Found In Translation

by Frank Wynne (Editor)

'Without translation, we would be living in provinces bordering on silence.' George Steiner

It is impossible to overstate the influence world literatures have had in defining each other. No culture exists in isolation; all writers are part of the intertwining braid of literature.

Found In Translation brings together one hundred glittering diamonds of world literature, celebrating not only the original texts themselves but also the art of translation. From Azerbijan to Uzbekistan, by way of China and Bengal, Suriname and Slovenia, some of the greatest voices of world literature come together in a thunderous chorus. If the authors include Nobel Prize winners, some of the translators are equally famous - here, Saul Bellow translates Issac Beshevis Singer, D. H. Lawrence and Edith Wharton translate classic Italian short stories, and Victoria Hislop has taken her first venture into translation with the only short story written by Constantine P. Cavafy.

This exciting, original and brilliantly varied collection of stories takes the reader literally on a journey, exploring the best short stories the globe has to offer.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Classics

915 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2018

About the author

Frank Wynne is an Irish literary translator and writer. Born in Co. Sligo, Ireland, he worked as a comics editor at Fleetway and later at comic magazine Deadline. He worked for a time at AOL before becoming a literary translator.

Reviews

[Adina ( not enough time ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an excellent collection of short stories chosen by Frank Wynne, a very well known translator who won lots of awards for his work. I discovered many authors that I plan to explore further. I was planning to write about each story below with links to my reviews but GR cut my input although I still had words available. At some point I quit trying. I have my earlier efforts in comments. It took me almost two year to read the whole book, at a pace of approximatively 1 story/week.


****
There are 100 Stories in this collection arranged in chronological order. I plan to read 1 story/week so it will take me around 2 years to finish, probably more. I will try to say a few words for each story or provide links to separate reviews. Since there is a bug somewhere and I cannot post too many links in this review you can find the older ratings/reviews in comments. I will keep here only the more recent ones.

2023

36. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o - The Upright Revolution: Or Why - Humans Walk Upright*** Review here
37. Jun’ichirō Tanizaki - The Tattooer***** Review here
38. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa - Rashōmon
39. Bruno Schulz- The Street of Crocodiles
40. Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz -The Birch Grove
41. Isaac Babel - Salt** Review here
42, Josep Pla -A Conversation in St. James’s Park
43. Jorge Luis Borges - The Library of Babel
44. Banaphul - What Really Happened
45. Vladimir Nabokov - Details of a Sunset *** Review here
46. Nina Berberova The Resurrection of Mozart
47. Halldór Laxness An Inland Fishing Trip
48. Isaac Bashevis Singer Gimpel the Fool**** Review here
49. Marguerite Yourcenar The Milk of Death
50. Irène Némirovsky We Once Were Happy
51. Daniil Kharms The Lecture
52. Samuel Beckett Ping
53. Máirtín Ó Cadhain The Hare-Lip
54. Dino Buzzati Seven Floors
55. Sait Faik Abasıyanık The Boy on the Tünel***

[Helga چـو ایـران نباشد تن من مـباد · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
A collection of 100 short stories from around the world.

[Yules]

I was turned on to this anthology by Adina.
I'm reading it out of order and keeping notes here.
A link means I've read the title and posted a review. A star means I recommend the story.
(Some numbers/titles posted in comments where unavailable on GR)

2. Pu Songling (China) - The Tiger Guest
4. Alexander Pushkin (Russia) - The Shot *
5. Wilhelm Hauff (Germany) - The Severed Hand
6. Theodor W. Storm (Germany) - Immensee *
7. Ivan Turgenev (Russia) - The Dog *
8. Gustave Flaubert - A Simple Heart
9. Leo Tolstoy (Russia) - God Sees the Truth, But Waits
10. Pédro Antonio de Alarcón- The Tall Woman
11. Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (Brazil) - The Fortune-Teller/A Cartomante *
12. Enrico Castelnuovo- It Snows
13. Alphonse Daudet- L’Arlésienne
14. Émile Zola- The Attack on the Mill
15. Giovanni Verga - Malaria
16. Bolesław Prus - A Legend of Old Egypt
17. Guy de Maupassant - Mother Savage
18. Knut Hamsun - Secret Sorrow
19. Anton Chekhov (Russia) - Rothschild’s Fiddle
20. Rabindranath Tagore (Bengal) - Kabuliwala
21. Constantine P. Cavafy -In the Light of Day
22. Gabriele D’Annunzio - San Pantaleone
23. Jalil Mammadguluzade - The Post Box
24. Maxim Gorky (Russia) - Twenty-Six Men and a Girl
27. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay - Mahesh
28. Robert Walser (German Swiss) - Kleist in Thun
29. Horacio Quiroga -The Pursued
30. Zsigmond Móricz - Seven Pennies
31. Premchand - The Chess Players
32. Lu Xun (China) - Kong Yiji
33. Nescio - The Freeloader
34. Franz Kafka (German/Czech) - In the Penal Colony
35. Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) - Sorrow-Acre
36. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (Kenya) - The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright
37. Jun’ichirō Tanizaki (Japan) - The Tattooer
38. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (Japan) - Rashōmon
39. Bruno Schulz- The Street of Crocodiles
40. Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz - The Birch Grove
41. Isaac Babel - Salt
42, Josep Pla - A Conversation in St. James’s Park
43. Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina) - The Library of Babel *
44. Banaphul - What Really Happened
45. Vladimir Nabokov - Details of a Sunset
46. Nina Berberova - The Resurrection of Mozart
48. Isaac Bashevis Singer - Gimpel the Fool
49. Marguerite Yourcenar - The Milk of Death
53. Máirtín Ó Cadhain - The Hare-Lip
54. Dino Buzzati - Seven Floors
55. Sait Faik Abasıyanık - The Boy on the Tünel
56. Mercè Rodoreda - The salamander
57. Naguid Mahfouz (Egypt) - The Answer Is No *
58. Toba Tek Singh /Saadat Hasan Manto
59. Julio Cortázar - Axolotl
60. Bohumil Hrabal - A dull afternoon
61. Ismat Chughtai - The quilt
62. Heinrich Böll (Germany) - Action Will Be Taken *
63. Clarice Lispector - Happy birthday
64. Satyajit Ray - Two magicians
65. Leonardo Sciascia - The long crossing
68. Pramoedya - All that is gone
71. Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia) - The trail of your blood in the snow
72. Samira 'Azzam - Tears for sale
73. Camara Laye - The eyes of the statue
74. Guillermo Cabrera Infante - The voice of the turtle
75. Thomas Bernhard (Austria) - The crime of an Innsbruck shopkeeper's son
76. Ahron Appelfeld - Cold spring
77. Ismail Kadaré - Before the bath
78. Maryse Condé - The breadnut and the breadfruit
79. Xi Xi (China) - A Woman Like Me
80. Khalida Husain - Dead letter
81. António Lobo Antunes - Before darkness falls
82. Antonio Tabucchi (Italy) - Waiting for winter
83. Oh Jung-hee - Garden of my childhood
84. Dubravka Ugrešić - A hot dog in a warm bun
85. Quim Monzó - Family life
86. Roberto Bolaño - Last evenings on earth
87. Herta Müller (Romania/Germany) - Opressive tango
88. Hamid Ismailov - The stone guest
89. László Krasznahorkai - Bankers
90. Pawel Huelle - Silver rain
91. Yu Hua (China) - On the Road at Eighteen
92. José Eduardo Agualusa - The man with the light
93. Manon Uphoff - Desire
94. Teresa Solana - The son in law
95. Miljenko Jergović - You're the angel
96. Etgar Keret - The nimrod flipout
97. Kim Yŏng-ha - Lizard

[Andrew Brassington · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blooming heck, this took a while. I didn't really find many of the stories that interesting, but there were some good stories nestled in here. Personal favourites of mine were:
Wilhelm Hauff - The Severed Hand
Ngugi wa Thiong'o - The Upright Revolution
Vladimir Nabokov - Details of a Sunset
Shusaku Endo - Incredible Voyage
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - The Trail of your Blood in the Snow
Xi Xi - A Woman Like Me
Dubravka Ugresic - A Hot Dog in a Warm Bun
Quim Monzo - Family Life
Kim Yong-ha - Lizard
Clemens Meyer - In the Aisles

[Pep Bonet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting collection of short stories covering many literatures.

[Rockey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Global Symphony of Stories: Frank Wynne's 'Found in Translation' Celebrates the Art of Literary Diversity"

Frank Wynne’s anthology, "Found in Translation: 100 of the Finest Short Stories Ever Translated," is a monumental work that spans cultures, time periods, and literary traditions, offering readers a rich tapestry of global storytelling. This 900-page tome is not just a collection of translated tales; it is a celebration of the diverse voices that have shaped the world's literary landscape. Wynne's selection, described as “a rattle-bag of stories, with the clank and clatter of things found, scavenged, unearthed, and retrieved,” is a vibrant and eclectic mix that reflects the depth and breadth of human experience across the globe.

Scope and Diversity
Wynne's anthology includes stories from renowned authors like Pushkin, Flaubert, Tolstoy, de Maupassant, Chekhov, and Kafka, ensuring that the classics of world literature are well represented. However, what truly sets this collection apart is its inclusion of lesser-known voices from a wide range of cultures and languages, such as Shusaku Endo, Herta Müller, and Xi Xi. From Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan, China to Brazil, the anthology offers a panoramic view of world literature, showcasing some of the best writing that might otherwise be inaccessible to English-speaking audiences.

A Necessary Intervention in the Age of Digital Isolation
In the context of today’s digital age, where global connectivity paradoxically often leads to cultural insularity, "Found in Translation" serves as a vital bridge to other worlds and perspectives. Wynne's anthology counters the trend of cultural siloing, where internet users predominantly consume content in their own language and about their own culture, a phenomenon highlighted by Ethan Zuckerman's research at MIT’s Center for Civic Media. By presenting a diverse array of stories, Wynne opens up the literary canon to include voices that challenge and enrich our understanding of the world.

Celebrating the Art of Translation
Wynne quotes Susan Sontag's assertion that “translation is the circulatory system of the world’s literatures” and highlights the essential role of translators in bringing these stories to a wider audience. The anthology’s contributors include some of the finest translators, past and present, who have meticulously crafted English versions of stories originally written in Bengali, Hindi, Korean, Hebrew, Croatian, Uzbek, Urdu, Albanian, Arabic, Indonesian, Turkish, Gikuyu, Azerbaijani, and more. This effort allows readers to transcend linguistic barriers and engage with the unique cultural and historical contexts that shape these narratives.

Avoiding Exoticism and Embracing the Unfamiliar
A potential pitfall for any anthology of this nature is the allure of exoticism, where stories might be selected for their stereotypical portrayal of “the other.” Wynne navigates this challenge expertly, curating a collection that emphasizes authenticity over cliché. The stories offer glimpses into unfamiliar worlds, inviting readers to appreciate both the universality of human experiences and the particularities that define different cultures. For instance, the story "Child’s Play" by Ichiyo Higuchi provides a nuanced portrayal of Japanese life that goes beyond superficial exoticism to capture the complexities of growing up in a specific cultural milieu.

Exploring Human Predicaments and Shared Empathy
The anthology is a testament to the power of storytelling to evoke shared empathy for common human predicaments such as love, loss, and injustice. Whether it’s the poignant tale of a young girl in Higuchi’s Japan or the existential musings of Clemens Meyer’s characters in industrial Germany, the stories reflect the diverse yet interconnected nature of human experience. In Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz’s "The Birch Grove," for instance, the natural world becomes a poignant backdrop for exploring themes of love and mortality, revealing layers of cultural and historical context that resonate universally.

A Treasure Trove of Global Literature
"Found in Translation" is not just an anthology; it is a literary atlas that maps out the intricate landscapes of global fiction. Wynne’s careful selection process ensures a balance between the familiar and the surprising, offering readers a well-rounded and deeply engaging reading experience. The book's design, with its clear typefaces, wide margins, and high-quality paper, enhances the pleasure of reading, making it a beautiful gift edition for any literary enthusiast.

Conclusion
Frank Wynne’s "Found in Translation" is a powerful reminder of the importance of cultural exchange and the transformative potential of literature. It invites readers to step out of their cultural comfort zones and explore the richness of the world's literary traditions. This anthology is an essential addition to any bookshelf, offering a diverse and compelling collection of stories that are sure to inspire, challenge, and delight.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading these stories for a year and a half, and I absolutely loved the first half of the selections! So many new authors to discover and learn about.

I finally quit about 3/4 way through. I found that too many of the short stories leaned heavily into sexual content or were just plain disturbing. I like to keep an open mind, and this wasn't anything against different cultures at all. It's just personal preference; I prefer older works, and I love it when what I read uplifts my mind. Many of the later stories were heavy or kind of disgusting. I'm sure there were some gems among the ones i abandoned, but I have too many other things to read to finish them all!

[Richard Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of really good stories, many of them not available otherwise. Maybe not everyone a masterpiece but as a whole, this is a very worthwhile composition.

[Jeff Hobbs]

Read so far:

Miguel de Cervantes, The Glass Graduate
Pu Songling, The Tiger Guest
ETA Hoffmann, The Sandman--2
Alexander Pushkin, The Shot--3
Wilhelm Hauff, The Severed Hand--3
*Theodor W. Storm, Immensee
*Ivan Turgenev, The Dog
Gustave Flaubert, A Simple Heart--4
Leo Tolstoy, God See the Truth but Waits--2
Pedro Antonio de Alarcon, The Tall Woman--3
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, The Fortune Teller--4
Enrico Castelnuovo, It Snows
Alphonse Daudet, L'Arlesienne--3
Emile Zola, The Attack on the Mill--3
*Giovanni Verga, Malaria
Boleslaw Prus, A Legend of Old Egypt
*Guy de Maupassant, Mother Savage
Knut Hamsun, Secret Sorrow
*Anton Chekhov, Rothschild's Fiddle
Rabindranath Tagore, Kabuliwala--4
Constantine P. Cavafy, In the Light of Day
Gabriele D'Annunzio, San Pantaleone
Jalil Mammadguluzade, The Post Box
Maxim Gorky, Twenty-six Men and a Girl--3
Ichiyo Higuchi, Child's Play
Thomas Mann, The Path to the Cemetery
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Mahesh
*Horacio Quiroga, The Pursued
*Robert Walser, Kleist in Thun
Zsigmond Moricz, Seven Pennies
*Premchand, The Chess Players
*Lu Xun, Kong Yiji
Nescio, The Freeloader
Franz Kafka, In the Penal Colony--3
*Isak Dinesen, Sorrow-Acre
Ngugi wa Thiong'o, The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright
Junichiro Tanizaki, The Tattoer--3
Ryunosuke Agutagawa, Rashomon--3
*Bruno Schulz, The Street of Crocodiles
Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz, The Birch Grove
Isaac Babel, Salt--2
Josep Pla, A Conversation in St. James's Park
Jorge Luis Borges, The Library of Babel--2
Banaphul, What Really Happened
*Vladimir Nabokov, Details of a Sunset
Nina Berberova, The Resurrection of Mozart
Halldor Laxness, An Inland Fishing Trip
Isaac Bashevis Singer, Gimpel the Fool--3
Marguerite Yourcenar, The Milk of Death
Irene Nemirovsky, We Once Were Happy
Daniil Kharms, The Lecture
Samuel Beckett, Ping
Mairtin O'Cadhain, The Hare-lip
Dino Buzzati, Seven Floors--3
Sait Faik Abasiyanik, The Boy on the Tunel
*Merce Rodoreda, The Salamander
*Naguib Mahfouz, The Answer Is No
Saadat Hasan Manto, Toba Tek Singh
Julio Cortazar, Axolotl--1
Bohumil Hrabal, A Dull Afternoon
Ismat Chughtai, The Quilt
*Heinrich Boll, Action Will Be Taken
*Clarice Lispector, Happy Birthday
Satyajit Ray, Two Magicians
Leonardo Sciascia, The Long Crossing
Italo Calvino, The Poisonous Rabbit
*Shusaku Endo, Incredible Voyage
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, All That Is Gone
Yukio Mishima, Patriotism--3
Kono Taeko, Full Tide
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Trail of Your Blood in the Snow--3
Samira Azzam, Tears for Sale
Camara Laye, The Eyes of the Statue
Guillermo Carrera Infante, The Voice of the Turtle
Thomas Bernhard, The Crime of an Innsbruck Shopkeeper's Son
Aharon Appelfeld, Cold Spring
Ismail Kadare, Before the Bath
Maryse Conde, The Breadnut and the Breadfruit
Xi Xi, A Woman like Me
Khalida Husain, Dead Letter
Antonio Lobo Antunes, Before Darkness Falls
Antonio Tabucchi, Waiting for Winter
Oh Jung-hee, Garden of My Childhood
Dubravka Ugresic, A Hot Dog in a Warm Bun
Quim Monzo, Family Life
Roberto Bolano, Last Evenings on Earth
Herta Muller, Oppressive Tango
Hamid Ismailov, The Stone Guest
Laszlo Krasznahorkai, Bankers
Pawel Huelle, Silver Rain
Yu Hua, On the Road at Eighteen
Jose Eduardo Agualusa, The Man with the Light
Manon Uphoff, Desire
Teresa Solana, The Son in Law
Miljenko Jergovic, You're the Angel
Etgar Keret, The Nimrod Flipout
Kim Yong Ha, Lizard
Dorthe Nors, She Frequented Cemeteries
Mirja Unge, Oranges
Clemens Meyer, In the Aisles