Why I Love Women in Translation Month
Always reading women in translation
August is one of the highlights of my reading year because it is Women in Translation Month!
The #womenintranslation project is: International, intersectional, and built around the notion that all women* (*and transgender and nonbinary and intersex individuals) deserve to have their voices heard. This project is committed to giving space to women* from all countries, all languages, all religions, all ethnicities, all cultures, all sexualities, all marginalized gender identities, all abilities, all bodies, all classes, and all ages. Due to the stunning gender disparity in non-English language literature, this project will focus on all literature written by women* in any language other than English, regardless of the language in which it is read or discussed. This project shall not discriminate based on literary genre or designation, seeking instead to open as many gates as possible to all readers. This project is open to all readers, from all languages, from all countries, in the hopes that together we may build a better world. (from https://www.womenintranslation.org/)
It is so important to read the perspectives of women all around the world. We so easily continue to read from our own region and never branch out to explore reads from other countries, specifically those written by women, but Women in Translation Month challenges us to turn our focus and take part in reading and amplifying these voices.
Over the last few years, I’ve found myself diving deeper and deeper into translated fiction/women in translation. I feel like my world has opened up so much and this journey continues to excite me! I love discovering new women in translation and am always looking for independent publishers who are focused on publishing these works.
I started Women in Translation Month with Nineteen Claws And A Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica, translated from the Spanish by Sarah Moses, and Eartheater by Dolores Reyes, translated from the Spanish by Julia Sanches.
Both reads are dark in different ways and are both fairly short, so they are easy to read in a day or two depending on your time.
Nineteen Claws And A Black Bird is a collection of short stories. Dark, disturbing, and wildly vivid is how I’d describe it. , which happens to be right up my alley. There are some stories that contain topics that may be a bit much for some so read at your own discretion. These stories talk about love, relationships, your darkest fears, friendships, and deep desires.
Eartheater was absolutely fascinating. It’s about a young woman who has a compulsion to eat earth and when she does so, she gets visions of murdered and missing people. People seek her out to help them find their missing loved ones. We see how a gift can at times feel like a burden, and we also see the deep pain and grief many suffer through not knowing what happened to their family. It is a heavy story and it is quite dark, but it also feels important—urgent. The larger motivation behind this story is the often neglected femicides that continue to happen throughout Latin America.
Are you participating in Women in Translation Month? Tell me what you’ve been reading.