieira Junior ; translated from Portuguese by Johnny Lorenzhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107450233506196
Devil on the cross / Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʼo ; translated from Gĩkũyũ by the author.https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106265167606196
Forbidden notebook : a novel / Alba de Céspedes ; translated from Italian by Ann Goldstein.https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107225712506196
Frankenstein in Baghdad : a novel / Ahmed Saadawi ; translated from Arabic by Jonathan Wright.https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106693242706196
I am a cat / Sōseki Natsume ; translated by Aiko Ito & Graeme Wilsonhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991106535396106196
Jenny : a novel / Sigrid Undset ; translated from Norwegian by Tiina Nunnallyhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106540015506196
Kukum / Michel Jean ; translated from French by Susan Ouriouhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107270331406196
Lajja = Shame / Taslima Nasrin ; translated from Bengali by Tutul Guptahttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106091820806196
Last call / Harry Mulisch ; translated from Dutch by Adrienne Dixonhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106459062806196
Life ceremony : stories / Sayaka Murata ; translated from Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemorihttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107288551806196
Life is elsewhere / Milan Kundera ; translated from the Czech by Peter Kussihttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991106096585506196
Love in the rain / Naguib Mahfouz ; translated from Arabic by Nancy Robertshttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/ff80hl/alma991106506065206196
Mater 2-10 / Hwang Sok-yong ; translated from Korean by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Baehttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107450232906196
My name is Red / Orhan Pamuk ; translated from Turkish by Erdag M. Goknarhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106043956906196
Not a River / Selva Almada ; translated from Spanish by Annie McDermotthttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991107450232806196
Notes of a crocodile / Ma Jian ; translated from Mandarin by Bonnie Huiehttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991106192002906196
Of love and other demons / Gabriel García Márquez ; translated from Spanish by Edith Grossmanhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991106407166006196
One Part Woman / Perumal Murugan ; translated from Tamil by Aniruddhan Vasudevanhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991106330500006196
S. : novel about the Balkans / Slavenka Drakulić ; translated from Serbo-Croatian by Marko Ivićhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991106158661006196
Season of migration to the North / Tayeb Salih ; translated from Arabic by Denys Johnson-Davieshttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106692873606196
Silence of the choir / Mohamed Mbougar Sarr ; translated from French by Alison Andersonhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107385765906196
Simpatía : a novel / Rodrigo Blanco Calderón ; translated from Spanish by Noel Hernández González and Daniel Hahnhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/ff80hl/alma991107458838506196
Songs for the cold of heart / Eric Dupont ; translated from the French by Peter McCambridgehttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/ff80hl/alma991105915698706196
Spring flowers, spring frost : a novel / Ismail Kadare ; translated by David Belloshttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991106357660706196
The books of Jacob / Olga Tokarczuk ; translated from Polish by Jennifer Crofthttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107036843806196
The Details / Ia Genberg ; translated from Swedish by Kira Josefssonhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107450233306196
The last temptation of Christ / Nikos Kazantzakis ; translated from the Greek by P. A. Bienhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106082740906196
The master and Margarita / Mikhail Bulgakov ; translated by Diana Burgin and Katherine O’Connor https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991106037452606196
Tomb of sand / Geetanjali Shree ; translated from Hindi by Daisy Rockwellhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107201285806196
Too loud a solitude / Bohumil Hrabal ; translated from Czech by Michael Henry Heimhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991106707730606196
Tribaliks : contemporary Congolese stories / Henri Lopes ; translated from French by Andrea Leskeshttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991105973849106196
Under the eye of the big bird : a novel /
Hiromi Kawakami ; translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda		https://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/14bjeso/alma991107454748806196
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop / Hwang Bo-Reum ; translated from Korean by Shanna Tanhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107330788106196
What I’d Rather Not Think About / Jente Posthuma ; translated from Dutch by Sarah Timmer Harveyhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107450232106196
You dreamed of empires / Álvaro Enrigue ; translated from Spanish by Natasha Wimmerhttps://librarysearch.library.utoronto.ca/permalink/01UTORONTO_INST/1rhkg1n/alma991107322760006196

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