This month we present fiction from Madagascar. Very little of this country’s wealth of literature has been translated into English, and the selection here, grounded in the oral tradition and steeped in the rich and diverse heritage of this island nation, suggests we’ve been missing out on an extraordinary literary culture. Iharilanto Patrick Andriamangatiana and David Jaomanoro pen modern fables. Magali Nirina Marson paints a searing portrait of a teen losing and reclaiming her identity. In two looks at economic injustice, Bao Ralambo sees class struggles clean out a slum, while Charlotte-Arrisoa Rafenomanjato sees a family’s history written in blood. Cyprienne Toazara doubles down in a village tale of love and war. Naivo reveals paranoia as the flip side of bureaucracy. And in our first translation from Malagasy, Andry Andraina documents the aftermath of World War II. We thank our guest editor, Allison M. Charette.
We thank the Mission Culturelle et Universitaire Française aux Etats Unis, a department of the French Embassy in the United States, for its generous support of this issue.