Yesterday the University of Rochester announced the finalists for its 2010 fiction translation award on its site, Three Percent (named for the percentage of books published in the U.S. each year that are translations). The contest, like the site, hopes to inspire greater support for works in translation, with the idea that "reading literature from other countries is vital to maintaining a vibrant book culture and to increasing the exchange of ideas among cultures."
The list came at a good time for me personally, as some emails from a Saudi reader have recently reminded me of my intention to read more books from beyond the English-speaking world. Whether or not you've made a similar resolution, you might heed judge Scott Eposito's suggestion " . . . to give at least one of these titles a shot and see if [you] aren't refreshed and inspired by reading beyond our language's borders."
I spent some time today choosing a few books from the list to read and would welcome other suggestions. If you have a recommendation for a book in translation -- or a book that should be translated to English -- please share below.
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