Which brilliant books have never been translated into English? Join the discussion

Frank Cottrell Boyce has discovered some new literary heroes at the most beguiling library in the world, The International Jugendbibliothek. It was set up after the second world war by a Jewish refugee after Nazi book burning and banning. Here Frank tells us all about it – and kicks off a discussion on the missing classics in our livesWe also share a first chapter of Pushkin Press’s The Secrets of Blue Glass, (AKA the Japanese Borrowers) by Tomiko Inui, published this month for the first time in English, but beloved in Japan since 1967)I found myself some new heroes this week. When Germany was rebuilding itself after the war, a Jewish refugee who had made it to Britain in 1936 decided to give up her comfortable job at the BBC and go back to Germany and help. Her name was Jella Lepman and her speciality was children’s books. The Nazis had burnt and banned children’s books. They had destroyed the infrastructure of the Imagination just as surely as the Allies had destroyed the road network. Jella Lepman wanted to rebuild that infrastructure. With no budget, she blagged and begged books from foreign publishers, laying down the foundations of a library of international children’s books. Related: The best British children's illustrators in the Bratislava awards – in pictures Related: The 10 best Pippi Longstocking quotes Related: Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt - review Related: What are your favourite books in translation? Related: 'Oh, what happiness!' - 10 best... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Russia to Foreign Publishers: Come Back

The Moscow International Book Fair is actively courting western publishers to return to a show that this year counted no American publishers and very few from Europe. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-09-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chinese publishing: full of Eastern promise

The Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) 2015 took place in the last week of August under a storm cloud of a slightly weakened Chinese economy and a tumbling stock market. Yet at BIBF, Chinese and foreign publishers were talking of a bright and sunny future: a book trade that is solid... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Turkey Wants You and Your Translations, says Agent Nermin Mollaoğlu

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-09-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Which brilliant books have never been translated into English? Join the discussion

Frank Cottrell Boyce has discovered some new literary heroes at the most beguiling library in the world, The International Jugendbibliothek. It was set up after the second world war by a Jewish refugee after Nazi book burning and banning. Here Frank tells us all about it – and kicks off a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Young Mexicans set to drive reading surge

Enthusiasm for reading among Mexico's younger population, and the country's fondness for US and UK writers, are reasons for foreign publishers to take note of the country, according to Roberto Banchik Rothschild, c.e.o. of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial for Mexico, Central America and the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is Rowling Tarnishing Her Rep Abroad over Piracy Fears?

If you’re a Slovenian fan of J.K. Rowling, and you’re eager to get your hands on the first available copy of her forthcoming novel, The Casual Vacancy, you’re probably going to have to read the book in English. This will also be the case in Italy, Finland, and several other countries. And the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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Agents Keeping Foreign Publishers on Digital Leash

As the London Book Fair goes through its annual run this week, American agents are trying to figure out the best way to sell digital rights to foreign publishers in markets that are far behind the U.S. in ebook sales. Even though many international publishers are just starting to dabble in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

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