Prologue Bookshop’s translation picks of the year
Gary Lovely is the store manager of Prologue Books, an indie bookstore in Columbus, Ohio. We asked him to tell us about the literature in translation that dazzled him this year. Pen and paper ready?
Prologue Bookshop is an independent bookstore based in Columbus, Ohio. Specializing in literary fiction, works in translation, and being a welcoming spot for our community, Prologue believes the work publishers and translators do to expose us to writing from other places is incredibly important to building empathy across borders and we have made it our mission to share these works with our readers. The Center for the Art of Translation is at the forefront of this work, and we are always stoked to work together when we can. These six books, each in their own way, offer a glimpse into other lives via dirty jobs, dangerous cities, daydreams, and the people at the center. —Gary Lovely
Below you’ll find links to buy the books directly from Prologue Bookshop. Consider supporting an independent bookstore this holiday season!
This is Not Miami — Fernanda Melchor, translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes
Fernanda Melchor is a master of painting the violence of everyday life. This is Not Miami, set in Melchor’s hometown of Veracruz, uses narrative nonfiction to explore violence and brutality, all while leaving room for empathy and understanding of even the worst of mankind. Melchor’s writing is as sharp and devastating as ever. A constant hand-sell of mine since its release.
Of Cattle and Men — Ana Paula Maia, translated from Portuguese by Zoe Perry
This one truly has it all–labor, cattle, and coming in at less than 100 pages of Cormac McCarthyesque fury. Of Cattle and Men follows Edgar Wilson, an empathetic stun operator in a Brazilian slaughterhouse who takes pride in performing a horrific job with care, but quickly realizes something is driving both the cattle and the world around him into violent madness. Winner of the 2023 Cercador Prize for Literature in Translation. Winner of my heart.
Beijing Sprawl — Xu Zechen, translated from Chinese by Eric Abrahamsen and Jeremy Tiang
Beijing Sprawl fed my inner shithead teenager soul in ways that few books do. A group of dropouts spend their days in Beijing trying to make ends meet, copping counterfeit IDs, playing cards, and working on old cars. Violence creeps around every corner in Xu Zechen’s dreamy prose, but life is violence and folks still have to pay rent. A beautiful translation by Jeremy Tiang and Eric Abrahamsen.
A Practical Guide to Levitation — José Eduardo Agualusa, translated from Portuguese by Daniel Hahn
Jose Eduardo Agualusa is a mammoth of flash fiction. A Practical Guide to Levitation is a collection of short work, some pulled from his earlier publications, but all strange and dreamy and sad. Perfect for fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers’ Guild — Mathias Énard, translated from French by Frank Wynne
In this gorgeous stream of consciousness that reads like dreaming, anthropology student David Mazon is studying local culture in a small french village when he discovers a local custom where Death and Life take a three-day sabbath while death workers have a giant feast. Enard’s writing is quiet and beautiful and this felt like something truly new.
Recital of the Dark Verses — Luis Felipe Fabre, translated from Spanish by Heather Cleary
A hilarious, totally insane book that should be on every bookstore front table. Structured around St. John of the Cross’s actual verses, we’re introduced to the true story of a bailiff and two assistants who exhumed St. John’s body only to find it seemingly fresh and untampered with. Hilarious and gorgeous in the very best ways from beginning to end. A gift. A staff pick. History is so strange.
Gary Lovely is the store manager of Prologue Bookshop and publisher of Harpoon Books, an independent publishing company based in Columbus, OH. Gary has been working in the book industry for nearly 15 years and was recently named a Publisher’s Weekly Star Watch Honoree. He is a board member of the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and currently serves on the judging committee for the Cercador Prize for literature in Translation. Gary has written about books for the NYT, Literary Hub, Buzzfeed Books, Columbus Monthly, and more.
