NIE! The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov

Title: Physics of Sorrow

Author: Georgi Gospodinov

Translator: Angela Rodel

Original Language: Bulgarian

"If we exist, that means we're being watched. There is something or someone that never lets us out of its sight. Death comes when that thing stops watching us, when it turns away." -187

According to the New York Times, this Bulgarian novel is a kind of response to an Economist poll showing Bulgaria to be the saddest place in the world. But this piece isn't exactly what I would call depressing - nor does it read like a standard novel. The Physics of Sorrow is dressed like prose but breathes like poetry.

Angela Rodel masterfully translated each segment, as it reads fluidly as we jump from each experience to the next. There's certainly a flavouring of Borges in this work, particularly due to the motifs of labyrinths.

The empathetic narrators' obsession with the Minotaur keeps the reader centred as he/she is flung into the lives of family members at different ages. It is a small portrait of the Bulgarian life in the last century, a dash of colour that offers a glimpse into the mindset of a family surviving war, living through the rise and fall of communism, into the modern day.

The structure mirrors a kind of natural flight of conciousness, in a way that complements the empathetic nature of the narrator. He moves from one time and person to the next, experiencing everything, but only for a moment before moving into another mode of conciousness, another thought appears.

This novel, due to its structure, is far more interactive for the reader. Connecting the characters and time-line is part of the joy of the novel. While short, this novel is rather time consuming, if only because one must become used to the pattern.

Regardless, I'm shelving Physics for a definite re-read - if only because, even in its sorrow, there is beauty.

Now In English! "Memory In The Flesh" by Ahlam Mosteghanemi

Title: Memory In The Flesh/Bridges of Constantine

Author: Ahlam Mosteghanemi

Translator: Baria Ahmar Sreih / Raphael Cohen, Revised Translation: Peter Clark

Original Language: Arabic

There are some novels that contain a plot so marvelous that you can't help but read on. And there are others that lead you 262 pages deep from the poetry alone. I've heard that Persian may be considered the poetic language of Southwest Asia and Northern Africa, but it certainly has its contenders.

NIE! "Nothing More To Lose" by Najwan Darwish

Title: Nothing More To Lose
Author: Najwan Darwish

Translator: Kareem James Abu-Zeid 

Now In English! "Ficciones" by Jorge Luis Borges

For fans of Nabokov, Borges’ work is for you.

Now In English! Al-Ghazali's “The Beginning of Guidance”

 “Woe to the ignorant one, because he did not seek knowledge, and woe a thousand times to the knowledgeable one who did not act upon his knowledge.”  20, The Beginning of Guidance

Due to the continuing conflict in Southwest Asia, the abuse of Islamic tenants by multiple terrorist organizations, and the general lack of understanding of Islam in the USA, today I will discuss a very different kind of book. Instead of fiction, I'd like to describe and suggest a book that you won't find in many debates about radical Islam, a book that supplements the Qu'ran: The Beginning of Guidance by Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali.

Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (c. 1058–1111), one of the most prominent Islamic theologians in history, penned to one of his students a methodological way to practice God-Consciousness. Translated by Mashhad Al-Allaf, The Beginning of Guidance offers rich advice to the layperson. Although it was originally geared to students of the Qu'ran, the advice given in this work can, at some level, be found across faiths, as well as among atheists and agnostics. 

Cover of The Beginning of Guidance
by Al-Ghazali

This edition in particular is extremely useful for many readers. First, the text itself is easy to read. It includes a translator’s preface, a transcription key, transliterations of the informal prayers (Du'a), and other notes. This makes it easier, especially for those who may be unfamiliar with Islam, to get an idea of the context and the sounds of prayers in Arabic. Second, the translation faces the original Arabic, with vowel marks. For the student of Arabic, this may be an excellent study material – for language as well as religion.

The work itself is divided into three sections – “On Obedience”, “On Refraining from Disobedience”, and “The Etiquette of Companionship with the Creator and with Creation”. I would describe it thus: the first section is about worship, the second on avoiding sin/negative behavior, and the third on how to interact with others. No section is more useful than the other, and I suggest rereading the entire book (some 70 pages for English-only text) to better see the cohesiveness of each section. While the wording is simple, the concepts are profound; therefore, those who wish to glean more should not only reread it but also read it slowly.

Those who come from the Abrahamic faiths, in particular the more orthodox variations, may be the most interested in The Beginning of Guidance. In Al-Ghazali’s work I was reminded of my time in Catholic school, for the most part because of the level or reverence and discipline Al-Ghazali shows through his writing.

In all honesty, it is impossible to better explain or summarize The Beginning of Guidance in a blog post. There is a great risk that I may mangle the original meaning. For anyone interested in Islam, or who wants to go beyond reading the Qu'ran and a 101 book, The Beginning of Guidance should definitely be on your list. Whether you decide to read it to seek out religion, philosophy, or just out of curiosity, it won't disappoint you!

Missed a NIE! Review? Check out last month's Balika Badhu: a Bengali Anthology

Now in English! "Balika Badhu": a Bengali Anthology

What began as Monish Ranjan Chatterjee’s project to translate ‘The Adolescent Bride’ (‘Balika Badhu’) by Bimal Kar, later became an anthology of Bengali short stories. Balika Badhu: A representative anthology of Bengali short stories spans just over 300 pages. But while it is very cohesive, it is not quite representative. Chatterjee says so much in the introduction. Although all the pieces are well paced and the writers well known in the West Bengal, no woman writer was included. This is an imperfection that the translator points out almost immediately, but regardless, this anthology is certainly worth reading.

Thoughts for the Post-Colonial Reader

“The close relationship between colonization and translation has come under scrutiny; we can now perceive the extent to which translation was for centuries a one-way process, with texts being translated into European languages for European consumption, rather than as part of a reciprocal process of exchange.” – from Post-colonial Translation by Susan Basset & Harish Trivedi

Post-Colonialism has long since wedged itself into the cultural limelight, notably in the realm of pop culture and cultural appropriation. Translation and foreign literature has not escaped its purview, and while many readers may shirk away for one reason or another – to political, too liberal – it’s an important factor to think about. For, to some degree, colonialism has chosen and reinforced what we read.

However, now foreign novels are not translated into English nearly enough, meaning that we know less about the world and its peoples than we did before. While novels, movies, advertisements are translated out of English and into a multitude of other languages; the international novel market in the United States is still relatively small. The US has largely monopolized its culture through exporting it.

So what can we understand that’s useful for us readers about the translation and post-colonialism?

Now In English! Review of "Broken Glass Park"

 

"Sometimes I think I'm the only one in our neighborhood with any worthwhile dreams. I have two...I want to kill Vadim. And I want to write a book about my mother." - Alina Bronsky, Broken Glass Park

Originally written in German by the Russian-German writer Alina Bronsky, and translated by Tim Mohr, Broken Glass Park (German Title: Scherbenpark) reveals itself to be a young adult novel on the axis of maturity. The opening, seemingly over-dramatic, casts readers into a side of Europe they may not be familiar with – the ghettos.

5 Tips for Reading International Fiction

Last week I wrote a bit about why branching into international fiction is a good idea - but I barely touched on how to do it. Whenever you come in contact with another culture, there's going to be some complications in understanding, even if the story is similar to something you may read at home. So how can we get the most out of reading outside our culture?