Spring has sprung today, but it’s more than likely the weather is still less-than-stellar, wherever you are. At the New York Review of Books, British novelist Zadie Smith eulogizes the seasons in the shadow of climate change. Elsewhere, watch a conversation between Smith and Nigerian-American author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on writing postcolonial literature, or read about Adichie’s literary Lagos.
Fellow Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole posted his essay A Piece of the Wall, on immigration, entirely on Twitter (here’s how the social media platform is changing the face of fiction, despite griping critics). Themes of diaspora and identity certainly resonate with readers: Zimbabwean writer NoViolet Bulawayo has snagged the PEN/Hemingway Award for her novel We Need New Names, about a 10-year-old girl moving to the United States. But don’t make these mistakes when reading immigrant fiction: a view from Germany, via our friends at Words Without Borders.
McSweeney’s 46th issue is dedicated to crime fiction from Latin America. The whodunit is hardly region-specific, however: it seems that Polish detective dramas are usurping their more-notorious Scandinavian counterparts. When it comes down to it, though, there really are only two types of writers. (Or three. Or four…).
This week’s literary obituaries: prolific Indian diplomat, author, and journalist Khushwant Singh passed away at age 99 (or perhaps 98) this week. Elsewhere, Lithuanian author and Holocaust survivor Icchokas Meras dies at age 79 in Israel.
French, Russian, and Polish posters capture the films of legendary cinematic stylist Andrei Tarkovsky: via Melville House, here’s his forever fond farewell, in nostalgia-tinged polaroids. In North Korea, the filmic tradition assumes a specific doctrine: on making movies à la Kim Jong-il. Kim Jong-il (and his father, Kim Il-sun) hardly restricted themselves to ideologically questionable filmmaking, however: it turns out they may have penned a few enjoyable children’s books as well (remember, translated literature isn’t just for grown-ups!). North Korea’s utopian foray into kid-lit betrays the genre’s inherent ideology: American Walter Dean Myers and his son Christopher Myers confront the genre’s whitewashing, and authors in the United Kingdom push the case for gender-neutral children’s literature: let toys be toys!
Lit prize update: Austrian legend Peter Handke wins this year’s International Ibsen Award. Satisfy your craving for more BTBA-madness by reading Three Percent’s continually updating “Why this book should win” series—we certainly don’t envy those tough decisions, but it’s fun making our way down the Asymptote-studded list. The Oddest Book Title Award—reported on earlier this year—isn’t just an Anglophone phenomenon: in Germany, the Ungewöhnlichster Buch des Jahres Award is bestowed upon the wackiest Germanic tomes. Post-prize, authors don’t quit: Chinese Nobel laureate Mo Yan exercises considerable influence over the Chinese book market.
Every year’s Nobel bet, Canadian Margaret Atwood’s Sebald lecture carries a friendly title: stream Atwood in Translationland now! And to commemorate the weekend, have a laugh (or don’t) in translation.