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Kazakhstan

A collage of 8 debut women writers. Left to right: Emma Braslavsky, Olivia Duchesne, Fadma Farras,...

8 Debut Women Writers to Read on International Women’s Day

By Elete Nelson-Fearon

In honor of International Women’s Day 2025, WWB spotlights 8 women writers who have celebrated their English-language debut this past year.

Image of a vibrant assortment of jewelry

Photo by János Venczák on Unsplash

Sins of the Mother: Unsettling Matrilineal Inheritance in East Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus

By Sabrina Jaszi, Mirgul Kali & Ena Selimović

The translators of the four stories in the Matrilineal collection consider matriarchal influence and the uncanny power of feminine inheritance.

Collection of pearl necklaces on a black background

Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash

Shakharbanu’s Curse

Whenever I think of the old woman, I remember her not as my great-grandmother but as the first person I learned to loathe.

Translated from Kazakh by Mirgul Kali

The covers of the nine books featured in the list: Suee and the Strange White Light, The House...

World Kid Lit Month: Read Around Asia

By Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp, Kelly Zhang & Hongyu Jasmine Zhu

This World Kid Lit Month, join us for a tour of Asia with the best of translated Asian literature for young people, including picture books, middle-grade and YA fiction, and graphic novels.

The covers of the books featured in the list

The Best Books of 2022—And What We’re Looking Forward to in 2023

By Words Without Borders

Our staff, contributors, and board members share their favorite translated books of the year and the titles they’re looking forward to in 2023.

The covers of the books featured in the Watchlist: The Blunder, Carnality, Of Saints and Miracles,...

The Watchlist: July 2022

By Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll recommends exciting new books from Cameroon, Mexico, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and Kazakhstan.

The Nanny

By Aigul Kemelbayeva

The technological age regulates social relations with its robotic fingers, and it does not give a damn about your naturally noble spirit.

Translated from Kazakh by Shelley Fairweather-Vega

Dismissed

By Zaure Batayeva

Who needs Kazakh? We are moving to Russia anyway.

Translated from Kazakh by Zaure Batayeva & Shelley Fairweather-Vega

The Beskempir

By Zira Naurzbayeva

It was the old grandmas themselves, each and every one of them, who were most interesting to me.

Translated from Russian by Shelley Fairweather-Vega

MultimediaMultilingual

Writing by Kazakh Women

By Shelley Fairweather-Vega & Zaure Batayeva

Kazakhstan is the largest country by landmass to emerge from the breakup of the Soviet Union aside from Russia itself, but it has had an undersized impact on world literature.

Old Fazyl’s Advice

“God’s punishment comes through the hands of the insulted,” said Fazyl, sighing.

Translated from Russian by Rohan Kamicheril

Multilingual

From Resurrection to Sunday

By Aigerim Tazhi

we cross off dates on the calendar / waiting for salvation

Translated from Russian by J. Kates

Multilingual