The New Words Without Borders

Portrait of writer Roberto Alajmo in front of a stone wall

The City and the Writer: In Palermo with Roberto Alajmo

For the special Sicily series of the City and the Writer, Roberto Alajmo speaks with Nathalie Handal about elasticity, death, and paintings in Palermo.

Translated from Italian by the author

Multimedia

Four girls with their backs turned to the camera holding up their headscarves with their hair down

Photo via social media

I Am a Witness

By Anonymous

An anonymous author reflects on their relationship to history and on what it means to both witness and participate in historic protests in Iran.

Translated from Persian by Poupeh Missaghi

Read the World

Travel through Literature

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

This poem from an indigenous Purépecha author celebrates the heroism of a seemingly ordinary woman.

Translated from Spanish by Earl Shorris & Sylvia Sasson Shorris

Learn

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

Learn

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?

Find global literature and multimedia learning resources for your students.

Search Learning Resources

REGISTER TO ACCESS hundreds of teaching ideas, discussion questions, and assignment prompts.
DISCOVER MORE about the WWB Learn program.

Featured Collections

2023 International Booker Nominees

Textile sample book, nineteenth century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Museum Accession. Public Domain.

Boulder

By Eva Baltasar

Having a kid is the same as enrolling in a lifetime plan of suffering.

Translated from Catalan by Julia Sanches

Bonsai

By Guadalupe Nettel

Translated from Spanish by Rosalind Harvey

Invisible Crises

By Georgi Gospodinov

Translated from Bulgarian by Angela Rodel

Browse the Collection

Translating Gujarat: A Literary Intervention

Photo by Satyajeet Mazumdar on Unsplash

Translating Gujarat: On Raising Visibility and Sharing Literary Wealth

By Jenny Bhatt

Jenny Bhatt wraps up our Gujarati feature with her essay on Gujarati literary history and the importance of translation as a mode of recovery and reclamation.

Crossroad

By Varsha Adalja

Translated from Gujarati by Jenny Bhatt

Multimedia

To Loved Ones

By Jayesh Jeevibahen Solanki

Translated from Gujarati by Gopika Jadeja

Browse the Collection

Writing from Assam

Photo by Akhil Verma on Unsplash

A Wagtail’s Song

By Bikash Dihingia

How was it possible that there was another me buried within? And how could someone else feel his presence even before I could?

Translated from Assamese by Harsita Hiya

Multilingual

Roots

By Madhurima Barua

Translated from Assamese by Syeda Shaheen Jeenat Suhailey

MultimediaMultilingual

Boots

By Nilutpal Baruah

Translated from Assamese by Rashmi Baruah

Multimedia

Browse the Collection

Recent

Photo by Mario015 Medeiros on Unsplash

Keder

By Yordanka Beleva

Bulgarian author Yordanka Beleva explores the sorrows left behind after a neighbor’s passing in this folkloric short story.

Translated from Bulgarian by Izidora Angel

MultimediaMultilingual

Your #IWD2023 Reading List

By Words Without Borders

Translating Gujarat: On Raising Visibility and Sharing Literary Wealth

By Jenny Bhatt

Browse the Collection

Featured Contributors

See All

Jeremy Tiang

Jeremy Tiang has translated novels by Yan Ge, Yeng Pway Ngon, Lo Yi-Chin, Zhang Yueran, Chan Ho-Kei, Li Er, and Geling Yan, among others.

MORE

Moeen Farrokhi

Moeen Farrokhi is a writer, translator, and podcaster from Qazvin, Iran.

MORE

Larissa Kyzer

Larissa Kyzer is a writer and Icelandic literary translator. Her translation of Kristín Eiríksdóttir’s…

MORE

Jonathan Reeder

Jonathan Reeder, a native of New York and longtime resident of Amsterdam, enjoys a dual career as a literary translator and performing musician.

MORE

Siti Malini Mat

Siti Malini Mat is a numbersmith turned wordsmith. She graduated in engineering from Cambridge University…

MORE

Jeremy Tiang

Jeremy Tiang has translated novels by Yan Ge, Yeng Pway Ngon, Lo Yi-Chin, Zhang Yueran, Chan Ho-Kei, Li Er, and Geling Yan, among others.

MORE

Moeen Farrokhi

Moeen Farrokhi is a writer, translator, and podcaster from Qazvin, Iran.

MORE

Larissa Kyzer

Larissa Kyzer is a writer and Icelandic literary translator. Her translation of Kristín Eiríksdóttir’s…

MORE

Jonathan Reeder

Jonathan Reeder, a native of New York and longtime resident of Amsterdam, enjoys a dual career as a literary translator and performing musician.

MORE

Siti Malini Mat

Siti Malini Mat is a numbersmith turned wordsmith. She graduated in engineering from Cambridge University…

MORE

Book Reviews

See All

Outdated Browser

The Language of Nature: Anna Badkhen, Eliane Brum, Diane Grosklaus Whitty

The City and the Writer: In Palermo with Roberto Alajmo

I Am a Witness

Latest

Seven Ways to Hide Behind a Dog

The Five O’Clock Train to Rostock

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

Boulder

Bonsai

Invisible Crises

Translating Gujarat: On Raising Visibility and Sharing Literary Wealth

Crossroad

To Loved Ones

A Wagtail’s Song

Roots

Boots

Keder

Your #IWD2023 Reading List

Translating Gujarat: On Raising Visibility and Sharing Literary Wealth

Featured Contributors

Jeremy Tiang

Moeen Farrokhi

Larissa Kyzer

Jonathan Reeder

Siti Malini Mat

Jeremy Tiang

Moeen Farrokhi

Larissa Kyzer

Jonathan Reeder

Siti Malini Mat

Book Reviews

Foreignizing the Foreign: Aron Aji Translates Ferit Edgü

Unidentified Memories: Jon Bilbao’s “The Strangers”

“I Don’t Feel It”: On Liv Strömquist’s “The Reddest Rose: Romantic Love from the Ancient Greeks to Reality TV”

Foreignizing the Foreign: Aron Aji Translates Ferit Edgü

Unidentified Memories: Jon Bilbao’s “The Strangers”

“I Don’t Feel It”: On Liv Strömquist’s “The Reddest Rose: Romantic Love from the Ancient Greeks to Reality TV”