Asymptote Book Club

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Discover the latest and greatest of world literature, curated by our award-winning team. Each month, we send you or your loved one a surprise new title from our publisher partners, released that very month. The passport to adventurous reading awaits from as little as $20/month!

Join NOW to receive our next book in December!

What Some Are Saying

“Here is something to love and cherish. And join.”
— George Szirtes
“A brilliant idea and a great way to get into translated fiction.”
— Stav Sherez
“All my favorite publishers in one place.”
— Magistra Beck
“There's a whole universe of stories out there that we, in the English-speaking world, have yet to discover. Let the Asymptote Book Club take you there.”
— Yann Martel
“I would read anything Asymptote told me to read.”
— Dan Chiasson

Past Book Club Titles

October 2022
Bosnia (Bosnian)
Body Kintsugi by Senka Marić, trans. Celia Hawkesworth (Peirene Press)
“Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with liquid gold. In this powerful and personal novella, Senka Marić uses the concept of kintsugi to interrogate ideas of illness, survival and recovery.”
Review | Order a Copy
September 2022
Iraq (Arabic)
No Windmills in Basra by Diaa Jubaili, trans. Chip Rossetti (Deep Vellum)
“A bold, imaginative collection of short stories set in Southern Iraq from prolific, award-winning novelist Diaa Jubaili.”
Review | Q&A with Translator | Order a Copy
August 2022
Spain (Catalan)
The Left Parenthesis by Muriel Villanueva, trans. María Cristina Hall and Megan Berkobien (Open Letter)
“With a lively and direct style and overwhelming poetic force, Muriel Villanueva guides us through a fantastic journey of a woman in search of her own maturity.”
Review | Q&A with Translator | Order a Copy
July 2022
Venezuela (Spanish)
The Lisbon Syndrome by Eduardo Sánchez Rugeles, trans. Paul Filev (Turtle Point Press)
“The past and present histories of Venezuela and Portugal intertwine in this moving story about art and human resilience. Sánchez Rugeles’s bleak vision is lightened by characters who show us the humanity behind stark headlines.”
Review | Q&A with Translator | Order a Copy
June 2022
Belarus (Russian)
Alindarka’s Children by Alherd Bacharevič, trans. Petra Reid and Jim Dingley (New Directions)
“Alindarka’s Children is the masterful English debut of Alhierd Bacharevič, offering “a kaleidoscopic picture of language as fairy-tale forest, as Gulag, as monument, as tomb, as everlasting life.”
Review | Q&A with Translator | Order a Copy
May 2022
Beirut (Arabic)
Mister N by Najwa Barakat, trans. Luke Leafgren (And Other Stories)
“With Mister N, Lebanese author Najwa Barakat leads us into a psychological puzzle . . . part Shutter Island, part Jorge Luis Borges.”
Review | Q&A with Translator | Order a Copy
April 2022
Belgium (French)
Gentlemen Callers by Corinne Hoex, trans. Caitlin O’Neil (Dalkey Archive)
“Brought into English by Caitlin O’Neil, Corinne Hoex’s sensuous—and sensational—Gentlemen Callers is full of exquisite treats, rivaling Belgian compatriot Amélie Nothomb’s wit, humor, and imagination.”
Review | Q&A with Translator | Order a Copy
March 2022
Ukraine (Russian)
Lucky Breaks by Yevgenia Belorusets, trans. Eugene Ostashevsky (New Directions)
“Published in Ukraine in 2018, these surreal short stories by Yevgenia Belorusets probe the experiences of women from the Donbas region, many of whom fled the separatist conflict that erupted in 2014.”
Review | Q&A with Translator | Order a Copy
February 2022
Iceland (Icelandic)
Quake by Auður Jónsdóttir, trans. Meg Matich (Dottir Press)
“Nominated for the Icelandic Literary Prize, Quake: A Novel is a haunting novel-in-translation about Saga, a woman who comes to on the pavement alongside a busy street to find that her three-year-old son is gone.”
Review | Q&A with Translator | Order a Copy
January 2022
Brazil (Portuguese)
Phenotypes by Paulo Scott, trans. Daniel Hahn (And Other Stories)
“An immersive and urgent novel that addresses the ethics and injustices of Brazil’s colourism in Paulo Scott’s signature fluidity and perspicacity, exploring the limits of intentions and justices to probe at the centric forces of activism.”
Review | Q&A with Translator | Order a Copy

How it Works

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The Asymptote Book Club is the only book club dedicated to world literature in translation that partners with top independent publishers on both sides of the Atlantic. Try our recurring three-month subscription at USD65/£55/€75 for three months. Or you can sign up to our recurring one-year subscription at USD240/£202/€281 a year!

Since April 2020, we have also opened up our Book Club to readers beyond the EU, the UK, and the US! An additional monthly fee of USD8 to cover the costs of international shipping applies if you do not reside in the aforementioned regions. All subscriptions include shipping, a print copy of our monthly titles, access to our online discussion spaces, and member-only invitations to any in-person Book Club events being held. If you sign up for three months, we’ll send you a welcome gift of an Asymptote ebook, with exclusive content not featured anywhere else. If you choose a yearly recurring subscription, you’ll receive three Asymptote ebooks, and a 2023 edition AsympTOTE!

Get Reading

The Book Club is all about discovery. Each month’s title will arrive hot off the presses of the very best independent publishers in Canada, the US, and the UK.

We’ve worked hard to select fiction which will inspire and challenge, and we’re committed to featuring a wide variety of translators and source texts. You’ll discover exciting new works by emerging voices and beloved authors, while reading from all over the globe.

Get Talking

Throughout the month we will offer exclusive features tied to the book club, including author or translator interviews, online discussion spaces, in-person meetups and more. Already part of a school, book club, charitable organization or any other group of likeminded readers?

Join the Asymptote Book Club together and broaden your horizons. We guarantee this will be a reading experience like no other. We spark the conversation. Where it goes is up to you!

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FAQs

How do you choose which books to feature?
If you loved our 76 Translation Tuesday showcases at The Guardian, you’ve already seen how we cast the net far and wide to bring you the best literature from around the globe. As the very first magazine to receive the London Book Fair’s International Literary Translation Initiative Award in 2015, Asymptote has established a reputation for rigorous curation through its quarterly issues and daily blog. The Book Club is another way of using our expertise to help you find your next great read.

Partnering with the very best independent publishers like New Directions, Archipelago, and & Other Stories, we will take great pains to curate our selection to reflect the diversity of world literature today. All the picks will be brand-new titles translated into English. We pick what we believe will be future award-winners and cult classics, the kind of books which start conversations and keep you thinking long after the last page.
I don’t live in the US, the UK, or the EU. Can I still join the Book Club?
The answer is an emphatic “Yes!”. As of April 1, 2020, we will be accepting subscribers from beyond these countries provided they are willing to pay the additional postage fee of USD8 per book club title. Simply select the option “Elsewhere” when you submit your details in the Payment screen, and your subscription will be processed accordingly.
What if I want to cancel my subscription midway through the year?
We work very hard to pick the best titles that you will want to read, so we hope this won’t be the case. That said, we understand that circumstances change. If you sign up for a year but no longer want to receive Asymptote Book Club titles after the first six months, email us stating your name and address, your intent to cancel your subscription and your reason for cancelling the subscription. We will refund you a pro-rata amount based on the number of months left on your subscription, minus handling fees. If you’re unsure whether the book club will be right for you, we suggest signing up for the three-month package to begin with!
I am already subscribed to one or more publishers that you are partnering with or may be partnering with in the future. I’m concerned about receiving a repeat title. Is there a way around this?
If you have concerns about receiving a repeat title, please let us know which publishers you are already subscribed to when you sign up. In the event that you do receive a repeat title—even though we don't expect that to happen—we’ll be happy to refund you for that particular month. We aim to keep our subscribers happy.
Why does the currency automatically convert to SGD (Singapore Dollars) when I try to make my PayPal payment?
That's because Asymptote is incorporated in Singapore (where our editor-in-chief is from) and as such, our Paypal account is tied to SGD, the currency that Singapore uses.
How can I connect with other members of the Book Club?
There will be an online discussion space where members of the Book Club can discuss each month’s title and connect with other world literature enthusiasts! We will also be holding in-person Book Club meetings in cities like New York and London, and we encourage subscribers to organize their own meetups through the online discussion space.
I’m part of a publishing company and I think our titles would be a great fit for the Book Club. What should I do?
We’re always looking to connect with new publisher partners. Email us with more details about your company, the title(s) you would like to propose, and we will be in touch!

All emails should be directed to bookclub@asymptotejournal.com. Still undecided? We welcome all queries. Subscribe by 2nd December, 2024 to receive our next title, coming to your mailbox in December 2024.

The Fine Print

In order to become a member of Asymptote Book Club, or to receive any of our products or services, you must be at least 16 years of age. You must also agree to provide us with personal details (including your name, email address, postal address and valid payment details), that are true and current, and to update us if at any time your personal details change. If, after trying us for at least two months (for the three-month plan) or six months (for the one-year plan), you are dissatisfied by the service supplied by the Asymptote Book Club, you are entitled to cancel your subscription and receive a full refund for the books not already sent.

We may refuse any application to become an Asymptote Book Club Member for any reason whatsoever. Please note that by supplying your email address on joining us you will be added to our mailing list for newsletter subscribers, and that you also grant us permission to contact you via email regarding your account and any special offers or promotions that we may offer you from time to time.

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