An Excerpt from World Literature Today

In November 2016 — for the first time in the magazine’s 90-year history — the entire issue of World Literature Today is devoted to women writers, translators, and reviewers. Encompassing essays, fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and interviews spanning the globe, the assemblage of writers glimpses how an international, contemporary literary canon populated solely by women might look. The magazine’s review section also presents 34 books written and reviewed by women. In addition, the issue includes city profiles, reading lists, and global-culture features from female contributors. All told, the issue presents a “utopia of literary parity” from cover to cover. The following piece, titled “Translating Little Black Boxes,” is an excerpt from the issue. It is Kerri Pierce’s translator’s note for “Dreamwriter” by Gunnhild Øyehaug, which she translated from the Norwegian.

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By Scott Esposito

On October 10th, Scott Esposito released The Missing Books, a curated list of nearly 100 books that don’t exist. Esposito writes, for each entry, a short description of the book’s history — was it lost, abandoned, buried within another text? The list is divided into four categories: books that do not yet exist, books that come from other books, books that have been lost, and books that have been rediscovered. It is a living document which will be updated as needed. The following are excerpts from The Missing Books, the entirety of which is only available on Esposito’s website. Continue reading →