Cat in the Agrahāram and Other Stories – Dilip Kumar
Kumar is a writer of proximities, a poet of the close-quartered soul, so it’s not surprising his command of atmosphere is masterful; his stories emanate a sense of the simple density of life.
The Book of Sleep – Haytham El Wardany
THE BOOK OF SLEEP leaves us with the triad of sleep, revolution, and poetry, each inseparable from the other. When we separate life from its utility, we come closer to free play, to liberation as an ever-ongoing struggle.
Where the Wild Ladies Are – Matsuda Aoko
In Matsuda’s collection of spooky feminist retellings of Japanese folktales, it isn’t the ghosts or the workplace harassment that provides the jump scares: it’s the material reminder of conformity and meaningless, textureless commodity.
When the Whales Leave – Yuri Rytkheu
In this light, Chavasse’s translation is but one echo within a cavernous history, itself but a momentary iteration on its way to another.
Difficult Light – Tomás González
I remember my intuitive reluctance to use the word “deadline,” when I learned the word in English, it sounded hostile when someone told me for the first time: “You need to meet this deadline.” To get killed, I wondered?
MINOR DETAIL itself is an act of subversion because it represents history told on Palestinian terms, through a Palestinian voice.
OLDER BROTHER itself attests to grief’s power as a catalyst for creativity.
Szabo’s ABIGAIL is a moral — though not moralizing — book.
Lake Like a Mirror – Ho Sok Fong
The business of dehumanizing people and pushing them off the part of the earth that can be shared with other humans, is mostly the pretty mundane.
Serotonin – Michel Houellebecq
Houellebecq’s aloof intensity remains paradoxical, provocative, and singular.