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Jul 11, 2021 “Lady Joker” by Kaoru Takamura was published in Japanese in 1997, but its English-language debut in 2021 still feels timely. On the surface, this classic of contemporary Japanese fiction — twice adapted for the screen — is a crime thriller, but underneath it’s a state-of-the-nation novel that is perhaps even more apposite today than 24 years ago. Lady Joker: Volume One, by Kaoru Takamura Translated by Marie Iida and Allison Markin Powell 600 pages SOHO CRIME The book centers on the kidnapping of the head of a fictional beer company, Hinode, by a mismatched gang...

Jul 9, 2021 Mori, who is known for his regular gaffes and sexist comments, was espousing a viewpoint that women in Japan encounter much too often: A “good” woman is polite and should remain silent in the company of men. This time, however, Japanese women did not stay silent. Black Box, by Shiori Ito Translated by Allison Markin Powell 288 pages FEMINIST PRESS Domestic and international backlash, spurred in part by the continuing impact of the #MeToo movement, and possibly the frustration of living in a pandemic, forced Mori’s resignation. He was even replaced by Seiko Hashimoto...

Apr 25, 2021 British translator Ginny Tapley Takemori has become a recognizable name in translated fiction in recent years. Her work on Sayaka Murata’s “Convenience Store Woman” (2018) and “Earthlings” (2020), as well as Kyoko Nakajima’s “The Little House” (2019), garnered praise, but in an alternate universe she could still be translating works from Spanish or Catalan in sunny Barcelona. After graduating high school in the 1980s, Takemori took a gap year (that extended into several), enjoying her work in London’s music scene. An eye-opening vacation to Spain, howev...

Jan 2, 2021 This year witnessed plenty of struggle and loss, but there was at least some good news: 2020 was the year the world embraced the considerable talents of Mieko Kawakami. Readers will therefore be delighted to know that her novel, “ Heaven,” will be published in English in May 2021. Translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd, it tells the story of teenage bullying from the point of view of a 14-year-old boy. Kawakami is a writer who doesn’t shy away from hard truths and painful experiences, so this will not be an easy read, but it’s guaranteed to be a rewarding one.

Our Favorite International Reads of 2020 (and What We’ll Be Reading in 2021)   Editor This year, I'm keeping my recommendations to the Southern Cone, perhaps out of the wistful recollection that as we face gray, blustery afternoons here in New York, warmer climes hold elsewhere. Daniel Tunnard 's  Escapes(Unnamed Press), set in a world in which competitive Scrabble is a globally televised craze under the thumb of the Scrafia (yes, a Scrabble mafia), is an uproarious novel staked on the final encounter between former world champs Florence Satine and Buenaventura Escobar in Argentina's Tigr...