Published by Hutchinson Heinemann / Penguin, 2024, 358 pages “The story of a war can only be fully and truly told by both the living and the dead.”—Igbo proverb Kunle is nine years old when he sends Tunde, his younger brother, out of the house, so that he can be alone with Nkechi. Tunde runs …
Tag: history
The Po—An Elegy for Italy’s Longest River: Tobias Jones
Published by Head of Zeus, 2022, 276 pages “You need to understand the Po to understand Italy”, wrote the poet Guido Ceronetti. So Tobias Jones sets out to explore the river, going against its current: he starts from where it flows into the Adriatic Sea, tracing it back to its source in the Alps. Compared …
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The Name of the Rose: Umberto Eco
Translated from Italian by William WeaverPublished by Picador / Vintage / HarperVia, 1983, 502 pages. Original version published in 1980. “Now I realized that not infrequently books speak of books: it is as if they spoke among themselves. In the light of this reflection, the library seemed all the more disturbing to me. It was …
Abid Hasan Safrani—Netaji’s Comrade-in-Arms: Compiled by Ismat Mehdi and Shehbaz Safrani
Published by Orient BlackSwan, 2023, 148 pages. “Abid Hasan Safrani...was a quiet revolutionary who kept himself out of the limelight even while being present at every vital scene and moment of the final phase of our freedom struggle...”—Sugata Bose, Foreword First of all, full disclosure: Ismat Mehdi is my aunt. So this book is personal …
Mephisto: Klaus Mann
Translated from German by Robin SmythPublished by Penguin, 1977, 263 pages. Original version published in 1936. “What do men want from me? Why do they pursue me? Why are they so hard? All I am is a perfectly ordinary actor...” Hendrik Höfgen is, first and foremost, an actor. In fact, that could describe him entirely. …
The Best Books of 2024
Photo: Maria Starus via AdobeStock We’re coming to the end of 2024. It’s been quite a year. But it’s good to know that people are still reading. And reading widely, judging by the lists you sent me. As always, we have a rich and varied collection. The longest part of this list is the one …
The Cemetery of Untold Stories: Julia Alvarez
Published by Charco Press, 2024, 265 pages. “As usual, she stops at El Barón’s tomb, to pay her respects, making the sign of the cross, then laying her fingers on the glass. The touch sets the flakes flying. A voice commences recounting its stories, other voices join in, more and more, as if blown by …
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A Life’s Journey: An Interview with Robert W. Norris
Robert W. Norris is an American writer and retired teacher who lives near Fukuoka, Japan. Robert’s books include his memoir, The Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise (2023); novels, including Looking for the Summer (1996); The Many Roads to Japan: A Search for Identity (1997); Toraware (1998); and Autumn Shadows in August (2006). …
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Star 111: Lutz Seiler
Translated from German by Tess LewisPublished by And Other Stories, 2023, 495 pages. Original version published in 2020. East Germany, November 1989. The Berlin Wall has fallen. Carl Bischoff, a student, is heading home, summoned by a telegram from his parents saying, “we need help please do come immediately your parents”. When Carl gets home, …
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