translations

Words Without Borders is releasing its first anthology. (Link from Laila Lalami.)

Words Without Borders is one of my favorite websites, even though I don't read it often enough. They translate literature from all over the world, and much of it is really beautiful. I love them because I love translated works - I like getting into the heads and lives of people who live life completely differently from the way I do, and I like the way that their languages takes them places that English wouldn't seem to. I find it sad that the American public don't get treated to enough translated works, and this makes up for it a little, when you are sick of reading whatever's on the New York Times bestseller list.

Actually, scratch that. I hardly ever read anything that's on the New York Times bestseller list. I love American literature, but at times I can find it stultifying, deadly dull, and overly self-conscious. Reading literature that's not originally in English can be really inspiring, for me, at least.