This is an archived issue of Belletrista. If you are looking for the current issue, you can find it here
Belletrista - A site promoting translated women authored literature from around the world
Photo of Herta Muller photo of beribboned books imagedescription

In Praise of Herta Müller: Winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature

Holiday shopping? Let us help you with the readers on your list!

Carolyn Kelly Muses about the Booker, the Frankfurt Book Fair, and the German Book Prize.

Welcome to the second issue of Belletrista! After the heady response to our launch issue, we're thrilled to be back to celebrate more astonishingly diverse works from talented women the world over. In this issue, you'll find alluring reviews of books from Mexico, Iceland, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Russia, and more. Don't miss the informative feature on the Ugandan women writers' association, Femrite, and the enlightening companion article profiling meritorious Ugandan authors. We've also, in our unique way, endeavored to shed some light on the Booker, Nobel and Giller Prizes. Finally, with the holidays in mind, we offer a host of gift suggestions to help you find the best picks for yourself, and the book-loving folk in your life. Happy (armchair) travels!

Reviews
Below are a tantalizingly small selection of this month's reviews....
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ADVENTURE DIVAS: SEARCHING THE GLOBE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE CHANGING THE WORLD
Holly Morris

While many travelogues recount the author's own stories and experiences, including some interactions with people met on the road, Morris uses her book specifically as a vehicle for telling the stories of the women she met.
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Reviewed by Carianne Carleo-Evangelist
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DEPARTING AT DAWN
Gloria Lisé
Translated from the Spanish by Alice Weldon

Although Departing at Dawn is about a horrible, brutal period, it is not a book about horror and brutality. In the opening sentence, Berta watches as her lover...
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Reviewed by Andy Barnes
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THE SECRET HISTORY OF MOSCOW
Ekaterina Sedia

The Secret History of Moscow is an urban fantasy set — as the title might lead you to suspect — in, and under, Moscow.
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Reviewed by Tim Jones
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THE VIRTUOSO
Sonia Orchard

Aficionados will find the music references interesting and familiar, while the uninitiated will find something new and enthralling.
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Reviewed by Amanda Meale
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HOW TO PAINT A DEAD MAN
Sarah Hall

Imagine yourself leaping into a painting. Something Impressionistic, perhaps: rich with color so thick you skid through its juicy impasto...
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Reviewed by Kathleen Ambrogi


FEMRITE and Ugandan Women Writers
Map of Uganda
A peek into an dynamic organization created to nurture women writers and a deeper look at five of its splendid writers.
Women Writers Dominate the Giller Prize
Photo of Kim Echlin, Annabel Lyon and Alice Munro
An unprecedented ten of the twelve long-listed books were written by women writers. Three remain on the shortlist. Joyce Nickels takes us on a whirlwind tour of the authors and their books...
New Biographies of Women Authors
Photo of actor representing the Alcott family
2009 has been a great year for biographies (and at least one documentary). Check out our list.
New and Notable Books
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Our latest collection of intriguing titles for November and December.