Category: winstons coffee and muffin

Winstons coffee and Muffins -2011?

~ winstonsdad ~ 32 Comments

well its post 301 here on winstonsdad ,I start really blogging in January ,the year has gone on ,I ve drifted  here and there ,What have I learned ,well my review style is poor (in my own opnion ) keep working on that .I have trouble keeping up with challenges ,so will cut back and maybe try one in a challenge .I ll be reading from around the world next year but this is a personal challenge had want to host a challenge but not most organized person  and don’t want let people down ,people can join in if they want .the blogs focus will be back on world lit and translation .Barring the couple of books mentioned the other day in my series post .so in January I ll be doing a week of Italian books have 6 books ready  and start war and Peace readalong .

WHAT PLANS HAVE YOU FOR NEXT YEAR ?

winstons coffee and muffin

~ winstonsdad ~ 4 Comments

Winter draws in the long nights are here and I m looking forward to a literary night out in a couple of weeks to see the poet and writer Owen sheers his WHITE RAVENS ,was one of my earliest reviews ,a book I found wonderful a retelling of the Welsh myth Mabinogion and part of a project to retell al; the stories using modern tales .

which leads nicely on to my taking of the reading the myth challenge and my own round the world challenge ,my own round world challenge ,will be a week every month focusing on one country from round the world ,books and a translator of the books were needed over a week and also a post on the culture and cuisine of the place I have Amy reads in a way to thank partly I was inspired from her Nigerian week .so I ll start with –

JANUARY – ITALY

FEBRUARY  – HUNGARY

MARCH – MEXICO

that is it so far .

 

winstons coffee and muffins

~ winstonsdad ~ 6 Comments

Well I ve had a busy non blogging week spent a lovely day at skegness with two of the people I support ,we were lucky and got a nice sunny day .It has been a quiet week for book news .

BOOK NEWS –

The nobel prizes is announced on the 7th october .I did a post wondering who was going to win ,have since seen other and spoke to people ,my feeling is a joint Amos Oz /Elias Khoury award would be a great idea .Also Juan  Goytisolo s a writer that may deserve it the well known Spanish writer is considered one of the best from Spain in twentieth century .What are your feelings ? would you like some one realtively unkown in the english to win like recent years ?


Granta announced a list of writers in Spanish to read ,like there english list of writers to watch ,A lot of the names are new to me ,this seems like a great entry level to the next genration of writers from spain and latin america .

NDRÉS BARBA – Spain, b. 1975
OLIVERIO COELHO – Argentina, b. 1977
ANDRÉS RESSIA COLINO – Uruguay, b. 1977
FEDERICO FALCO – Argentina, b. 1977
PABLO GUTIÉRREZ – Spain, b. 1978
RODRIGO HASBÚN – Bolivia, b. 1981
SÒNIA HERNÁNDEZ – Spain, b. 1976
CARLOS LABBÉ – Chile, b. 1977
JAVIER MONTES – Spain, b. 1976
ELVIRA NAVARRO – Spain, b. 1978
MATÍAS NÉSPOLO – Argentina, b. 1975
ANDRÉS NEUMAN – Argentina, b. 1977
ALBERTO OLMOS – Spain, b. 1975
POLA OLOIXARAC – Argentina, b. 1977
ANTONIO ORTUÑO – Mexico, b. 1976
PATRICIO PRON – Argentina, b. 1975
LUCÍA PUENZO – Argentina, b. 1976
SANTIAGO RONCAGLIOLO – Peru, b. 1975
ANDRÉS FELIPE SOLANO – Colombia, b. 1977
SAMANTA SCHWEBLIN – Argentina, b. 1978
CARLOS YUSHIMITO – Peru, b. 1977
ALEJANDRO ZAMBRA – Chile, b. 1975

there is a spanish blog as well,of the writers only 3 have been translated so far in to English .

of the writers it apears

WINSTONS COFFEE AND MUFFINS

~ winstonsdad ~ 8 Comments

Well at home today it is coffee and chocolate brioche today ,well another busy week here at wonstons towers ,I read my first graphic novel for a very long time last night .well there are a couple of bits of news .

NEWS –

Earlier this year Amazon announced that it was starting it’s on translation press ,called amazon crossing to publish their own books  .well this week there was a press release announcing the first titles in the range .These include titles from Germany ,Argentina ,China and Ukraine here is there press release

also PEN in America announced their prizes winners for 2010 ,the book in translation prize winner was Wonder by Hugo Claus trans Michael Henry Heim ,I read this Belgian classic earlier this year ,here is my review also some more info on the translator from earlier this year including A video of him talking about wonder .

NEW BOOKS –

Well I had two books arrive this week ,after getting a e -mail from Malcolm at Oxygen books I received their city lit books for Berlin and Amsterdam ,I have spent time in both cities ,so am hugely looking forward to these anthologies of writing by various well-known writers and a few celebs about the cities and their history .

HOW HAS YOUR WEEK BEEN ?

winstons coffee and muffins

~ winstonsdad ~ 12 Comments

Well had a great week with BBAW posts ,I have loved find some new blogs ,well all that has left news low on the ground but have a couple of piece .

news –

All you bloggers on twitter ,should follow @peirenevoices the second feed from peierne press ,this has been having their writers and translators on-line answering question .I managed to ask F C Delius a couple one was what other german writers he enjoyed he said “death in Rome by Wolfgang Koeppen and the books of Alfred Doblin ,so follow them and get chance to meet their great writers and translators !

The second bit of news is that next year the polish book institution has set up as site to celebrate the 100th year of Czeslaw Milosz birth with a website and a number of festivals and events in his honour ,he is considered one of Poland’s greatest writers and won the Nobel in 1980 a poet ,prose and novelist ,I have his the land of ulro to read so will be next year here is a link to the site which is english ,lets hope this makes some nis books available in english again there are a few from Penguin already .

BOOK NEWS –

I received a copy of the new war and peace translation  from the OUP this week ready for the read along in January .shall be posting in next few months more info on times and length of readalong etc etc .

Also going to host an around the world reading Challenge in 2011 ,I have my own around in 52 books challenge but ,want make a challenge for other people Know there is a couple of them running this year ,I want to make a fun ,simple challenge watch this blogger for more news ……….

Winston’s coffee and muffin

~ winstonsdad ~ 8 Comments

Well another week has gone its Sunday and another round us of news and books .
News –  the shortlist for German book prize was announced the 6 books show the diversity of German writing at moment a number of books from people who came to Germany from the conflicts in eastern Europe in the nineties .one book in particular Melinda Nadj Abonji tauben fliegen auf ,a book about being an outsider and the Yugoslavian war as a back drop .I hope this and the others make it in to english soon they look wonderful.


I ve signed up for a read along of midnight children on biblio junkie starting in Nov I read it many years ago and not to join one in summer but didn’t find my copy to the other day when I had a good look round after reading Jov post about the read along .I m really interested to see if the book has change in 20 years since I read it as an innocent teen also how the book has weathered .so if you want to join in sign up at JOV’S  BIBLIOJUNKIE SITE

There was a great piece on books on the nightstand as ever about how do you read sip I.E read bit at a time but all through the day or gulp I.E sit for a half hour or more and saviour the book .well I gulp myself tend to try and have three sessions a day of half hour or more reading a day .also the is a passionate review of the David Grossman book by Ann from the show .

BOOKS ON RADAR

well there a two from Dalkey Archive that I ve my eye on the first is –

Best european fiction 2011 – i m still reading the 2010 one but this is meant to be bigger and have more countries and better quality writing as they had more to choose from this year a last year is Edited by Aleksandar Hemon .

The second is three book series they have released to tie in with Ljubljana the capital of Slovenia being world book city this year ,these 3 book all seem good but the holocaust one necropolis ,which has a good synopsis on the dalkey page

Winstons coffee and muffins

~ winstonsdad ~ 14 Comments

 

Well sunday has shot round again quickly ,well no books this week but some interesting news items found around the web –

NEWS –

Susan Sontag prize for Scandinavian translations is running at moment the 2010 winner has until Oct 2010 to complete the translation they chosen  Elmer Diktonius a finnish Swedish avant grade poet .

Three percent ,told us that the website for centre for the art of translation is up and running after going under an up grade and facelift ,and is looking very slick and has  a good piece on their blog about quercus books .

booktrusts translation site has some new book review on as well

Also a lament that no translation titles we re put forward for the Green carnation prize run by Simon Savidge of Savidge reads ,hope some are next year .

BOOKS  ON RADAR

there are two books I m really looking forward to getting they are by two giants of german literature Gunter Grass with the box,a sequel for peeling onions is told by 8 children and then Bernhard Schlink of reader fame returns with the weekend ,a book about the red army faction and people connected to it

and huge new book is David Grossmans to the end of the land ,a epic spanning 50 years of israeli history as a mother struggles with her sons second tour ,and she runs away ,new from Jonathan Cape .

winstons coffee and muffins

~ winstonsdad ~ 8 Comments

Well it is bank holiday weekend in the uk and I ve family staying .Its been a quiet week at Winston’s towers book wise I ve been busy working and sorting things for family visit ,But here are some news and new book here with me –

News –

Three percent had the shortlist for the French – American translation prize earlier in the week they have both fiction and non fiction shortlist well worth looking at the fiction shortlist is wonderfully strong here is a link to three percent ,I ve two of the books and the other three on my wish list as ever .

Quercus put me on their blogroll which was really nice ,there worth visiting there new digital  pr guy Mark Thwaite ,is writing a great blog and they publish loads of great translations also the revamped Steig Larson site is worth checking out !

#translationthurs the day people on twitter are asked to suggest a book in translation to every on is going from strength to strength many thanks to @mardixon on twitter who has really helped and got people involved ,so if you search  hashtag on Thurs you’ll always find a couple of new books to read .

THE BOOKS –

Well I ve had two parcels this week –

The first one is caribou island David Vann ,a novel; set in Alaska like his first book legend of suicide which I loved ,this book about couples and one starting on their marriage another trying to mend there’s ,sounds wonderful .won from Joe pickering penguin PR it is signed by david as well ,very cool .

Are three books from my fellow blogger and great friend Simon of inside books ,we like a lot of same books so send books to each other quiet a lot these there are –

the Luneburg variation  – Paolo Maurensig – a new italian writer a psychological book about a murder ,with fable like dark overtones

Prater violet – Christopher Isherwood  about writing a script for a film a novel deals with this ,being Isherwood should be great .

Sarajevo Marlboro – Miljenko Jergovic  – short stories about the Bosnian conflict

for a fuller review visit Simons blog where he has reviewed them all

winstons coffee and muffin

~ winstonsdad ~ 14 Comments

A new piece for Winston’s dad a bit like a sunday saloon post ,on sunday there is nothing better than sat reading the sunday papers and having a coffee and muffin as you read  so here going be a bit of news and what has happened at Winston’s dad that week I.E  books arrived and books I ve heard about .

NEWS –

well the main thing that has caught my eye this week is the Deutscher Bucher preis long list ,the german book prize is the equivalent of the booker and is a good guide of who is good in german fiction at moment and what might be coming to english translation soon .here is long list .of the long list already with books in english .

  • Alina Bronsky
  • Thomas Hettche
  • Michael kleeberg

Not great out of twenty books and writers .

In other news there is a new translation from Elias Khoury due late 2010 from quercus again translated by Humphrey Davies like Yalo .

BOOKS –

Here are some books received at Winston towers in last weeks –

  • River of shadows by Valerio Varesi – from quercus an Italian crime novel from a series by the writer ,the series has been made into a tv series by RAI tv in italy
  • Circus Bulgaria by Deyan Enev – from Kelly at Portobello books ,I ask Kelly if see was the PR for this she said she’d send it me and did ,heard Deyan on the world service interviewed about this book and was really into it .
  • a very short introduction to Spanish literature – from the Oxford university press ,I requested this book as I want to know where to go after Don Quixote and fill in some blanks of spanish books I ve read .
  • The end by Salvatore Scibona – from the lovely Hannah at Jonathan cape ,set in the fifties the action all takes place on one day ,Scibona was on new yorkers best under 40 list earlier this year .

wishlist items

the new Chatwin collection a selection of letter from Bruce Chatwin caught my eye ,the new Jonathan Frantzen has me excited as well .