The New Words Without Borders

An old, sepia toned photograph of a young girl

Hosts and Guests

Robin Myers reflects on her ever-shifting position as guest and host in her experiences living in Mexico and Palestine, and in her practice as a literary translator.

Jenny Bhatt (left) and Rita Kothari (right)

On the Evolution and Craft of Gujarati Literature in Translation

By Jenny Bhatt

Jenny Bhatt and Dr. Rita Kothari talk about translation as a site of democratic aspirations and the state of Gujarati translation in India and beyond.

A hospital waiting room with green seats next to bright windows

Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

Ito Returns to Japan and Finds Herself in a Real Pinch

By Hiromi Itō

In this excerpt from Hiromi Itō's autofictional novel The Thorn Puller, the narrator arrives in Japan for a family visit, only to find that her mother's health concerns are more pressing than she thought.

Translated from Japanese by Jeffrey Angles

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The covers of the books featured in the list

learning with global literature

WWB Campus connects students and educators to eye-opening global literature

A rebozo photographed in black and white.

By Mónica Morales. License: CC by 2.0 Access at: https://flic.kr/p/rP5TJ

Purépecha Mother

By Gilberto Jerónimo Mateo

She is not a queen. / Hungry, early in the morning she goes for firewood . . .

Translated from Spanish by Earl Shorris & Sylvia Sasson Shorris

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Photo by Osman Kahraman on Unsplash.

It’s a Chick, Not a Dog

By Jar al-Nabi al-Hilw

My mother knew he was walking after her. Almost certainly she knew. Do you want me to tell you why?

Translated from Arabic by Marilyn Booth

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L Blog Post Dominican Self Portrait Graffiti Featured Image

A Dominican “Self-Portrait” to Inspire Students’ Self-Reflections

By Nadia Kalman

Which experiences have a greater influence on us—our successes, or the times when we've been hurt?

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Featured Collections

The Year in Translation: WWB's Most-Read Pieces of 2022

Ognosia

By Olga Tokarczuk

We will need new maps as well as the courage and humor of travelers who won’t hesitate to stick their heads outside the sphere of the world-up-to-this-point, beyond the horizon of existing dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Translated from Polish by Jennifer Croft

WWB’s Most Anticipated Translated Books of 2022

By Words Without Borders

The New Words Without Borders: The Future of Reading the World

By the Editors

Browse the Collection

World Cup Reads: International Soccer Stories

Uruguay and Costa Rica match at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Danilo Borges/Portal da Copa, CC BY 3.0 BR, via Wikimedia Commons

Woman Striker Has Killer Left Foot

By Réka Mán-Várhegyi

In this tale of fortune and fame by Réka Mán-Várhegyi, we learn it's never too late to upset the world of competitive sports. But at what personal cost?

Translated from Hungarian by Owen Good

Multilingual

Drawings on a Soccer Ball

By Andrei Sen-Senkov

Translated from Russian by Peter Golub

Queens Football

By Alberto Salcedo Ramos

Translated from Spanish by Rosalind Harvey

Browse the Collection

Writing from the George Town Literary Festival

Photo by Nimalan nims on Unsplash

Spring

By Nga Ba

In this witness poem from the anthology Picking Off New Shoots Will Not Stop the Spring, Burmese poet Nga Ba finds that repression always leads to resistance.

Translated from Burmese by ko ko thett

Picking Off New Shoots Will Not Stop the Spring: An Interview with ko ko thett

By Eric M. B. Becker

After Time

By Fahd Razy

Translated from Malay by Adibah Abdullah

Browse the Collection

Recent

The Watchlist: December 2022

By Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll recommends exciting new books in translation from Mauritius, Romania, Japan, Spain, Germany, and Puerto Rico.

Writing in Mother Tongue and an Other Tongue

By Pratishtha Pandya

Polar Fire

By Moa Backe Åstot

Translated from Swedish by B. J. Woodstein

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Featured Contributors

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Valzhyna Mort

Valzhyna Mort was born in Minsk, Belarus, and moved to the United States in 2006.

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Jayesh Jeevibahen Solanki

Jayesh Jeevibahen Solanki was a poet, theater artist, and Dalit rights activist.

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Mathilde Magga

Mathilde Magga, a Sámi woman from Tromso in northern Norway, has spent the last five years studying in the Seattle area.

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Felipe Restrepo Pombo

Felipe Restrepo Pombo is a Colombian journalist, editor, and author.

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Valzhyna Mort

Valzhyna Mort was born in Minsk, Belarus, and moved to the United States in 2006.

MORE

Jayesh Jeevibahen Solanki

Jayesh Jeevibahen Solanki was a poet, theater artist, and Dalit rights activist.

MORE

Mathilde Magga

Mathilde Magga, a Sámi woman from Tromso in northern Norway, has spent the last five years studying in the Seattle area.

MORE

Felipe Restrepo Pombo

Felipe Restrepo Pombo is a Colombian journalist, editor, and author.

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Book Reviews

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Cover of The Forbidden Door by Lasse Söderberg, translated by Lars Gustaf Andersson and Carolyn...

“The Forbidden Door”: A Living Ars Poetica

By Mandana Chaffa

Cover of Édouard Louis's memoir A Woman's Battles and Transformations

Édouard Louis’s “A Woman’s Battles and Transformations”: Why Our Mothers Move Us

By Hannah Weber

Cover of Perhat Tursun's novel The Backstreets

The Fog of Surveillance in “The Backstreets”

By Anita Felicelli

“The Forbidden Door”: A Living Ars Poetica

By Mandana Chaffa

Édouard Louis’s “A Woman’s Battles and Transformations”: Why Our Mothers Move Us

By Hannah Weber

The Fog of Surveillance in “The Backstreets”

By Anita Felicelli

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Hosts and Guests

On the Evolution and Craft of Gujarati Literature in Translation

Ito Returns to Japan and Finds Herself in a Real Pinch

Latest

World Kid Lit: The Best of 2022

WWB Receives Major Grant from the Whiting Foundation

Browse by topic

learning with global literature

Purépecha Mother

It’s a Chick, Not a Dog

A Dominican “Self-Portrait” to Inspire Students’ Self-Reflections

Featured Collections

Ognosia

WWB’s Most Anticipated Translated Books of 2022

The New Words Without Borders: The Future of Reading the World

Woman Striker Has Killer Left Foot

Drawings on a Soccer Ball

Queens Football

Spring

Picking Off New Shoots Will Not Stop the Spring: An Interview with ko ko thett

After Time

The Watchlist: December 2022

Writing in Mother Tongue and an Other Tongue

Polar Fire

Featured Contributors

Valzhyna Mort

Jayesh Jeevibahen Solanki

Mathilde Magga

Felipe Restrepo Pombo

Valzhyna Mort

Jayesh Jeevibahen Solanki

Mathilde Magga

Felipe Restrepo Pombo

Book Reviews

“The Forbidden Door”: A Living Ars Poetica

Édouard Louis’s “A Woman’s Battles and Transformations”: Why Our Mothers Move Us

The Fog of Surveillance in “The Backstreets”

“The Forbidden Door”: A Living Ars Poetica

Édouard Louis’s “A Woman’s Battles and Transformations”: Why Our Mothers Move Us

The Fog of Surveillance in “The Backstreets”