My Russian spring (gimme some reading tips!)

[sealwhiskers]

Lately I've been trying to read some Russian/Slavic writers, since my Russian is barely existent and I am too slow a reader in Polish, I read them translated into those languages I am a completely fluent reader in, so that I can do it somewhat swiftly

Comments

[indicolite]

Hi, ms_danson, who I think just befriended you, pointed me to this post. I read fantasy in both Russian and English, but I actually haven't read Perumov yet.

If you are looking for other Russian translated fantasy, check out Max Frei if you haven't already. She (it is a woman writing under a male pseudonym) creates an interesting world with several original twists, and a sense of fun and humour (also, a LOT about the implications of magic on cooking, which is something most fantasy worldbuilders don't think about) in the first book, although I am told the books gradually get darker; I've only read the first one, The Stranger. The translation is pretty good, although there are a couple of puns and wording changes that I know the translator would have a hard time with, but she did the best she could.

There are, of course, the Strugatsky brothers, who I think have been translated.

It's a little puzzling to me that they translate so few Slavic writers in the Anglo speaking world, they produce some great stuff and it goes unnoticed. I suspect

[sealwhiskers]

Ooh, you've read the same childhood books I did, most likely. I've written posts about the Moomin books and their importance to me on a personal level when I grew up.

I *love* the Strugatsky brothers (we spelled them Strugatskij back in Sweden), and have read everything by them in Swedish back when I was a teen. I should try to re-read them one of these days. I haven't read Max Frei though, so thank you for the tip, I will promptly look her up!

Scandinavian adult fiction is mostly translated in the mainstream fiction field, and of course a vast variety in the murder mystery genre. (Stieg Larsson's success saw to that, but many others are much better writers than he was)
Off the top of my head I can think of John Ajvide Lindqvist, who wrote "Let the Right One In" and "Handling of the Undead", as well as other good stories such as "Harbor" and "Little Star". He is a supernatural realist, with a horror streak, very good if you're into that sort of thing. If you even remotely like criminal fiction, I think Åsa Larsson is one of the

[indicolite]

I figured the Swedes would be tired by now of everyone in the Anglo world associating them only with Stieg Larsson! (I've read the first book, and although it was engaging while it lasted, I didn't feel like re-reading it or reading the next ones.)

I like magic realism and urban fantasy --- not that big a crime fan, although I would read it if I come across it. I may check out "Let The Right One In," though, since I've heard of it before.

[sealwhiskers]

I really loved Stieg Larsson as a researching journalist and am very sorry he died prematurely, but it is a tad bit odd that he seems to be representing Swedish writers nowadays, you're right about that. :)
It's great to have stumbled upon you here on LJ, I'm totally looking forward to future book recs on both sides!

[m_danson]

I have been reading books from Haikasoru, an American publisher/translator of Japanese SF/Fantasy/Horror.

[sealwhiskers]

What a gold mine! I was just ogling Battle Royale in a store the other day (one of theirs), because a friend in my book club, who lived in Japan and has a Japanese husband, loves that book, and has said that The Hunger Games were just a poorer version of Battle Royale. But they have other interesting stuff too.

[m_danson]

So far, I have enjoyed everything of theirs that I've read, especially Harmony.

[sealwhiskers]

That sounds like a really interesting dystopy (I have a special interest in those), must check it out!
I wish there was a similar project/site for other languages than Japanese, these guys seem to produce consistently good quality.

[carrieb]

I read Catharine Valente's Deathless awhile ago. It is a re-telling of a Russian fairy tale written by an American married to a Russian. Maybe you would like it? I have to admit I didn't understand it at all.

Good book I just finished: Under the Light of Heaven by Guy Gavrial Kay. It's set in a fictional historical China. Good stuff, but his usually are.

[sealwhiskers]

Heh, I read Valente for the language much more than for her stories. Sometimes her gorgeous prose can be a little overloaded, but it is pretty damn fantastic. I bought "The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland In a Ship of her own Making" just for the incredible title. It's an Alice in Wonderland sort of story, with a hint of Coraline.
But mostly, I just read some poetry of hers once in a while, because she is best in shorter passages where you don't really have to understand everything except on some form of visceral level.

I will most certainly check out that Gavriel Kay book in the future, I have some books of his that I truly love.

[carrieb]

Guess what I'm reading right this very moment! Other than LJ. . .

The Girl who Cicumnavigated. . .

Love the language, have a hard time getting into the plot. I must say her Orphan Tales duology was probably one of the best two books I've ever read. I couldn't finish Palmpiset though.

[sealwhiskers]

Hahaha, well, I'll be damned!
Yeah, she's got the language down in abundance, but sometimes it drowns the plot. I also liked the Orphan Tales very much though. Have you tried her poetry? It takes away the issue of plot mostly, and can be read on another, more visceral level. Maybe try A Guide to Folktales in Fragile Dialects.

[darquis]

Are you sure you don't want to pick up reading in Polish and gain some speed? *has recommendations!*

[sealwhiskers]

Dude, I would *love* some recs form you!
I am pretty clueless on what's exiting in contemporary Polish writing (I took polish classical lit in college, but that's not the same). I just know that they print a lot with quality, Poland has always done that.

My speaking Polish is far far superior from my reading skills..but it's nothing that can't be improved with painful and slow training, so gimme your best!

[indicolite]

There is always Stanislaw Lem. But the most common translation of him into English is, strangely, via French, at least for Solaris. But that is lovely, and The Cyberiad is very fun.

[sealwhiskers]

I haven't read Lem in English, so that sound interesting. The French eh? Them and the Poles have a lot of common cultural platforms historically, so it does make some form of sense.

[chocolatebark]

Just finished a book of Hakuri Murakami short stories, and I'm reading at Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet. Just started Glen Duncan's I, Lucifer.

I should def. read some more poetry soon

[sealwhiskers]

I've only read Murakami in Swedish, I wonder how he is in English..(Swedish and Japanese work very well translated between each other, just like Japanese, the Nordic countries have a sparseness in their languages which makes them work with subtle nuances in an oddly similar way, this is extra visible in poetic translations for instance)

Let me know how you like I Lucifer, it looks really interesting, but I have no recs on it from people.