🗺️ Reading Around the World

It started in 2018 with Europe. After years favoring writers and literary traditions in Italy (Italo Calvino), Czechia (Franz Kafka, Bohumil Hrabal), France (Albert Camus), Scotland (Muriel Spark), Belgium (Amelie Nothomb), England (Kazuo Ishiguro), Portugal (Jose Saramago), Russia (Vladimir Nabokov, Dostoevsky), Bulgaria (Elias Canetti), and falling in love with Hungary and the post Habsburg malaise discovered through my NYRB Classics book club (László Krasznahorkai, Dezső Kosztolányi, Magda Szabó), a good friend of mine and I asked ourselves what else we were missing. What about the other European countries? What other unique voices were waiting to be heard? It took a year to track down authors and books from the list of 43 countries. 

We had one rule. Authors must have been born in the country or lived there as a local for a significant amount of time. No tourists, descendents, or cultural studies; we wanted the direct voices. Ok two rules: they had to be translated into English. Not an insignificant challenge given the limited options from some of the smaller and more obscure countries. 

Over that year, I discovered countries I didn't even know existed, like San Marino, completely surrounded by Italy. I learned about mysterious countries like Andorra, a former smugglers paradise nestled in the peaks between Spain and France with only one road in or out. I found unexpected books in odd places like the former Pope John Paul II's book of poetry, The Place Within (yes, The Vatican is a country too), and Prince Hans II of Liechtenstein's brilliant (and brilliantly slim) political treatise on the virtues of combining democracy and monarchy. I even discovered the origin of a favored genre in Luxembourg's original sci-fi novel. 

Many books we found through the library's wonderful Link+ and Inter Library Loan system. When even the libraries were fruitless, we found them used, and when even used books were unavailable or out of print, we purchased directly from tiny publishers, like the one from Malta, arriving hand-packaged with love after spending a few weeks on a boat. Some books were entirely unavailable in print, necessitating (much to my chagrin) reading ebooks on a device.

We finished Europe in 2019, and then immediately embarked on the rest of the world with the same intention of discovering voices that don't often penetrate our local consciousness.

Themes

Five years, six continents, and almost two hundred books later, here's what I learned. Or if not what I learned (because that would fill a book) then some themes that emerged from reading across countries and continents.

Tyranny produces great literature. 

Some of my favorites (sadly) are innovative accounts of life under despots.

A detailed minute-by-minute account of the assassination by Argentine rebels of the Nicaraguan dictator exiled in Paraguay (Death of Somoza by Claribel Alegría).

A collection of stories smuggled out of North Korea (The Accusation by Bandi).

An incredibly moving novella about a grandfather waiting in a desolate gas station with his newly-deaf grandson for a way to reach his son (Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi).

A hyper-tense tale of an orphaned girl trying to escape Venezuelan oppression (It Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo).

A tragic recreation of "the butterflies," a family of reluctant revolutionaries in the Dominican Republic, which was also turned into a pretty good film with Salma Hayek (In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez).

And my favorite, a hilariously slapstick fable of Moldovan friends trying to invent schemes to high-tail it out of their country sandwiched between layers of the Iron Curtain (The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov).

The list goes on, and I don’t expect there will be any lack of new stories of struggle given voice year after year. 

Colonialism is not just history… in all places but Thailand. 

I did not expect so much modern writing across genres and continents to be ultimately rooted in the struggles of locals within or in the aftermath of colonialism. U.S. and British colonialism are still very real today around the world, particularly in island nations in the Caribbean and South Pacific.

A slim, sharp, piercing takedown from Antigua and Barbuda (A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid).

A lushly enacted tour of local Haitian culture (After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat).

Tuvalu's amazing autobiographical account of a lawyer finding himself the sole local representative of the British government (Where the hell is Tuvalu? by Philip Ells).

A heartbreaking account of an ongoing humanitarian crisis of refugees detained in Nauru on their way to Australia (Undesirables by Mark Isaacs).

Only weeks after reading about the struggles of local sovereignty in the Chagos islands of East Africa (Silence of the Chagos by Shenaz Patel) the news reported that the islands had finally been returned to Mauritius by the UK. Across the entire world, it appears that if a country hasn't been recently plagued by dictatorship, then it has been colonized and under another country's rule, and its citizens left to struggle with expressing its identity and autonomy. Across the world, that is, with one exception.

Thailand appears to be the only country—the ONLY country—that has never been prey to tyranny from within, ownership from without, or been a colonizer itself. Why not? How did they escape these forces? I don't know, but the stories from Thailand I read (Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana) have a distinct, lightness and peaceful curiosity that seems to mirror their unique stature in the world. 

Racism and classism exist in unexpected places. 

Americans are steeped in the struggles of race and class in our country, past and present, and like many others, I'm pretty familiar with analogous struggles in the major countries in Europe, South America, and Asia. I was not however expecting (perhaps naively) race and class to be a universal template, remixed across all lands great and small anywhere two cultures met. The biggest surprises were among the myriad island nations of the South Pacific. As transportation became more accessible, youth from the smaller islands including Palau, Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu sought employment and prosperity in the larger islands of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Hawaii.

Poetry from Micronesia (My Urohs by Emelihter Kihleng) and Solomon Islands (Raindrops by Celo Kulaghoe), and stories from Vanuatu (Sista, Stanap Strong!: A Vanuatu Women's Anthology) bring to life the all-too-familiar resentments and first and second class status that result when jobs and wealth are on the line. Why did I expect this in the large nations, but expected that a shared humanity would somehow prevail among the smaller ones? 

Arranged marriages rarely work. 

We know this, right? We're all aware of its historical prevalence in India. What I did not expect is how often it shows up as the primary subject in other Asian and African countries.

The writing of the “-stans” is drenched in it, most notably voiced by the women of Tajikistan (My Neighborhood Sisters by Gulsifat Shakhidi) and Kazakhstan (Amanat: Women's Writing from Kazakhstan) in which the female protagonists, usually wed to much older men, endure a succession of hardships under this tradition, from brutality and prolonged infidelity at worst, to systemic naive chauvinism at best, or else simply having to survive as a mother after their husband's inevitable death.

Granted, much of what I read on this journey was written by outcasts looking in and criticizing their culture. A heartbreaking tale from Bahrain is a notable exception for its narrative voice remaining confined within the narrow context of its culture (Yummah by Sarah A. Al Shafei). Despite having a terrible husband from an arranged marriage, never once does she wish she hadn't been forced to marry him, and that, in my reading, appears to be the most gracious thing that could be said of the institution. 

Westernization is a consistent topic in the Middle East and Africa. 

Westernization is a different form of colonialism, you could say. An economic colonization. Many wonderful books came from countries trying to find a balance between tradition and the influx of knowledge and commerce, usually perpetuated by youth versus elders. Western fashion, entertainment, technology. Jeans, Hollywood, cellphones. Wealth generated more often by business not royalty.

There were rich retellings of family dramas within changing cultures in Qatar (The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Sophia Al-Maria) and Azerbaijan (Days in the Caucasus by Banine).

Mauritania’s first novel translated into English sets a young Bedouin woman on a quest to find her stolen child, pitting traditional nomadic culture and slavery against rapid modernization (The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk).

This theme also brought out some of the most imaginative storytelling devices I’ve encountered outside of the most famous South American magical realist writers.

A stunning novel from Angola of a woman who locks herself inside while the streets just outside endure revolutions, regime changes, and rapid modernization (General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa).

One of my top ten of the year, a collection of short stories exploring the gig worker economy of the UAE through a variety of literal transmogrifications (Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan).

Island nations have strong political opinions. 

Okay maybe not a theme, but the non-fiction political accounts from island countries on opposite sides of Africa offered a fascinating counterpoint to each other.

To the west, in Sao Tome and Principe, an exhaustively detailed takedown of a variety of forms of government (Exorcising Devils from the Throne by Albertino Francisco and Nujoma Agostinho).

To the east, in Seychelles, a joyful panorama of diplomatic travels and critiques of both West and East by the most jovial and personable diplomat you'll ever find (War on America Seen from the Indian Ocean by James Mancham). 

Reading this way is full of unexpected delights. 

And finally, I need to give a shout-out to the many books that will not make it on any of my favorites lists, or fit perfectly with any of the themes above. I read plenty of books that were flawed, and not necessarily enjoyable, but they gave a great effort, and so much of the delight of this journey was in discovering that voices are trying to be heard, and unique books such as these exist. 

A nearly inscrutable tome from the perspective of Dr. Francia, the Supreme and Perpetual Dictator of Paraguay, who held the nineteenth century record for longest rule (I, the Supreme by Augusto Roa Bastos). 

A reimagining of Africa as the center of the Western world from Djibouti (United States of Africa by Abdourahman Waberi); I really hope they make a film of it.

And finally, a shout-out to all the political diatribes, the undifferentiated memoirs, the short stories that just paint a picture and the tales of local color that never found their momentum, the creation myths whose repetitive rhythms are no doubt best experienced orally, the coming of age tales that I’ve read too many times before, the impenetrable, the enigmatic, the bland, the poorly edited, and the many, many other unmentioned stories of the ravages of war. Thank you for existing; please authors don't stop speaking. Someone's listening. 

FAVORITES

Ok, here's the good stuff! What should you read? 

To be fair, I'm only counting countries I read first during this challenge, which means I'm excluding many amazing authors, books, and known literary traditions in the US, Western Europe, South America, and the US. But that leaves many, many other countries. Here's my top picks, in various flavors and lengths.

THE REALLY SHORT LIST

(a.k.a. tl;dr)

One favorite book from each continent. Is that even possible?

North America

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

A tragic recreation of "the butterflies," a family of reluctant revolutionaries.

(It was also turned into a pretty good film with Salma Hayek.) 

Oceania

The Life and Loves of a She-Devil by Fay Weldon

🇳🇿 New Zealand

I love my comedies black, and this hilarious revenge story of an unlovely romance writer taking revenge on her cheating husband and his lover is seriously black.

(There’s also a delightful film version with Roseanne Barr and Meryl Streep called She-Devil.)

Asia

Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

A collection of short stories exploring the gig worker economy of the UAE through a variety of literal transmogrifications. 

Africa

A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa

🇦🇴 Angola

A stunning whirlwind of a book about a woman who locks herself inside her home only taking occasional peeks through the cracks at the streets outside enduring revolutions, regime changes, and rapid modernization. 

Europe

The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov

🇲🇩 Moldova

Like a Eastern European Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote cartoon, a hilariously slapstick fable of a group of friends desperately inventing scheme-after-failed-scheme to hightail it out of their country sandwiched between layers of the Iron Curtain. 

South America

The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector

🇧🇷 Brazil

A brief, strange, haunting novel that pits a naive heroine barely surviving in the slums of Rio against the intrusive, disgusted narrator who struggles to understand why the girl isn’t as miserable as he thinks she should be, and challenges our own notions of poverty and identity in the process. 

FAVS BY GENRE

(a.k.a. the medium-sized list)

Fiction

General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (🇦🇴 Angola)

At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop (🇸🇳 Senegal)

The Life and Loves of a She-Devil by Fay Weldon (🇳🇿New Zealand)

The Question of Bruno by Aleksandar Hemon (🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina)

The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov (🇲🇩 Moldova)

The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk (🇪🇪 Estonia)

Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi (🇦🇫 Afghanistan)

Vano and Niko by Erlom Akhvlediani (🇬🇪 Georgia)

Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan (🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates)

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (🇩🇴 Dominican Republic)

Non-fiction

An African in Greenland by Tete-Michel Kpomassie (🇹🇬 Togo)

After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat (🇭🇹 Haiti)

Death of Somoza by Claribel Alegría (🇳🇮 Nicaragua)

A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid (🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda)

Treasures of The Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan by Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck (🇧🇹 Bhutan)

Poetry

Road-Side Dog by Czeslaw Milosz (🇱🇹 Lithuania)

Sista, Stanap Strong!: A Vanuatu Women's Anthology (🇻🇺 Vanuatu)

The Place Within by John Paul II (🇻🇦 Vatican City)

TOP 5 BY CONTINENT

(a.k.a. the long list)

This is particularly tough for Europe and South America, since it excludes so many great works from countries I'd read prior to the challenge. But here goes. 

Africa

General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (🇦🇴 Angola)

At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop (🇸🇳 Senegal)

An African in Greenland by Tete-Michel Kpomassie (🇹🇬 Togo)

Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga (🇷🇼 Rwanda)

In the Company of Men by Veroniqué Tadjo (🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire)

Oceania

Undesirables by Mark Isaacs (🇳🇷 Nauru)

The Life and Loves of a She-Devil by Fay Weldon (🇳🇿 New Zealand)

Tales of the Tikongs by Epeli Hau’ofa (🇹🇴 Tonga)

Where the Hell is Tuvalu? by Philip Ells (🇹🇻 Tuvalu)

Sista, Stanap Strong!: A Vanuatu Women's Anthology (🇻🇺 Vanuatu)

Europe

The Question of Bruno by Aleksandar Hemon (🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina)

The Sibyl by Pär Lagerkvisk (🇸🇪 Sweden)

Andorra Revealed by Clare Allcard (🇦🇩 Andorra)

The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov (🇲🇩 Moldova)

The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk (🇪🇪 Estonia)

South America

Affections by Rodrigo Hasbún (🇧🇴 Bolivia)

Poso Wells by Gabriela Alemán (🇪🇨 Ecuador)

Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa (🇵🇪 Peru)

It Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo (🇻🇪 Venezuela)

The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector (🇧🇷 Brazil)

North America

A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid (🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda)

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (🇩🇴 Dominican Republic)

After the Dance by Edwidge Danticat (🇭🇹 Haiti)

Death of Somoza by Claribel Alegría (🇳🇮 Nicaragua)

A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul (🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago)

Asia

Earth and Ashes by Atiq Rahimi (🇦🇫 Afghanistan)

The Elimination by Rithy Panh (🇰🇭 Cambodia)

Vano and Niko by Erlom Akhvlediani (🇬🇪 Georgia)

The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Sophia Al-Maria (🇶🇦 Qatar)

Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan (🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates)

Want the entire list of books by country?

Just email me. Thanks for reading 🙂