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Reading Lists

The covers of the six books featured in the Watchlist: Buland Al-Haidari and Modern Iraqi Poetry,...
The Watchlist: May 2023
By Tobias Carroll
Tobias Carroll recommends new fiction, poetry, and nonfiction from Argentina, Germany, Iraq, Italy, and South Korea.
The covers of Macunaíma, Hit Parade of Tears, The Red Book of Farewells, Work-Life Balance, Historiae,...
The Watchlist: April 2023
By Tobias Carroll
Tobias Carroll recommends exciting new books in translation from Brazil, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Sudan.
The covers of the books featured in the Watchlist: Walking Practice, Banzeiro Okoto, As We Exist,...
The Watchlist: March 2023
By Tobias Carroll
Tobias Carroll recommends new books you won’t want to miss translated from Korean, French, Esperanto, Japanese, and Portuguese.
The covers of the books featured in the Watchlist: Sweetlust, Stravaging Strange, Black Foam, and...
The Watchlist: February 2023
By Tobias Carroll
Tobias Carroll recommends exciting new books translated from Arabic, Croatian, Spanish, and Russian.
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 list
World Kid Lit: The Best of 2022
By Jackie Friedman Mighdoll, Johanna McCalmont & Claire Storey
Join the editors of the World Kid Lit blog on a tour of their favorite international children's books of 2022, from picture books to YA fiction and graphic novels.
The covers of the books featured in the Watchlist
The Watchlist: December 2022
By Tobias Carroll
Tobias Carroll recommends exciting new books in translation from Mauritius, Romania, Japan, Spain, Germany, and Puerto Rico.
The covers of the ten books featured in the gift guide
Your 2022 Holiday Gift Guide to Reading in Translation
By Isabella Corletto
Ten recent books in translation that the readers in your life are sure to enjoy this holiday season.
The covers of the books featured in the Watchlist
The Watchlist: November 2022
By Tobias Carroll
Tobias Carroll recommends exciting new books in translation from Denmark, Argentina, Palestine, Mexico, and Poland.
July 2022 Poetry Collection Feature
8 Poetry Collections in Translation to Read in 2022
By Words Without Borders
Recent and forthcoming poetry in translation from Mexico, South Korea, Croatia, Haiti, and more.
9 Dystopian Novels in Translation to Read Now
By Words Without Borders
Recent and forthcoming dystopian fiction from Argentina, Egypt, Iceland, Japan, and more.
Most Anticipated Books Of 2022 Feature
WWB’s Most Anticipated Translated Books of 2022
By Words Without Borders
WWB staff, contributors, and board members on the translated books they're most excited about in 2022.
The Best Translated Books of 2021
By Words Without Borders
As the year comes to an end, our staff, contributors, and board members look back on their favorite international reads from 2021.Eric M. B. BeckerEditorOne of my most thought-provoking reads…
7 New Voices in English Translation to Read Now
By Words Without Borders
Each year, WWB is proud to offer a platform to dozens of international writers whose work has never before appeared in English translation. As 2021 comes to an end, we’re looking back at some of…
“Don’t Go Dancing in the Cemetery Tonight”: 7 Translated Tales in Classic Horror Settings
By Susan Harris
If you’re looking for a seasonal chill, we direct you to our archives for these seven narratives that nod to classic horror tropes. While the settings may be familiar, you’ll find no clichés…
10 Translated Books about Translators for International Translation Day
By Words Without Borders
Happy International Translation Day! To ensure that you're squeezing in as much translation as possible on this special day, we've made a list of ten great translated books that feature translator…
Around the World with Queer Kid Lit and YA: 13 Books to Read Now
By Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp
Books in translation have the power to challenge dominant attitudes and inspire new ways of seeing society—and ourselves. These thirteen books from around the world offer young readers refreshing…
11 Translated Books by Asian Women Writers to Read This #WITMonth
By Words Without Borders
 Happy #WITMonth! To celebrate this special occasion, we've chosen eleven books you won't want to miss by some of our favorite Asian women writers in the WWB archives. From Indonesia,…
10 New Children’s Books in Translation to Read This Summer
By Words Without Borders
As the days grow hotter and the school year draws to a close, you—and the kids in your life—might have some extra time on your hands. To help you plan your summer reading list, we’ve…
8 Queer Books in Translation to Read Now
By Words Without Borders
For Pride Month 2021, we asked eight writers and translators to recommend their favorite queer titles in translation. The books they shared with us—from Chile, China, Equatorial Guinea,…
10 Translated Books from Haiti to Read Now
By Nathan H. Dize
For many English-speaking readers of Haitian literature, one author usually comes to mind: Edwidge Danticat. Though there are many more Haitian and Haitian diasporic writers working in English—including…
How to Write a Pro-Glacier Book: An Earth Day Reading List
By Andri Snær Magnason
My writing is a product of my reading, so today, on Earth Day, I am pleased to share some of the books that inspired me to write On Time and Water. The theme of the book is, as the title says, time and…
7 Issues of International Women’s Writing to Read on #IWD2021
By Words Without Borders
Happy International Women's Day! In celebration of this special day, we've selected seven outstanding issues of women's writing in translation from the WWB archives. Featuring work from…
7 Resources on Translating Blackness, Race, and Racism
By Corine Tachtiris
Five years ago, John Keene published “Translating Poetry, Translating Blackness,” a clarion call for more Afro-diasporic literature in English translation, noting the exclusion of Black writers…
Our Favorite International Reads of 2020 (and What We’ll Be Reading in 2021)
By Words Without Borders
As the year comes to an end, our staff, contributors, and board members share their favorite international reads from 2020 and the titles they’re looking forward to in 2021.Eric M. B.…
The Best Translated Books You Missed in 2020
By Words Without Borders
As we approach the end of 2020, we’ve been speaking with translators, critics, publishers, writers, and booksellers about outstanding books in translation that readers might have…
New Canons: 9 Anthologies of Translated Literature
By Words Without Borders
In honor of International Translation Day, we’ve compiled a list of nine of the most innovative anthologies of translated literature from the past two decades. These collections move beyond the…
9 Translated Books by Black Women Writers to Read This #WITMonth
By Words Without Borders
This #WITMonth, we're spotlighting books by some of our favorite Black women writers in translation. From Haiti and Cabo Verde, Italy and Equatorial Guinea, the books below span continents…
10 Translated Books from India to Read Now
By Arunava Sinha
Both list-makers and editors seem to forget that India is in fact a country with 20,000 tongues, which are variations of over 120 distinct languages.
The Complete WWB Decameron
By Words Without Borders
A little over ten weeks ago, as borders were closing and our world convulsed in the COVID-19 pandemic, we asked ourselves how we could join together with our readers for solace, stimulation, and contact…
8 Queer Books in Translation to Read This Pride Month
By Words Without Borders
This year, Pride Month comes at a momentous and grief-stricken time. As queer communities around the world take to the streets in the fight for racial justice, many are also working to raise awareness…
11 Indie Presses Recommend Books in Translation for World Book Day 2020
By Words Without Borders
This year, World Book Day comes at a difficult moment for book publishers, as well as for writers, translators, and readers. We thought we’d take the occasion to trumpet some of our favorite…
International Booksellers Recommend 11 Translated Books to Read Right Now
By Words Without Borders
Over the past several weeks, we at Words Without Borders have been thinking about how to best support our community of international writers, translators, and booksellers through the COVID-19 crisis.…
Best of the B-Sides: Sensory Overload
By Lori Feathers
In the “Best of the B-Sides” series, critic and bookseller Lori Feathers recommends a new work in translation along with a number of backlist (“B-side”) titles that you…
For International Women’s Day, Nine Translated Books by Women to Read in 2020
By Words Without Borders
In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’re looking ahead to the translated literature by women that we’re most excited about in 2020. Here are the books at the top of our…
7 Stories of Love’s Labors and Loss to Read This Valentine’s Day
By Alexandra Vail
It’s February, and love is in the air. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’ve gathered seven stories from our archives that are sure to put your romantic notions to the test. Levi…
For Oscars Season, 5 Stories of Cinema from around the World
By Alexandra Vail
Counting down the minutes to Oscars night? No doubt you've watched all nine Best Picture nominees. If it's the Academy Awards you've got on your mind and yet you just know the…
Our Favorite International Reads from 2019 (and What We’ll Be Reading in 2020)
By Words Without Borders
As the year draws to a close, our staff, contributors, and board members share their favorite works-in-translation of 2019 and the titles they’re looking forward to in 2020.Eric M. B. BeckerEditorTo…
The Best Translated Books You Missed in 2019
By Words Without Borders
As we approach the end of the year, we’ve been speaking with translators, critics, publishers, writers, and booksellers about excellent works in translation that you may have missed in your…
Your Holiday Gift Guide to Reading in Translation
By Words Without Borders
This holiday season give friends and family the gift of literature from around the world. Here are our recommendations of exciting recent international titles for all of the readers in your…
For Halloween, Thirteen Eerie Stories from around the World
By Susan Harris
Once again the days shorten, the shadows lengthen, and the ghouls come out as Halloween rolls around. To help you celebrate this sinister time of year, we offer thirteen stories lurking in our crypt—er,…
Best of the B-Sides: Destiny’s Child
By Lori Feathers
In the “Best of the B-Sides” series, critic and bookseller Lori Feathers recommends a new work in translation along with a number of backlist (“B-Side”) titles that you…
11 International Queer Pieces to Read Right Now
By Susan Harris
As you may have noticed, we’re celebrating our tenth Queer issue. WWB has always published queer work, of course: there was the Spanish writer Andrés Barba’s sorrowful long story “Nocturne,”…
Every Month Is Poetry Month
By Susan Harris
This National Poetry Month has been chockablock with recommendations of poets old and new, and we’ve celebrated as fervently as anyone. But we can all agree that the great pleasure and solace of…
Against Valentine’s Day: 7 International Love Stories for the Antiromantic in You
By Susan Harris
Do you look at bouquets of red roses and calculate when they’ll go limp? Do you think chocolates should come in boxes shaped like aortas and ventricles? Do you want to tell conversation hearts to…
The Translator’s Bookshelf
By Elisa Wouk Almino
When you deeply love a piece of writing, you long to become a part of it—to add to it and insert your own voice into its sentences. This is an idea that Roland Barthes expressed and that the writer…
Best of the B-Sides: Death by Fixation
By Lori Feathers
In this bimonthly series, “Best of the B-Sides,” critic and bookseller Lori Feathers recommends a new work in translation along with a number of backlist (“B-Side”) titles…
2018 at WWB: 11 Groundbreaking Works
By Susan Harris
Like the French, who celebrate the holiday season into Epiphany and offer bonne années till the end of January, we’re extending our traditional year-end observations into the beginning of…
Our Favorite International Reads from 2018 (and What We’ll Be Reading in 2019)
By Words Without Borders
As the year draws to a close, our staff, contributors, and board members share their favorite works-in-translation of 2018 and the titles they’re looking forward to in 2019.Elisa Wouk…
A Holiday Gift Guide for Children’s Literature in Translation
By Rivka Galchen
In the past, I often felt lost buying books for the kids of friends and families. Goodnight, Moon may be inexhaustibly good, but everyone already has it; same with The Phantom Tollbooth; same with…
Best of the B-Sides: The Legacy of a Secret
By Lori Feathers
In this bimonthly series, “Best of the B-Sides,” critic and bookseller Lori Feathers recommends a new work in translation along with a number of backlist (“B-Side”) titles…
For International Translation Day: 15 Ways of Looking at Translation
By Susan Harris
For International Translation Day, we’ve compiled fifteen essays, interviews, and conversations from the last fifteen years of Words Without Borders on the art and craft of translation,…
Best of the B-Sides: Finding the Essence
By Lori Feathers
In this new bimonthly series, “Best of the B-Sides,” critic and bookseller Lori Feathers recommends a new work in translation along with a number of backlist (“B-Side”) titles…
Best of the B-Sides: Keeping House
By Lori Feathers
In this new bimonthly series, “Best of the B-Sides,” critic and bookseller Lori Feathers recommends a new work in translation along with a number of backlist (“B-Side”) titles…
Best of the B-Sides
By Lori Feathers
In this series, critic and bookseller Lori Feathers recommends a new work in translation along with a number of backlist (“B-Side”) titles that you might have missed. The books selected might…
Best of the B-Sides: Identity in Translation
By Lori Feathers
In this new bimonthly series, “Best of the B-Sides,” critic and bookseller Lori Feathers recommends a new work in translation along with a number of backlist (“B-Side”) titles…
Voices Unheard: Tribal Literature from India to Read Now
By Pooja Shankar
Until recently, the tribal literature created in non-mainstream languages has not been very recognized or available for an Indian or global audience.