Happy Birthday, Norman Manea!

Norman Manea, the doyen of Romanian writers in the diaspora, turns 88 today, and congratulations and tributes have been pouring in for several days, in the press and on social media. A survivor of the two evils of the 20th century, Nazism and Communism, who has spent part of his life in exile in the United States, Norman Manea is not only one of the … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Norman Manea!

New Books in Translation: 2023 (with a look back to 2022)

Romanian literature has so far had a hard time conquering the English speaking world. The (in)famous 3-4%, referring to the share of translations of the total annual publications in the US and UK, has become an obsession among translators, authors, agents, and literary promoters. The percentage is similar on the two sides of the Atlantic and has moved, albeit very slightly, upwards in recent years. … Continue reading New Books in Translation: 2023 (with a look back to 2022)