Belletrista

This is an archived issue of Belletrista. If you are looking for the current issue, you can find it here


Thirty-nine Arab writers under the age of 39. Akeela Gaibie-Dawood looks at the award and the women who were honored.	Carolyn Kelly in praise of Swedish author Åsa Larsson	SPECIAL FEATURE: More reviews! In keeping with our short fiction theme this month, we review anthologies.

Happy New Year, and welcome to Belletrista's exciting third issue!

In this issue we have chosen to emphasize short fiction. Author Tania Hershman has written a wonderful piece on the subject (click on "Stopping to Smell the Miniature Roses" below), and we have put together a special section of anthology reviews. We were very pleased to discover that The Guardian has recently published an article on women and short fiction, too (once again proving that great minds think alike)! Here's a link to their article; perhaps you will enjoy reading it as much as we have here at Belletrista.

We like to think we have something for every fiction reader in this issue, and we hope you will explore all the magazine has to offer—from our regular reviews and new & notable offerings, to our engaging feature pieces which explore the work of Åsa Larsson, Annie Ernaux, and the very welcome Beirut39 project.We hope you will enjoy Belletrista 3, and will be interested in reading some of the excellent books highlighted here. Please let us know what you think—your comments are always welcome!

Reviews
Below is a tantalizingly small selection of this month's reviews....

BABA YAGA LAID AN EGG

Dubravka Ugrešić

Translated from the Croatian by Ellen Elias-Bursac

Ugrešić's take on the Slavic Baba Yaga story is part of the Canongate "The Myths" series, for which an outstanding collection of writers have each produced a contemporary retelling of a myth. The prospect of a retelling of Baba Yaga by a writer I admire greatly was too much to resist....
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Reviewed by Rachel Hayes

GOD'S MERCY

Kerstin Ekman

Translated from the Swedish by Linda Schneck

With make-believe snow swirling around my head and imaginary wolves howling in the distance, I am reminded of Russian novels.
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Reviewed by Kathleen Ambrogi

PORTRAIT OF THE WRITER AS A DOMESTICATED ANIMAL

Lydie Salvayre

Translated from the French by William Pedersen

This very timely satire pits a ruthless, shrewd, obscenely rich magnate against a young, idealistic writer in a battle for the heart and mind of the reader. If you are thinking that you already know how the battle will turn out, you may be wrong.
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Reviewed by Jana Herlander

MY DRIVER

Maggie Gee

A comedy set against the backdrop of war might not seem viable, but Maggie Gee makes it work.
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Reviewed by Amanda Meale

THERE A PETAL SILENTLY FALLS

Ch'oe Yun

Translated from the Korean by Bruce Fulton and Ju‒Chan

This collection of short works carries a title that is gentle and lyrical. Petals are delicate and beautiful and soft to the touch. They are silent when they fall.
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Reviewed by Carolyn Kelly