A brand new year! I won’t pretend that I’ll miss 2013… years ending in the number 3 are never among my best. But now is the time to take stock of the last 12 months of reading and set some goals for the upcoming year. How many books did I read? A sad, sad 47 books. Not even halfway to my goal (Damn you GoodReads! … Continue reading Welcome 2014!
Fall is here… more or less. The weather is still closer to 80 than 70 degrees. And the view from my window looks nothing like the cover of the L.L. Bean catalog that just arrived in the mail (a couple sitting on the tailgate of an old pick-up truck, a lake surrounded by pines, fall leaves covering the grass). But it is September and in … Continue reading Reading Assignments for the 2013 Brooklyn Book Festival
The two translation prize shortlists are out – and it’s exciting to see how many different languages (and countries) are represented. I’ve still only read three of the books on the BTBA list – and of those I’ll keep my money on Dowlatabadi for the win. There is something so visceral about The Colonel. It’s a book that encompasses all the senses – particularly in … Continue reading IFFP & BTBA 2013 Short Lists – They’re Here!
The 2013 Best Translated Book Award longlist contains 25 titles. In the coming weeks the Three Percent Blog will feature a review for every title that made the longlist, everyone interested in the prize should check it out. Currently I’ve read and reviewed three of the books nominated and am familiar with and/or plan to read five others. Twenty-five books is a really long list. … Continue reading Translation Prizes – The 2013 Best Translated Book Award
The 9th Annual PEN World Voices Festival is almost here. If you’re in the NYC area then you definitely should try to attend some of the events. It’s my favorite kind of literary festival: one that highlights authors from foreign countries whose work is available to us only through the act of translation. The PEN Literary Safari is not to be missed. Author readings are … Continue reading PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature: April 29 – May 5, 2013
READER AT LARGE 