COVID-19 changed my reading habits. I discovered new authors and new literature, including translated literature.

It’s amazing how stories are best expressed in the native language. While, I may not be able to enjoy that privilege many times, I do enjoy reading works translated in English that offer a different perspective.

Here is a list of memorable books that I hope you will enjoy as well:

Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen

This book turned out to be a great surprise. As a crime thriller fan, finding a detective created in a Scandinavian country was a curious and stimulating read. This was my first read by a Danish author. Jussi Adler-Olsen is a magazine editor-turned-author and has won many accolades, including the prestigious Glass Key Award, given annually for a crime novel by a Scandinavian author. He is also winner of the Golden Laurels, Denmark’s highest literary accolade.

The book, titled Kvinden i Buret, was published in Danish in 2007. Translated in 2011, it is titled The Keeper of Lost Causes in the US and Mercy in the UK. I read the UK translation by Lisa Hartford.

Mercy is the first book of the 10 books in the ‘Department Q’ series. The core of the book revolves around corrupt individuals, abuse of power and manipulative psychopaths.

The protagonist, Carl Mørck, once among Copenhagen’s finest homicide detectives, has gone off the rails and is on the line for termination. A bullet had nearly put an end to his career and his life; two of his colleagues had suffered in the same encounter—one lost his life and the other became paralysed. Carl lives and breathes guilt, losing himself in it. 

However, in a surprise move, he is promoted to the newly-created Department Q, which deals with ‘cases of special focus’. He doesn’t receive much in terms of office space or a team. But then, gets Assad, a Syrian Muslim with no social skills but great insights. It’s the unlikeliest of teams—a loser senior and an eccentric assistant.

Mørck’s first assignment is about a missing politician Merete Lynggaard, who disappeared five years ago and is presumed dead. The twists and turns in this search make this book a gripping read. The politician, in the meanwhile, lives in torture cell. This case may actually put Mørck back on track.

The book has been made into a movie, inspired a play and now a TV series, ‘Department Q’, on Netflix. Kvinden i Buret was adapted into a Danish film by Zentropa in 2013, titled The Keeper of Lost Causes in English, becoming the top box-office film in Denmark.

A play titled, Erbarmen (Mercy) produced in cooperation with Sabrina Ullrich, based on Kvinden i Buret, premiered in Castrop-Rauxel on 19 October 2013.

I am so floored that Carl Mørck series are high on #TBR list.

Song of the Soil by Chuden Kabimo

I discovered this book on the metro station at Sukhdev Vihar, Delhi. It turned out to be a page-turner, a gripping read. Originally written in Nepali, it was titled Faatsung (2019)which means ‘story of the soil’ in Lepcha language, Kabimo’s native tongue. The English translation was done by Ajit Baral.

Kabimo is an award-winning author based in Kalimpong district and belongs to the Lepcha community. He won the Yuva Puraskar for Nepali language 2018 for 1986—a short story collection centering around the Gorkhaland movement issue.

Song of the Soil opens with an unnamed narrator and his friendship with Norden. On receiving the news Norden’s death in an earthquake, he heads home to his rural roots in West Bengal. On the way to the village, he recalls his childhood with Norden, to the primary school where they studied together. Then, one day Norden decided to go find his lost father, Ripden.

The two friends run away from their village to a village named Lolay, to meet Ripden’s friend lived. During this search, they meet called Nasim, who tells them the story of Ripden and his involvement in the Gorkhaland movement of 1986.

Beautifully woven, the book is a sensitive read, touching upon themes of loss, friendship, survival, growing up, rebellion.

It was shortlisted for ‘Madan Puraskar, 2075 BS’ (2018-2019), a prestigious award for Nepali literature. The English translation was shortlisted for the JCB Prize 2022, the first–ever book, originally written in Nepali language, to be listed for the award.

The novel was also translated into Bengali, with the same title, Faatsung, by Samik Chakraborty, in October 2019. The Hindi edition, titled Faatsung—Kahaani Mitti Ki, was published in February 2023. It was translated by Namrata Chaturvedi, an English literature professor at Zakir Husain Delhi College.  

Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree

I got this book signed by the author, so that makes it more special for me. Originally written in 2018, titled Ret Samadhi, this award-winning book was translated into English by Daisy Rockwell. The crowning glory of this book is that this was the first novel translated from an Indian language to win the 2022 International Booker Prize!

I attended two sessions by the author in Delhi and that really helped me understand her thoughts behind the book. It is an experimental book, that takes time to read and assimilate. It is also 700+ pages long.

The protagonist is an 80-year-old woman, Ma, who is depressed after her husband’s death. In the first 100 pages, the reader only sees her back, as she lies facing a wall in a civil servant’s bungalow in north India. She leaves the house with her daughter and travels to Pakistan, where she searches for her ex-husband in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It explores issues of harassment, violence, and exploitation of women during the 1947 partition of India. Critics say that the novel questions women’s freedom of choice and what it means to be a feminist.

The novel invents language, gives voice to inanimate objects and birds, and the original version has passages from Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Sanskrit, and English.

Manoj Bajpayee: The Definitive Biography by Piyush Pandey

I reviewed this book in April 2024. It was originally written in Hindi, Kuch Paane ki Zid, and the English translation has been done by Rohit Vats. Both, Pandey and Vats, are journalists.

While the narrative loses steam at many places, but the aura of Bajpayee, a contemporary and brilliant actor, makes up for loss of trail. There are interesting bits about his journey, his persona, never-say-die attitude and using all empty periods to regain strength and come back stronger are interesting. Of course, his recent series, The Family Man, also keeps him in the news, as do many of his dialogues.

You can read more about it here.

These four books are just a taste of the incredible world of translated literature waiting to be explored. Have you ever read a translated book that left a lasting impression? Share your recommendations in the comments below!

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘BookishCafeBloghop2024’ hosted by Rakhi Jayashankar and Samata Dey Bose (prompt: translated books)