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A review by arirang
Night School: A Reader for Grownups by Péter Nádas, Jim Tucker, Zsófia Bán
4.0
This one we didn’t understand at all. We’ll have to ask about it when we get home.
Esti iskola: Olvasokönyv felnötteknek by Bán Zsófia was originally published in 2007 in Hungarian, and has now been translated into English as Night School: A Reader for Grownups by Jim Tucker and published by Open Letter.
This is a novel that, were it in English, would be a prime contender for the Goldsmiths Prize, and were the publisher in the UK, for the Republic of Consciousness Prize - my two favourite prizes - as it is highly creative in its literary approach. That said, my reading experience wasn't entirely successful.
The book is a collection of 21 connected short stories (c10 pages each), but connected not by recurring characters or settings, but rather by format. It is presented as a primary-school textbook, each chapter a lesson, complete with exercises for the reader at the end.
One of the last pieces concludes with the thought-provoker:
WRITE AN ESSAY on this topic: If you had the choice, which of your favorite authors would you choose not to meet ?
And many of the lessons themselves usually have an underlying theme which only gradually becomes clear - they may be an imaginative reinterpretation of the life story of a famous person, or a creative story of what might lie behind the creation of a famous painting, for example.
To take one example, the lesson "The Two Fridas (school beyond the border)", delivered in the Health/Homeland section of the syllabus.
The lesson is narrated by one of two identical twins, except one is from South America and the other Hungarian (reflecting the author's own split upbringing), both new kids at a school, and both called Frida.
At one point, as identical twins do, they worry but what happens, thought we in horror, if one of us dies before the other and take drastic action to prevent it:
And so it was: we filched a scalpel and clamp from the doctor's bag, and once he left we went into the bathroom and set about connecting our hearts. Our reasoning was that if we could make the two of them one, then we could not die separately, because the other one would also be me. Our biology teacher would have given us a B+ for this (because, and I quite, an A is only for the most exceptional)
It (hopefully) gradually dawns on the reader that this is all a reference to the painting The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo:
see https://www.fridakahlo.org/images/paintings/the-two-fridas.jpg
And the exercises for the pupil at the end:
Put your hand on your heart: Do you always wash your hands before an operation?
What do you conclude from the fact that a frog heart keeps beating even without the frog?
In your opinion, what does this tell us about the frog? Also: Is this healthy?
Bán has written extensively on the great WG Sebald and each of the stories is also accompanied by lots of mini black and white photos, here in the margin of the page and rather more surreal than Sebald's, in a sort of dialogue with the text. I understand that in the original the reader may have been invited to cut them out and stick them in appropriate blank spaces on the back cover, although that is not true in the US edition.
It is all very impressive, but doesn't always make for an entirely satisfactory reading experience. In many lessons the main point seems to be spotting the allusion - and I sometimes felt like the pupils in the quote that opens my review. And the quality of the writing (which is actually very high), as well as any emotional as opposed to intellectual resonance, became rather secondary. Even when the allusion was clear, full appreciation of the resulting story sometimes required a depth of familiarity with the source I didn't always have.
Indeed as with most textbooks it would have been better had it come with answers in the back.
The Geography/Biology/History lessons 'Mme de Merteuil Shakes Herself' is one of the easier ones to appreciate: a 20th century continuation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by email rather than letter. In this story Vicomte survives the duel and indirectly consummates his relationship with Madame de Merteuil as he is the sperm donor for her IVF treatment. As the various characters converge on New York in 2001, the ending becomes a little too obvious.
But then along comes some stories that are genuinely wrenching.
In A Film (24/1), the narrator talks themselves through a series of dives ending in one that will be watched all over the world. As the story progresses, the identify of their final diving toweror twin towers suddenly becomes brutally clear.
And Jolika And Dezso is a good example of a story that requires some context, rather inaccessible for the unprompted English-language reader, to provide the emotional payoff. A rather opaque and allusive story, which includes one section in italics that is clearly a direct quote, and, while the story is largely about hats, ends with the question:
1. IF IT TAKES ONE SECOND for you to hit five targets without reloading and you don't get interrupted, then what time in the afternoon does the water change colour?
Then, from an earlier published translation, I discovered that the quoted section, although unattributed, is from Ernö Szép's memoir, The Smell of Humans, and then the nature of the story becomes horribly clear.
Indeed I was left wondering how many other dark allusions I had missed. The holocaust (Ban's own parents are, I believe, holocaust survivors) and 9/11 are clearly two themes that run through the book, as well as drawing heavily on Hungarian literature and famous paintings. As one story proclaims:
There is something unsaid here, some hint, some dark and unhappy story. Or if not dark and unhappy, then something left unsaid, something that, shut up, sweetheart, you're too young for this, something that, ask your father, something that is there, since only a blind person could not see it, but whereof one cannot speak. One must be silent.
Overall, a wonderfully creative piece and brilliantly translated as well, given the novel dips into various languages and draws on so many sources.
4.5 stars for the concept although 3 for the reading experience (mainly my fault - I perhaps should have let the book flow) so 3.75 overall.
--------------------------
My best guess of the source for the different stories - in spoiler brackets - in each case the stories are not the true ones but the author's imaginative reconstruction:
Geography/History:
Motherwhere - I believe part of the general narrative
French:
Gustave & Maxime in Egypt (Or: The Metaphysics of Happening) - the story of Flaubert and Camp's trip
Chemistry and Physical Education
What Is This Thing Called the Exchange Reaction (destructive affinities)
- the four main characters from Goethe's Elective Affinites play table-tennis doubles
Health/homeland:
The Two Fridas (school beyond the border) - the story of Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas painting
Physical education:
A Film (24/1) - the 9/11 jumpers
Homeland/Environmental Sciences:
Fidelio (a blog opera) - modern rewrite of Beethoven’s Fidelio
The Foundations of Our Worldview:
The Goblin - unclear to me
Geography/Biology:
The Temptation of Henri Mouhot - this story of the French explorer, has his wife Anna (here, daughter of Scottish explorer Mungo Park; in reality Mouhot's wife Annette was a distant relative) having an affair with (the ficticious) Charles Bovary. Anna also quotes the as yet unwritten novel Heart of Darkness ('The horror! the horror!')
Military Education:
A Box of Photos (captions on the back) - Ernö Szép's memoir, The Smell of Humans
Religion:
Night Zoo - Psalm 137, relocated from the rivers of Babylon to those of Borneo, in the form of an erotic love story between a woman and another (who may actually be an elephant!)
English/Home Economics:
Mrs Longfellow Burns (a biography) - the story of Henry Wordsworth Longfellow and his 2nd wife in particular
Drawing/Art History:
Olympia (une folie sentimentale) - the story has Victorine Meurent forcing Manet to paint her in various poses, in particular for his Olympia
Physics/Biology:
The Mantegna Madonna (folksong for expectant mothers) - the story of Andrea Mantegna Madonna with Sleeping Child (plus bit parts for Isaac Newton and serial killer and GP Harold Shipman)
Singing/Music:
Concerto (with subtitles) - perhaps Beethoven’s pastoral symphony?
Geography:
Expulsion to Paradise - ? (references to ancient Brazilian gods)
Practical Instruction:
Self Help (Or: The Power of Nohoo) - ?
Geography/Biology/History
Mme de Merteuil Shakes Herself - a modern continuation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by email
Mathematics:
The Mathematics of Randomness - random mathematical observations, including the explorers Count Pál Teleki and Jenő Cholnoky, and a reference to the dating problem (https://plus.maths.org/content/mathematical-dating), although the book incorrectly says to take the 31st percentile not the 37th (actually mathematically 100/e)
Teacher’s Edition/Russian:
On the Eve of No Return (archival recording) - the story of Laika the Dog narrated by Laika
Hungarian:
How I Didn't (exercises in style: a partial inventory) - a succession of missed opportunities for the author to meet famous Hungarian authors, some alive some from the past
Recess:
The Miraculous Return of Laughter - returns to the Motherwhere story, and links in with Little Red Riding Hood
-------------------------------------------------------
This is the latest from the excellent Asymptote Book Club (https://www.asymptotejournal.com/book-club/), which I would highly recommend: the Asymptote Journal team select a piece of world literature each month from some of the leading independent presses in Canada, the US, and the UK.
Their review/introduction to this novel:
https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog/2019/01/31/announcing-our-january-book-club-selection-night-school-by-zsofia-ban/
And the list of books to date:
14. Night School: A Reader for Grownups by Zsófia Bán, tr. Jim Tucker, published by Open Letter
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2696062099)
13. [b:The Barefoot Woman|39380515|The Barefoot Woman|Scholastique Mukasonga|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525184189l/39380515._SX50_.jpg|21500195] by Scholastique Mukasonga, tr. Jordan Stump, published by Archipelago Books
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2637696439)
12. [b:Hotel Tito|34013791|Hotel Tito|Ivana Simić Bodrožić|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498865508l/34013791._SX50_.jpg|11121826], by Ivana Simić Bodrožić, tr. Ellen Elias-Bursać, published by Seven Stories Press
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2604065296)
11. Oct-18 [b:Like a Sword Wound|38740409|Like A Sword Wound|Ahmet Altan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519533015l/38740409._SY75_.jpg|1240091] by Ahmet Altan tr. Brendan Freely and Yelda Türedi, published by Seven Stories
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2577180059)
10. Sep-18 [b:Moving Parts|41067335|Moving Parts|Prabda Yoon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533676831l/41067335._SY75_.jpg|26028272] by Prabda Yoon, tr. Mui Poopoksakul , published by Tilted Axis Press
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2490833670)
9. Aug-18 [b:Revenge of the Translator|41838373|Revenge of the Translator|Brice Matthieussent|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537044322l/41838373._SY75_.jpg|7114764] by Brice Matthieussen, tr. Emma Ramadan, published by Deep Vellum
8. Jul-18 [b:I Didn't Talk|36327044|I Didn't Talk|Beatriz Bracher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507842222l/36327044._SY75_.jpg|58003377] by Beatriz Bracher, tr. Adam Morris. published by New Directions
7. Jun-18 [b:The Tidings of the Trees|39316490|The Tidings of the Trees|Wolfgang Hilbig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521404289l/39316490._SY75_.jpg|60921466] by Wolfgang Hilbig, tr. Isabel Fargo Cole, published by Two Lines Press
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2341008047)
6. May-18 [b:The Chilli Bean Paste Clan|39685923|The Chilli Bean Paste Clan|Yan Ge|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522435794l/39685923._SY75_.jpg|27433539] by Yan Ge, tr. Nicky Harmon, published by Balestier Press
5. Apr-18 [b:Brother in Ice|36625238|Brother in Ice|Alicia Kopf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511121491l/36625238._SY75_.jpg|50111360] by Alicia Kopf, tr. Mara Faye Letham, published by And Other Stories
4. Mar-18 [b:Trick|39006270|Trick|Domenico Starnone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520293303l/39006270._SY75_.jpg|53150764] by Dominico Starnone tr. Jhumpa Lahiri, published by Europa Editions
3. Feb-18 [b:Love|35210752|Love|Hanne Ørstavik|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506793555l/35210752._SX50_.jpg|10644559] by Hanne Ørstavik, tr. Martin Aitken, published by Archipelago Books
2. Jan-18 [b:Aranyak: Of the Forest|22729471|Aranyak Of the Forest|Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405446846l/22729471._SY75_.jpg|3115341] by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, tr. Rimli Bhattacharya, published by Seagull Books
1. Dec-17 [b:The Lime Tree|37479611|The Lime Tree|César Aira|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513104328l/37479611._SX50_.jpg|147509] by César Aira, tr. Chris Andrews, published by And Other Stories
Esti iskola: Olvasokönyv felnötteknek by Bán Zsófia was originally published in 2007 in Hungarian, and has now been translated into English as Night School: A Reader for Grownups by Jim Tucker and published by Open Letter.
This is a novel that, were it in English, would be a prime contender for the Goldsmiths Prize, and were the publisher in the UK, for the Republic of Consciousness Prize - my two favourite prizes - as it is highly creative in its literary approach. That said, my reading experience wasn't entirely successful.
The book is a collection of 21 connected short stories (c10 pages each), but connected not by recurring characters or settings, but rather by format. It is presented as a primary-school textbook, each chapter a lesson, complete with exercises for the reader at the end.
One of the last pieces concludes with the thought-provoker:
WRITE AN ESSAY on this topic: If you had the choice, which of your favorite authors would you choose not to meet ?
And many of the lessons themselves usually have an underlying theme which only gradually becomes clear - they may be an imaginative reinterpretation of the life story of a famous person, or a creative story of what might lie behind the creation of a famous painting, for example.
To take one example, the lesson "The Two Fridas (school beyond the border)", delivered in the Health/Homeland section of the syllabus.
The lesson is narrated by one of two identical twins, except one is from South America and the other Hungarian (reflecting the author's own split upbringing), both new kids at a school, and both called Frida.
At one point, as identical twins do, they worry but what happens, thought we in horror, if one of us dies before the other and take drastic action to prevent it:
And so it was: we filched a scalpel and clamp from the doctor's bag, and once he left we went into the bathroom and set about connecting our hearts. Our reasoning was that if we could make the two of them one, then we could not die separately, because the other one would also be me. Our biology teacher would have given us a B+ for this (because, and I quite, an A is only for the most exceptional)
It (hopefully) gradually dawns on the reader that this is all a reference to the painting The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo:
see https://www.fridakahlo.org/images/paintings/the-two-fridas.jpg
And the exercises for the pupil at the end:
Put your hand on your heart: Do you always wash your hands before an operation?
What do you conclude from the fact that a frog heart keeps beating even without the frog?
In your opinion, what does this tell us about the frog? Also: Is this healthy?
Bán has written extensively on the great WG Sebald and each of the stories is also accompanied by lots of mini black and white photos, here in the margin of the page and rather more surreal than Sebald's, in a sort of dialogue with the text. I understand that in the original the reader may have been invited to cut them out and stick them in appropriate blank spaces on the back cover, although that is not true in the US edition.
It is all very impressive, but doesn't always make for an entirely satisfactory reading experience. In many lessons the main point seems to be spotting the allusion - and I sometimes felt like the pupils in the quote that opens my review. And the quality of the writing (which is actually very high), as well as any emotional as opposed to intellectual resonance, became rather secondary. Even when the allusion was clear, full appreciation of the resulting story sometimes required a depth of familiarity with the source I didn't always have.
Indeed as with most textbooks it would have been better had it come with answers in the back.
The Geography/Biology/History lessons 'Mme de Merteuil Shakes Herself' is one of the easier ones to appreciate: a 20th century continuation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by email rather than letter. In this story Vicomte survives the duel and indirectly consummates his relationship with Madame de Merteuil as he is the sperm donor for her IVF treatment. As the various characters converge on New York in 2001, the ending becomes a little too obvious.
But then along comes some stories that are genuinely wrenching.
In A Film (24/1), the narrator talks themselves through a series of dives ending in one that will be watched all over the world. As the story progresses, the identify of their final diving tower
And Jolika And Dezso is a good example of a story that requires some context, rather inaccessible for the unprompted English-language reader, to provide the emotional payoff. A rather opaque and allusive story, which includes one section in italics that is clearly a direct quote, and, while the story is largely about hats, ends with the question:
1. IF IT TAKES ONE SECOND for you to hit five targets without reloading and you don't get interrupted, then what time in the afternoon does the water change colour?
Then, from an earlier published translation, I discovered that the quoted section, although unattributed, is from Ernö Szép's memoir, The Smell of Humans, and then the nature of the story becomes horribly clear.
Indeed I was left wondering how many other dark allusions I had missed. The holocaust (Ban's own parents are, I believe, holocaust survivors) and 9/11 are clearly two themes that run through the book, as well as drawing heavily on Hungarian literature and famous paintings. As one story proclaims:
There is something unsaid here, some hint, some dark and unhappy story. Or if not dark and unhappy, then something left unsaid, something that, shut up, sweetheart, you're too young for this, something that, ask your father, something that is there, since only a blind person could not see it, but whereof one cannot speak. One must be silent.
Overall, a wonderfully creative piece and brilliantly translated as well, given the novel dips into various languages and draws on so many sources.
4.5 stars for the concept although 3 for the reading experience (mainly my fault - I perhaps should have let the book flow) so 3.75 overall.
--------------------------
My best guess of the source for the different stories - in spoiler brackets - in each case the stories are not the true ones but the author's imaginative reconstruction:
Motherwhere - I believe part of the general narrative
French:
Gustave & Maxime in Egypt (Or: The Metaphysics of Happening) - the story of Flaubert and Camp's trip
Chemistry and Physical Education
What Is This Thing Called the Exchange Reaction (destructive affinities)
- the four main characters from Goethe's Elective Affinites play table-tennis doubles
Health/homeland:
The Two Fridas (school beyond the border) - the story of Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas painting
Physical education:
A Film (24/1) - the 9/11 jumpers
Homeland/Environmental Sciences:
Fidelio (a blog opera) - modern rewrite of Beethoven’s Fidelio
The Foundations of Our Worldview:
The Goblin - unclear to me
Geography/Biology:
The Temptation of Henri Mouhot - this story of the French explorer, has his wife Anna (here, daughter of Scottish explorer Mungo Park; in reality Mouhot's wife Annette was a distant relative) having an affair with (the ficticious) Charles Bovary. Anna also quotes the as yet unwritten novel Heart of Darkness ('The horror! the horror!')
Military Education:
A Box of Photos (captions on the back) - Ernö Szép's memoir, The Smell of Humans
Religion:
Night Zoo - Psalm 137, relocated from the rivers of Babylon to those of Borneo, in the form of an erotic love story between a woman and another (who may actually be an elephant!)
English/Home Economics:
Mrs Longfellow Burns (a biography) - the story of Henry Wordsworth Longfellow and his 2nd wife in particular
Drawing/Art History:
Olympia (une folie sentimentale) - the story has Victorine Meurent forcing Manet to paint her in various poses, in particular for his Olympia
Physics/Biology:
The Mantegna Madonna (folksong for expectant mothers) - the story of Andrea Mantegna Madonna with Sleeping Child (plus bit parts for Isaac Newton and serial killer and GP Harold Shipman)
Singing/Music:
Concerto (with subtitles) - perhaps Beethoven’s pastoral symphony?
Geography:
Expulsion to Paradise - ? (references to ancient Brazilian gods)
Practical Instruction:
Self Help (Or: The Power of Nohoo) - ?
Geography/Biology/History
Mme de Merteuil Shakes Herself - a modern continuation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by email
Mathematics:
The Mathematics of Randomness - random mathematical observations, including the explorers Count Pál Teleki and Jenő Cholnoky, and a reference to the dating problem (https://plus.maths.org/content/mathematical-dating), although the book incorrectly says to take the 31st percentile not the 37th (actually mathematically 100/e)
Teacher’s Edition/Russian:
On the Eve of No Return (archival recording) - the story of Laika the Dog narrated by Laika
Hungarian:
How I Didn't (exercises in style: a partial inventory) - a succession of missed opportunities for the author to meet famous Hungarian authors, some alive some from the past
Recess:
The Miraculous Return of Laughter - returns to the Motherwhere story, and links in with Little Red Riding Hood
-------------------------------------------------------
This is the latest from the excellent Asymptote Book Club (https://www.asymptotejournal.com/book-club/), which I would highly recommend: the Asymptote Journal team select a piece of world literature each month from some of the leading independent presses in Canada, the US, and the UK.
Their review/introduction to this novel:
https://www.asymptotejournal.com/blog/2019/01/31/announcing-our-january-book-club-selection-night-school-by-zsofia-ban/
And the list of books to date:
14. Night School: A Reader for Grownups by Zsófia Bán, tr. Jim Tucker, published by Open Letter
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2696062099)
13. [b:The Barefoot Woman|39380515|The Barefoot Woman|Scholastique Mukasonga|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525184189l/39380515._SX50_.jpg|21500195] by Scholastique Mukasonga, tr. Jordan Stump, published by Archipelago Books
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2637696439)
12. [b:Hotel Tito|34013791|Hotel Tito|Ivana Simić Bodrožić|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498865508l/34013791._SX50_.jpg|11121826], by Ivana Simić Bodrožić, tr. Ellen Elias-Bursać, published by Seven Stories Press
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2604065296)
11. Oct-18 [b:Like a Sword Wound|38740409|Like A Sword Wound|Ahmet Altan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519533015l/38740409._SY75_.jpg|1240091] by Ahmet Altan tr. Brendan Freely and Yelda Türedi, published by Seven Stories
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2577180059)
10. Sep-18 [b:Moving Parts|41067335|Moving Parts|Prabda Yoon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533676831l/41067335._SY75_.jpg|26028272] by Prabda Yoon, tr. Mui Poopoksakul , published by Tilted Axis Press
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2490833670)
9. Aug-18 [b:Revenge of the Translator|41838373|Revenge of the Translator|Brice Matthieussent|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537044322l/41838373._SY75_.jpg|7114764] by Brice Matthieussen, tr. Emma Ramadan, published by Deep Vellum
8. Jul-18 [b:I Didn't Talk|36327044|I Didn't Talk|Beatriz Bracher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507842222l/36327044._SY75_.jpg|58003377] by Beatriz Bracher, tr. Adam Morris. published by New Directions
7. Jun-18 [b:The Tidings of the Trees|39316490|The Tidings of the Trees|Wolfgang Hilbig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521404289l/39316490._SY75_.jpg|60921466] by Wolfgang Hilbig, tr. Isabel Fargo Cole, published by Two Lines Press
(my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2341008047)
6. May-18 [b:The Chilli Bean Paste Clan|39685923|The Chilli Bean Paste Clan|Yan Ge|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522435794l/39685923._SY75_.jpg|27433539] by Yan Ge, tr. Nicky Harmon, published by Balestier Press
5. Apr-18 [b:Brother in Ice|36625238|Brother in Ice|Alicia Kopf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511121491l/36625238._SY75_.jpg|50111360] by Alicia Kopf, tr. Mara Faye Letham, published by And Other Stories
4. Mar-18 [b:Trick|39006270|Trick|Domenico Starnone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520293303l/39006270._SY75_.jpg|53150764] by Dominico Starnone tr. Jhumpa Lahiri, published by Europa Editions
3. Feb-18 [b:Love|35210752|Love|Hanne Ørstavik|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506793555l/35210752._SX50_.jpg|10644559] by Hanne Ørstavik, tr. Martin Aitken, published by Archipelago Books
2. Jan-18 [b:Aranyak: Of the Forest|22729471|Aranyak Of the Forest|Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405446846l/22729471._SY75_.jpg|3115341] by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, tr. Rimli Bhattacharya, published by Seagull Books
1. Dec-17 [b:The Lime Tree|37479611|The Lime Tree|César Aira|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513104328l/37479611._SX50_.jpg|147509] by César Aira, tr. Chris Andrews, published by And Other Stories