Evelio Rosero
Toño the Infallible

Evelio Rosero is one of Colombia’s most celebrated, most important, writers. His latest, Toño the Infallible, is a remarkably kind book considering it’s about a sociopath. Rosero asks us to look into the origins of cruelty, of anger, as shared in the dark parts of Colombian society, and—in doing so—reminds us of the nature of humanity enduring despite it. Rosero has won dozens of prizes, been translated into 12 languages, and is lauded as one of the most insightful, lyrical writers alive today. Us Anglo readers should take note.

Salman Rushdie
Joseph Anton

In recognition of the recent attack on author Salman Rushdie, I thought it important to stock his courageous and revealing memoir, Joseph Anton. Published nine years ago this month, the book was and is a brilliant account of Rushdie’s life in the shadows of Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa that condemned Rushdie to death, and sent him into a life of hiding. The name of the book comes from the code name used by his security detail (Joseph as in Conrad; Anton as in Chekhov), which itself reveals his defiance of the threats against him, and his determination to fight for the right to write and be read. We celebrate his enormous contributions to literature and free speech — and wish him a complete and speedy return to good health.

Edward Chisholm
A Waiter in Paris

Craving these late summer evenings, and this memoir delivers. Writer Edward Chisholm, who spent years waiting tables for a pittance in the City of Light, puts it this way: "A waiter’s job is to deceive you. They want you to believe in a luxurious calm because on the other side of that door … is hell."

Junie

Fifty years ago, the construction of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts displaced Vancouver’s thriving Black community, removing them from what was known as Hogan’s Alley. This is where Knight’s new novel is set; it’s both an unflinching look at the destruction of a vibrant community and a celebration of the Black lives within. Told through the lens of Junie, the daughter of an alcohol dependent jazz singer, we witness the complexity of a mother-daughter relationship as Junie finds community. I chose this not only because of its local historical connections but because Knight’s prose is vivid, intimate and urgent.

As specialists of fiction in translation, our shelves our brimming with books from across the globe. Here’s one unmissable title for this month:
Alindarka’s Children
Alhierd Bacharevič

This is an exceptional work, not only for the dark, modern fairytale of a story, but the remarkable translation process. Winner of the English Pen Award, the novel has been brilliantly rendered into English (from Russian) and Scots (from Belarusian). Both Belarusian and Scots are on the UNESCO Atlas of Endangered Languages, and the double translation enables English-language readers to better understand the relationship between Belarusian and Russian languages (and cultures). From one of Belarus’ most celebrated contemporary writers, this is a manifesto for independence of culture… and soul. From one of our favourite publishers, New Directions.