Many of the authors I discovered this year are not really new authors at all, simply new to me. You all have been raving about some of them for years!
New discoveries:
Olga Grushin: Dream Life of Sukhanov – freedom and the artist, censorship and compromise, all in a satirical and surrealist tale of midlife crisis
Cora Sandel: Alberta Alone, transl. Elizabeth Rokkan – so daring and modern, very relatable and touching
Fernanda Torres: The End, transl. Alison Entrekin – my favourite combination of humour, satire and sadness – what the Germans call ‘zartbitter’ (tender bitter)
Kent Haruf: Plainsong – all those bloggers who recommended him: you were right! I’m not normally a fan of small-town America, but there is something deliciously plaintive but also muscular and lean about his style, reminded me of Sam Shephard’s Cruising Paradise
Livia Braniste: Interior zero – the Romanian millenial Bridget Jones is by turns funny, cynical and much more subtle than her British counterpart
David Vann: Aquarium – hard-done-by children and their stories always grip me, and this one is beautifully written and heartbreaking
Gerhard Jäger: All die Nacht über uns – this clever blend of personal and social history is just my cup of tea – it will probably go straight onto my best of the decade list.
Open category:
Anything goes here really – writers I’m already familiar with, poetry (which I read a lot but very seldom review), things that defy all categorisation etc.
Julia Franck: Die Mittagsfrau – started slowly and then just grew and grew on me
Ilya Kaminsky: Deaf Republic – political narrative poetry at its most lyrical, metaphorical and troubling
Shirley Jackson: Raising Demons – sweetness wrapped in bitter chocolate – or should that be bitterness wrapped in milk chocolate?
Isaac Babel: Odessa Stories, transl. Boris Dralyuk – virtuoso storytelling, comedy and tragedy in equal measure
Great list!
I liked Odessa Stories too and yes, David Vann is gifted.
I’ll have to try Kent Haruf and I’m intrigued by the Romanian Bridget Jones but it’s not available in French.
Delighted to see that Kent Haruf made the cut!
Another interesting selection, Marina! I loved the Babel too, and should really revisit the Grushin (so long since I read it). I’ve been contemplating the Kaminsky too…
You’ve made some great discoveries here, Marina Sofia. There are a few of those I should read, myself. And I know what you mean about getting book ideas from blog friends. I’ve gotten some fabulous recommendations that way, too. It’s one of the great things about the blogoverse.
I haven’t read that Olga Grushin, but read one of her others and loved it. Ditto Haruf. I’ve also been meaning to read that David Vann too. Some nice books there.
The Dream Life of Sukhanov is an amazing book.
Fascinating selection, you are constantly introducing me to writers I haven’t heard of before. I was recently intruiged by your review of Cora Sandel.
Ah, it’s so lovely to see Kent Haruf’s Plainsong in your list, a novel of great compassion and humanity. Do you think you’ll go an to read the rest of the trilogy next year?
go on, even…