Transporting readers across time and space, translated fiction allows us to immerse ourselves in settings and cultures we might not otherwise have the chance to experience. 2024 was a great year for translated literature and we’re so excited to share some of our favorite titles. From a reimagining of the fall of the Aztec empire to an epic novel-in-verse following a Sámi family of reindeer herders fighting assimilation, these are just a handful of the latest translated titles that are available to borrow from Wilmette Public Library today!
You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue (translated by Natasha Wimmer)
“A vision of the Aztec empire on the verge of conquest.” -Kirkus
Librarian’s thoughts: This one is for the readers of historical fiction who enjoy realistic settings and people, but don’t mind when things veer out of the realm of historical accuracy. I had a lot of fun with this one, Engrigue is so imaginative.
Find copies of You Dreamed of Empires here.
Aednan by Linnea Axelsson (translated by Saskia Vogel)
“A sharp-edged tale in verse of colonial suppression, resistance, and survival.” -Kirkus
Librarian’s thoughts: Don’t let the fact that this is a novel-in-verse scare you off. If you like multigenerational tales, you’ll quickly get sucked in by this one. I was impressed by how Axelsson was able to paint such a vivid picture of a people, their land, and their sorrows using so few words and how Vogel was able to maintain the rhythm of fluidity of the prose in her translation.
Fine copies of Aednan here.
Forgotten on Sunday by Valérie Perrin (translated by Hildegarde Serle)
“A deeply emotional, intergenerational saga about family secrets and the enduring power of love.... An engrossing work about love and loss.” -Booklist
Librarian’s thoughts: This book has a little bit of everything: mystery, romance, historical fiction, and even a few twists! Perrin seamlessly weaves together several different storylines, all with their own conflict and intrigue, without it ever feeling like it’s too much. This one is great on audio!
Find copies of Forgotten on Sunday here.
The Silence of the Choir by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr (translated by Alison Anderson)
“A moving, dynamic story, shedding light on the joys and consequences of contemporary immigration.” -BookPage
Librarian’s thoughts: If you like books with multiple POVs and tension that builds throughout, this is the one for you! I was sucked into this book from the start and think Sarr did a good job at showing the many conflicting feelings that can arise in situations like this.
Find copies of The Silence of the Choir here.
Tongueless by Lau Yee-Wa (translated by Jennifer Feeley)
“A taut, chilling novel about the weaponization of language as a tool of oppression.” -Kirkus
Librarian’s thoughts: The subject of this book is fascinating, it teaches the reader a lot about the politics of language in China and the working conditions of teachers in Hong Kong. It’s a little more literary and less “thriller-y” than the description lets on; the blurb that describes it as a “slow burn social horror” is a more fitting description.
Find copies of Tongueless here.
May Our Joy Endure by Kevin Lambert (translated by Donald Winkler)
"Award-winning Canadian novelist Lambert weaves a hypnotic narrative, smoothly translated from French by Winkler, about greed and inequality, hypocrisy, and, not least, a 'dangerous notion of purity' emerging from vociferous public clamor."
Librarian's thoughts: This is a maximalist book, from the plethora of details describing Montreal's wealthy elite to the long and winding sentences that meander and then eventually find their way back, but it rewards the patient reader. This book is for the reader who enjoys formally innovative fiction and doesn't mind an author who gives no easy answers to the problems they present.
Find copies of May Our Joy Endure here.