Belletrista Issue 4

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


Meet Italy's Award-winning author Lia Levi in this interview with Paola Sergi.	Fifteen years old and All Grown Up? Rachael Beale takes us on an Orange Prize retrospective journey.	In Praise of New Zealand's Patricia Grace

Welcome to our fourth issue, and a further excursion into the wonderful world of literature! This time we feature an interview with Italy's celebrated Lia Levi, and we also introduce the works of Patricia Grace from New Zealand, Assia Djebar from Algeria, and two new authors, Maaza Mengiste and Nadifa Mohamed, from East Africa. Our very own Rachael Beale talks to some of the women behind the British Orange Prize in a retrospective piece. And just in case you don't have enough to read, we present 22 reviews of books by authors representing 17 different countries. Finally, we've included more than 60 original and distinctive titles from around the globe in the New and Notable section, for your browsing pleasure. We have thoroughly enjoyed producing this issue for you, and hope that you'll relish it!

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

ALL THIS BELONGS TO ME

Petra Hulová

Translated from the Czech by Alex Zucker

Tread the harsh, dusty Mongolian steppe with this nomadic family as they tend to the livestock and collect argal (firewood) to keep warm...
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Reviewed by Akeela Gaibie-Dawood

THE PAPERBARK SHOE

Goldie Goldbloom

Goldie Goldbloom's debut novel, The Paperbark Shoe, serves as an example of the perseverance of the human spirit despite great adversity. Set in Western Australia during World War II, the story follows Gin as she endures great losses and makes great sacrifices while yearning for a happiness she seems unable to achieve.
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Reviewed by Kieran Jack

PRIMEVAL AND OTHER TIMES

Olga Tokarczuk

Translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones

In the heart of Poland lies the village of Primeval; according to Olga Tokarczuk, "Primeval is the place at the centre of the universe."
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Reviewed by Jane A. Jones

THE LAST RIVER CHILD

Lori Ann Bloomfield

Troubles plague the lives of the people of Walvern, a fictitious Canadian town rife with gossip, superstition, and scandal. However, alongside these troubles lies a story of hope, and the love a person can find amidst rejection.
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Reviewed by Caitlin Fehir

HEAVEN OF DRUMS

Ana Gloria Moya

Translated from the Spanish by W. Nick Hill

Heaven of Drums is an ambitious little book which uses an interracial love triangle to build a narrative history of the independence of the author's native Argentina.
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Reviewed by Andy Barnes