With the summer reaching its close, August is a month that calls for personal reflection, yet it is also a time to reflect on your reading habits through #WomeninTranslation Month. Women in Translation Month, commonly abbreviated to #WITMonth, is an annual affair where readers are encouraged to diversify their bookshelves by reading works by women that have been translated into their native language. While recent years have seen a rise in the commercial success of translated fiction, less than thirty percent of works translated into English are written by women. #WITMonth aims to shift this imbalance and below are some of the books I’ve checked out this month to get you started:
The Inseparables by Simone de Beauvoir
‘if there are tears in my eyes tonight, is it because you are no longer alive, or because I am?’
The Inseparables is de Beauvoir’s newly discovered novella, loosely based on her childhood best friend and the events which led to their relationship’s tragic end. The friendship portrayed by de Beauvoir successfully mimics the all-consuming nature of friendships found in early girlhood, where the desire to be known is equally matched by a longing for individuality. Yet as the novella progresses, de Beauvoir reveals that this first love formed in childhood is no match for the societal expectations soon placed on the protagonists as they grow into young women. The novella’s abrupt ending leaves the reader asking if it is truly possible to ever fully know those closest to us.
Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector
‘Who hasn’t ever wondered: am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person?’
Hour of the Star is the final work from Ukrainian-born Brazilian author Clarice Lispector. The novella tells the unfortunate tale of Macabéa who lives a miserable existence yet is naively unaware of it. Even her story is not her own as Macabéa is constantly interrupted by her narrator as he tries to stop his protagonist from reaching her terrible fate. Yet one must ask themselves if Macabéa is truly free, or if her creator should bear responsibility for her tragic outcome. Lispector’s last novel is an experimental one which tests the boundaries of the traditional form of the novella and at less than a hundred pages, it can easily be read in one sitting.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
‘I cannot mourn for what I have not known’
Originally published in the 1990s, I Who Have Never Known Men has recently seen a surge in popularity thanks to #BookTok and it is no wonder why it has caught people’s attention. For fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and Women Talking, this is a dystopian tale which concerns the fate of forty women who are locked in a bunker with no memory of how they got there. While her companions mourn their past life, the central protagonist has only ever experienced life in the bunker, until one day she is given the opportunity to finally explore the world around her.
My Pen is the Wing of a Bird, New Fiction by Afghan Women
‘My pen is the wing of a bird; it will tell you those thoughts we are not allowed to think, those dreams we are not allowed to dream.’
My Pen is the Wing of a Bird is an exceptional short story collection by Afghan women, giving valuable insight into their everyday lives. While the stories featured certainly display the current reality of living in Afghanistan, they also reveal how women’s ‘fight didn’t begin, and won’t end, with the ultra-conservative Taliban fixing the limits of their lives in a deeply conservative society.’ The anthology’s value lies not only in the extraordinary insight it provides, but also in its literary merit as each author is a master of the short story form. The afterword leaves readers with a lot to consider as it reflects on publishers’ lack of interest in writing unrelated to the war, displaying how the western world limits the already minimal opportunities available in war zone countries. Yet most importantly, the collection reminds readers the importance of our voice, and how using it is an act of resilience.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
‘I wonder if we shall ever again recapture the particular flavour and brilliance of those days, heightened as they were for me by an undercurrent of fear and remorse’
This novella scandalised 1950s France and it remains just as entertaining today as the protagonist aims to get revenge on her far-from-evil stepmother. Published when Sagan was only eighteen, her teenage protagonist Cécile is perfectly insufferable yet her spoilt attempts to exert control result in dire, tragic, consequences for those around her. Described by The Times as a ‘thoroughly immoral and thoroughly French tale,’ Sagan’s captivating writing style allows the reader to be fully immersed into the scandalous lives of the French bourgeoisie. At only a hundred pages long, it is the perfect read to finish off the summer.
For more recommendations, visit https://www.womenintranslation.org/.
