Belletrista

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"The Four Hundred Pleats" by Greek author Amanda Michalopoulou	"The Wig Maker" by Welsh author Vanessa Gebbie	The Women of Nordic Crime: A Dozen Mavens of Murder

Welcome readers to our latest issue, filled, as always, with great writing by women from around the world. We are delighted to present two short stories for your reading pleasure. Additionally, we've put together an overview of twelve Nordic crime writers, and feature an intriguing discussion of Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto's short novel, Kitchen. Seventeen reviews by our global readers grace this issue, as do over sixty New & Notable books (we've given Canada their own New & Notable section). We are pleased to note that thirteen of the twenty 2011 Orange Prize longlisted books were featured on these pages during the course of the last year! We always aim to provide excellent reading and find interesting books for all of our devoted readers!

Reviews
Click on 'Reviews' to see the full list of this issue's reviews...

THE BODY IN THE CLOUDS

Ashley Hay

Just as a good Danish pastry consists of layer upon layer upon layer of rich pastry, so The Body in the Clouds is formed from layers of rich storytelling. In her first novel, shortlisted for the 2011 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Best First Book, Ashley Hay takes one moment in history and tells three different stories.
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Reviewed by Judy Lim

VISITATION

Jenny Erpenbeck

Translated from the German by Susan Bernofsky

Home—a place where dreams are dreamt, lives are lived, and families grow. Homes are filled with joy, but also house tragedy. They are the places most integral to our existence, and yet …
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Reviewed by Caitlin Fehir

AN AWKWARD AGE

Anna Starobinets

Translated from the Russian by Hugh Aplin

Having been nominated for Russia's National Bestseller Prize, Anna Starobinets is already being given the title of horror queen within the Russian short fiction genre. With her debut collection, An Awkward Age, she is able to delve into our basic fears with great conviction.
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Reviewed by C. Lariviere

THE SEINE WAS RED: PARIS, OCTOBER 1961

Leila Sebbar

Translated from the French by Mildred Mortimer

Paris, 17 October 1961: Tens of thousands of French Algerians descended upon Paris to engage in a peaceful protest against a curfew imposed upon them by Maurice Papon, the infamous Prefect of Police. The curfew was a response to a bombing campaign against …
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Reviewed by Darryl Morris

A RIOT OF GOLDFISH

Kanoko Okamoto

Translated from the Japanese by J. Keith Vincent

The story "A Riot of Goldfish," traces Mataichi, the son of a goldfish breeder, through his lifelong struggles with his unrequited love for the daughter of the family's patron. He loves Masako, but she loves goldfish.
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Reviewed by Joyce Nickel

CONVERSATIONS:

Three readers discuss Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen

If Written By a Woman

Visit our new Belletrista blog!

The Caine Prize for African Writing 2011 – shortlist announced

The shortlist for this year’s Caine Prize has just been announced and three women are in the running for the prestigious award. This is always an exciting time of year – the Prize is a great way to discover short stories by excellent writers. Lucky for us, the Prize’s website links to a copy of …Read the Rest

Belletrista - Issue 10
March/April 2011

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