We depend on translators to bring us the world's literature. We also depend on them to make the right decisions on how to bring a novel to life, wrestling with fidelity to the original versus comprehension for the reader. This book is not only a list, but a guide to those who do this marvelous work.
Category: Classics
How to get your book of the month
Book box subscription services are many, but they’re not my preference. So here are my three choices for getting a monthly book delivery.
A symphony for besieged Leningrad
Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich immortalized the WWII siege of Leningrad with his 7th symphony. These books tell the story.
A book that left its mark
Brian Evenson’s Bookmarked personal narrative is about Raymond Carver’s short stories. I couldn’t put it down. If you love books about writers, or love to write and edit, you’ll love this, too.
The lost art of authors’ photos
Oh for authors' photos that used to be on the backs of books. They were so styled and intriguing, compelling us to wonder about the person who created the book. Here are some great ones.
21 good books for the summer
On the advent of the longest day of the year and the true beginning of summer, here's a list of books to cherry pick for your summer reading. They are riveting, involving, devastating or simply delightfully satisfying. But if you're looking for new releases, they're not here.
Why “Black Boy” still matters
Published in 1945, Richard Wright's classic childhood autobiography vividly reveals what it was like growing up black and poor in the Jim Crow South long before the Civil Rights Movement. It’s an unsentimental but moving and distressing travel back in time that should not be missed.
A bookshop closes
Much of my book collecting mania got spent at Acorn Bookshop that’s now going out of business. Here are a few of the treasures I found, in this tribute.
My two favorite memoirs this year
Benjamin Taylor and Joyce Johnson lived dramatically different young lives, but their stories similarly and movingly capture two iconic times in history: the Beat Movement and November 22, 1963.
Five books not to miss this month
These new novels (and one non-fiction book) have received starred forecasts and promise to be great reads.
A city inspector’s book list
Every once in a while, a person I hire to work at my house will pause in front of the book cases. This is one of those occasions.
An old good book for the beach
"Birdsong" by Stephen Faulks is a powerful epic not to be overlooked and a stunning portrayal of courage and redemption.
This unhappy Greek family
In Colm Tóibín’s new novel, the Greek tragedy of Agamemnon’s murder by wife Clytemnestra is told with great power and vivid imagining. Here’s what you can expect.
Great books go a step further
What's the difference between a good book and a great one? Jonathan Safran Foer answers in an introduction to "The Fixer" by Bernard Malamud.
Books you can’t stop reading
Sometimes you just want a good literary page turner. The kind that’s got more heft to it than "Gone Girl" and gives you something to think about after you’ve breathlessly reached the end. Well, here you go.
The Longest Chapter 