/ 4 books to read in celebration of Women in Translation month

Women in Translation Month is an annual celebration that toasts to women authors from around the globe who write in languages other than English. With the growing interest in translated fiction, it is refreshing to note that curating this year’s list was relatively easier than last year’s. There was a wide array of options from European to South American works, as well as an encouraging emergence of Southeast Asian literature. However, it is worth noting that the selection of titles by Bangladeshi female authors (or South Asian authors, in general) translated into English remains limited.
Jawbone
Mónica Ojeda, Sarah Booker (Translator)
Coffee House Press, 2022
Students of the Delta Bilingual Academy, Fernanda and Annelise are more sisters than friends, impossible to separate, one and the same. Every day after school, Fernanda, Annelise, and their friends assemble to embark on a sinister adventure, one that is simultaneously thrilling and increasingly perilous. They have their own conception of God—albeit introduced by Annelise—and their rituals are eerily anomalous. However, this is not the only secret Fernanda and Annelise share.
 
River of My Blood

Selina Hossain, Jackie Kabir (Translator)
Rupa Publications India, 2016
A powerful and heart-rending narrative of love and loss, River of My Blood follows Boori, a spirited and resilient young girl, as she navigates the complexities of adulthood. After marrying an older relative, Boori struggles with the stigma of infertility and later confronts the challenges of raising a son who is born deaf and mute. With the Muktijuddho engulfing the coast of her village, Haldi, the now-widowed Boori must face the most life-altering decision she has ever had to make. Not only is this book a gripping portrayal of the Liberation War, but it also advocates for women’s rights and stands firm against patriarchy, leaving an indelible impact on readers long after they finish the last page.

 
Written in Tears

Arupa Patangia Kalita, Ranjita Biswas (Translator)
HarperPerennial, 2015
Written In Tears is an emotive collection of eight short stories that delve into the decades-long violence in Assam, exploring its profound impact on women. Originally written in Assamese, these stories portray strong female characters who, despite enduring unimaginable suffering, manage to rise above their hardships. In one story, a woman witnesses her husband’s family grappling with the absence of her insurgent brother-in-law. In another, a girl’s life is forever altered after a brutal rape. Kalita’s writing vividly captures the hollow vein of violence, the oppression of women, and the often senseless nature of patriarchy. Through her personal experiences, she transports readers to an Assam caught amid violent uprisings, where ideologies clash, innocent lives are destroyed, and women suffer both physical and emotional violations—all in the name of freedom.
 
History of Ash: A Novel

Khadija Marouazi, Alexander E. Elinson (Translator)
Hoopoe, 2023
Prisoners during the “Lead Years” of Morocco, a man and a woman, wrestle against systematic oppression for the sake of emancipation. Shifting between past and present, Mouline and Leila recount their experiences both inside the prison cell and beyond it, navigating the torture chamber, the judicial operation, and the challenges they confronted after their exemption. Narrated in vivid detail, their strategies for survival and resistance offer clear and often intense reflections. Harrowing yet resilient, this is the book about fortitude, power and the sheer will to freedom.
This is an excerpt. Find the full list on The Daily Star and DS Books’ websites.
Nur-E-Jannat Alif is a gender studies major and part-time writer who dreams of authoring a book someday. Find her at @literatureinsolitude on Instagram or send her your book/movie/television recommendations at [email protected].