A masterpiece need only be 150 pages long, and the most exciting contemporary literature is being published by independent presses. These two opinions are perhaps the only semi-controversial views that I hold and, by recommending four short independently published books from this year, I hope that I can prove their truth to you. Independent publishing, in recent years, has received increasing levels of critical and commercial attention. The great Fitzcarraldo Editions, as is often noted, has published two winners of the Nobel Prize since its foundation in 2013, no mean feat. In the Irish scene, independent stalwarts The Lilliput Press continue to release wonderful literary and Irish interest titles, and Tramp Press, with the likes of Mike McCormack, Sara Baume, and Emilie Pine in their roster, have published some of the most innovative Irish writing in recent years. Independent publishers often operate within tiny niches. This allows publishers such as Fum d’Estampa Press (a specialist in contemporary and canonical Catalan literature) and Noir Press (a specialist in contemporary Lithuanian fiction) to publish, for the first time in English translation, writers not frequently seen in Britain or Ireland. Below I’ve listed four books – all under 150 pages – from independent publishers this year which I think are worth your attention, and which prove this article’s opening statement. 

 

Dead Girls by Selva Almada, tr. Annie McDermott (Charco Press)

After the success of Almada’s first novel to appear in English, the Flannery O’Connor and Carson McCullers-tinged The Wind That Lays Waste, Charco Press published this brutal yet essential journalistic work. In Dead Girls, Almada confronts the issue of femicide in a stark, uncompromising manner. The book follows Almada’s investigation into the murders of three girls in rural Argentina in the 1980s. It is a difficult, affecting work, with the narrative shifting between the circumstances of three unsolved murders, to Almada’s present-day investigation into their deaths, to the allegations of cover-ups and corruption that she discovers. It is a deeply uncomfortable book to read, as it should be. The prose strikes  a perfect tone – clinical and punchy when necessary, angry and lyrical, brutal yet humanistic. Roberto Bolaño famously explored similar issues of misogyny and murder in his cult classic 2666. With pathos and brutality never truly achieved by Bolaño in his 900-page epic, Almada’s work packs far more of an artistic and political punch. Moral of the story: bin Bolaño, adore Almada. 

Charco Press, who are based in Edinburgh and publish Latin American literature in translation, are a favourite independent publisher of mine. I first encountered them last summer while working at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and I can confirm that, both personally and professionally, they are wonderful people who publish wonderful books. 

Other titles from Charco Press include:

• Feebleminded by Ariana Harwicz, tr. Annie McDermott and Carolina Orloff
• An Orphan World by Giuseppe Caputo, tr. Juana Adcock and Sophie Hughes
• Loop by Brenda Lozano, tr. Annie McDermott

The White Dress by Nathalie Léger, tr. Natasha Lehrer

The final book in French author Léger’s trilogy exploring women in the art world, The White Dress is among the most idiosyncratic works of autofiction published in recent years. Autofiction, with its relentless theorising of the self, can often fall into the trap of navel-gazing pseudo-profundity, with the life of the author valorised to an irritating and self-serving degree (Karl Ove Knausgård comes to mind here, whose My Struggle series the great Croatian writer Daša Drndić called “absolutely intolerable unless the person reading them is inwardly riddled with holes, full of stale air”). Léger totally side-steps these issues in this short, wonderful book. The book focuses on two narratives. Firstly, the story of Pippa Bacca, an Italian performance artist who hitch-hiked around Europe while wearing a wedding dress, who was eventually murdered in Turkey. Secondly, we follow a narrative exploring Léger’s relationship with her elderly mother. In barely over a hundred pages, Léger constructs a consistently engaging narrative which questions the purpose of art, the male capacity for violence against women, the efficacy of political gestures in art, and difficult maternal relationships. Troubling, illuminating, and utterly unique, I really enjoyed this short book. Although its subject’s story is ultimately tragic, Léger’s prose is never maudlin nor unduly sentimental. It is a serious engagement with the art world and with misogyny and is a genuine breath of fresh air in the bloated world of autofiction.

Les Fugitives publish experimental, radical francophone authors who are yet to be translated into English. Their books are difficult yet rewarding, often operating at the intersections of art and literature. 

Other titles from Les Fugitives include:

• Little Dancer Aged Fourteen by Camille Laurens, tr. Willard Wood
• Suite for Barbara Loden by Nathelie Léger, tr. Natasha Lehrer and Cécile Menon
• Eve out of Her Ruins by Ananda Devi, tr. Jeffrey Zuckerman

Igifu by Scholastique Mukasonga, tr. Jordan Stump (Archipelago Books)

In this short story collection, Rwandan author Scholastique Mukasonga provides a lyrical yet unsparing account of the lives of the Tutsi minority. Mukasonga’s personal life was marked by immense tragedy – thirty-seven members of her family were murdered in the Rwandan genocide. This violent loss is keenly felt in this short but affecting work. Mukasonga’s stories are lyrically realist, detailing the lives of Tutsis before, during and after the incomprehensible savagery of the genocide. Like the best realist writing, the stories in this book feel no need to provide neat answers to the violence their characters face. Mukasonga’s writing is finely attuned to the sufferings of her people. Rather than allowing their pain to be diminished by the imposition of neat narrative conventions upon her stories, Mukasonga’s prose gives room for her characters to speak their suffering. It is not an easy read by any means, but in many ways it is an indispensable read.

Based in New York, Archipelago Books publishes a wide variety of literature in translation. Though their books are more expensive than the other publishers mentioned in this article, they are beautifully designed and well worth the price if you want to treat yourself.

Other titles from Archipelago Books include:

• Sarajevo Marlboro by Miljenko Jergović, tr. Stela Tomasevic
• Love by Hanne Ørstavik, tr. Martin Aitken
• The Salt Smugglers by Gérard de Nerval, tr. Richard Sieburth

The Dominant Animal by Kathryn Scanlan (Daunt Books Originals)

The Dominant Animal by American author Kathryn Scanlan is perhaps my favourite short story collection from this year (so far). The stories themselves are very short, rarely stretching more than four pages in length. Yet, they each pack in more stylistic innovation and narrative twists than stories many times their length. In many ways, this was the short story collection I needed, even though I didn’t know it. Scanlan is finely attuned to the capabilities of the short form. Unencumbered by the baggage of longer prose fiction (character development, realist description and so on), Scanlan explores, in stark prose, the dark underbelly of human relationships. With prose that, at times, tilts towards the surreal, the stories in this book operate by maintaining an atmosphere of threat and an undercurrent of violence. It’s a quick, bracing read. If more short fiction writers were inspired by Scanlan, contemporary literature would be a more exciting (and much stranger) place.

Daunt Books Originals grew out of the bookshop chain. Launched only this year, it aims to publish formally daring contemporary literature by anglophone authors and writers in translation. They’ve immediately seen success with one of their novels being shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and I’m sure this success will continue in the years to come.

Other titles from Daunt Books Originals include:

• Real Life by Brandon Taylor (shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize)
• Indelicacy by Amina Cain
• Empty Houses by Brenda Navarro, tr. Sophie Hughes

Hopefully these four books, all published this year, prove my belief that the best contemporary writing is coming from independent publishers and, if you know what you’re doing, 150 pages is all that’s needed for a masterpiece. This article has barely scraped the surface of the current independent publishing scene. These presses publish books often ignored by the ‘Big Four’, whether because they are too formally experimental, or just the plain fact that they’re translated. It is an exciting time to be a reader. All the books listed should also be available from Dublin’s wonderful independent booksellers. I’d highly recommend buying any previously listed titles from Books Upstairs, who are currently operating a call and collect system. Furthermore, An Post is currently offering a flat postage rate of €2.95 for independent bookshops. If you’re concerned about cost, Kennys in Galway have free shipping in Ireland, and their discounted prices are the perfect alternative to Book Depository.