The Mookse and the Gripes discussion

I can drop Carolina and Sam a note and see what they say

I'd quite like to renew my subscription which I'd happily do books unseen, but that option isn't available either.

Just heard back from Sam - they are hopeful they will be able to make some announcements next week.

Thanks, and great!

Gumble's Yard wrote: "Just heard back from Sam - they are hopeful they will be able to make some announcements next week."

Fantastic!!! I promised I would buy a bundle for 2021

New list out Friday

Any guesses?

We discussed before whether anything from Cuba on the way - I'm expecting to see Habana año cero by Karla Suárez in Christina MacSweeney's translation

Would be great if Precoz was on the list

And fingers crossed (but probably unlikely as only written in 2019) for Leyden Ltd.

Gumble's Yard wrote: "Just heard back from Sam - they are hopeful they will be able to make some announcements next week."

Good news. My wife says this can be my Christmas present - the gift that lasts all year!

Book subscriptions are great gift, you can give her a thank you and kiss every month for a year!
My son gave me the 12 month Open Letter subscription last year.

Just announced:

You’ll receive seven titles in total, including our first Cuban author (Karla Suárez), short stories from Argentina (Federico Falco), our first crime novel (Claudia Piñeiro), two prominent and exciting Uruguayan authors (Fernanda Trias & Ida Vitale), the next instalment of Julián Fuks’s explosive trilogy and a new book from Selva Almada.

The best contemporary fiction from Latin America, matched with the finest translators across the world. Each title will be shipped directly to you on, but usually before, the official release date.

With the 2021 Bundle you will receive:

Havana Year Zero by Karla Suárez, translated by Christina MacSweeney
Habana año cero

A Perfect Cemetery by Federico Falco, translated by Jennifer Croft
Un cementerio perfecto

Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro, translated by Frances Riddle
Elena sabe

Occupation by Julián Fuks, translated by Daniel Hahn
A Ocupação

Brickmakers by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott
Ladrilleros

Rooftop by Fernanda Trías, translated by Annie McDermott
La azotea

Byobu by Ida Vitale, translated by Sean Manning
El ABC de Byobu

Sold!!

(The Goodreads links are my guesses/deductions)

Looks like a great line-up! Love Charco and their fabulous customer service.

Nice idea - pairings of Charco books and wines https://www.smithandgertrude.com/sg-h...

(although wouldn't it have been more sensible to have matched countries and books a bit better - the Chilean wine is against an Argentinian book and an Argentinian wine vs a Mexican book)

FYI, the 21st Century Lit group is doing a group read of Charco's The Adventures of China Iron this month.

That’s clever. I’m not a wine drinker, but anything that sells books is positive. Now if they could match books to whiskey I’d be interested.

Charco had a book reviewed in the print version of the Sunday New York Times Book Review section yesterday--Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro. The review appeared originally online last month.

Here is a link to the review:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/13/bo...

Charco seems to be doing everything right, starting with the books they're publishing but that doesn't guarantee small press success as we know.

I was impressed by their newest book Occupation

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Although Portuguese readers on Goodreads seem less impressed - I think it depends on one's patience for literary navel gazing (even if the gazing involves some direct involvement with a protest movement)

As an aside I do notice the Goodreads grade inflation (4* = meh) is more prevalent in the Anglosphere - I tend to find for translated books the ratings from readers in the original are closer to what GR rankings are supposed to mean. Although that is an anecdotal not a statistically verified observation.

Did you read-read or skim-re-read Resistance first?

I had noted the same as you with other books but it also seems to be that a lot of the books translated are quite experimental - in English they are read by people who enjoy experimental (and also enjoy the idea of world literature and wider viewpoints and naturally make books up for that) whereas I have found a lot of the reviews in the original language are by more conventional readers. Again that’s purely anecdotal but from my use of Google translate the comments are often negative not just the rankings.

No i reread my review (which as usual is so quite heavy it counts as skim reading)

How could I reread the book? That would suggest a strange concept of keeping a book after one has read it??

To illustrate the local reader point. I put out a tweet with appreciation of the novel and the translator. And a Portuguese writer popped up on my timeline (no idea how he even saw the Tweet) to inform me the novel was rubbish and the translation a trivial task.

Does Occupation stand by itself or does one need to read Resistance first?

I think it largely stands my itself. Worth reading a synopsis of Resistance so one understand the set-up (militant parents who fled Argentina for Brazil).

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/ch...

Jennifer Croft, translator of Olga Tokarczuk, has written her own novel.

That came out in the US already I think, Charco have picked up for UK. Wonder if the Untranslated series will be part of the subscription?

The link you posted in the Fitzcarraldo thread had a link to the on-line book.

The Untranslated books will be part of the 2022 Bundle which will launch tomorrow - Tuesday 16th

https://charcopress.com/bookstore/202...

Thanks Robert: to expand

Tender by Ariana Harwicz, translated by Annie McDermott and Carolina Orloff

Never Did the Fire by Diamela Eltit, translated by Daniel Hahn

Catching Fire: A Translation Diary by Daniel Hahn (Untranslated series)

Homesick by Jennifer Croft (Untranslated series)

Here Be Icebergs by Katya Adaui, translated by Rosalind Harvey

The Forgery by Ave Barrera, translated by Robin Myers and Ellen Jones

Salt Crystals by Cristina Bendek, translated by Robin Myers

Dismantling (working title) by Sylvia Molloy, translated by Jennifer Croft

Great to see another Ariana Harwicz (albeit that one was well trailed)

Society of Authors translation prize shortlists just out - and impressively for the Spanish language award 3 out of 5 are Charco books

Just getting around to looking at the 2022 lineup. Looks really strong.

Has anyone else read Tender yet? Wow.

I have not received it yet.

I haven’t received it yet either. It sounds like I should be looking forward to it.

Especially as we gave the author her first English language prize recognition!

Actually I have been met the author with her publisher

I have already received it even though I live in Switzerland... However, I haven't read the other parts of the trilogy. Do you think I should start with the first part?

Well, you all have inspired me to make my first Charco purchase. I decided to go with A Musical Offering so I can finish reading last year’s RoC Prize shortlist.

That's a great choice Marc

David - it's a "involuntary trilogy" in thematic terms so I don't think order matters (that said I haven't Tender either so can't comment on whether that does bring it together more)

From my notes on Feebleminded which I think drew on interviews with the author:

An 'involuntary trilogy' as Harwicz did not conceive of the novels as related, and there is no continuity or overlap between them in terms of plot or characters, but the author felt herself repeatedly drawn back, as did one of her key influences Ágota Kristóf, to the same themes and setting. Each of the three novels is set in a darkly-drawn and suffocating French countryside, each revolves around a mother - a mother with a new born baby in Die My Love, a mother and her now adult daughter in Feebleminded, and a mother and son, turning into an adult, in Precoz - but in each case experiencing what Harwicz has called an 'asphyxiated motherhood.' And each concerns an obsession, and a self-destructive journey towards that obsession.

Harwicz was a tempting choice. Trying to read what I acquire this year before acquiring too many more. Appreciate the quick summaries, Paul, as David’s question made me curious, as well.

“Asphyxiated motherhood,” as opposed to? I’m joking, but there were days when it felt like I didn’t have time to catch my breath between one kid crisis and the next.

I still need to get Feebleminded and Tender sounds amazing.

I haven’t read Feebleminded and I don’t think that prevented my love of Tender. I have read Die, My Love.

Good to know. I’d like to read both, but I can start with Tender then.

Interesting hour long podcast with Sam from Charco Press (his part starts from 7m15s in) on the Chatting Lit Podcast

https://chattinglitpodcast.buzzsprout...

Thanks for your answers. I'll give it a try then!

Charco is running a 40% off sale that ends on Sunday. Bundles not included.

Any backlist titles I should pick up? I already have Harwicz and Fuks.

I think the two Luis Sagasti books are easily Charco's best but you may feel differently (they are also I think the least like Harwicz for example - much more playful and less transgressive and/or gritty than most Charco books).

I think for pretty well all the books you will find reviews on Goodreads (and probably close to the top reviews) from a few members of this group - Paul has for example reviewed them all in detail as they were published - so it might just be worth a quick flick through some reviews to get a feel for the different books.

I have noticed that this group is well represented in the Charco reviews. The Sagasti books have been on my radar as well as The Adventures of China Iron.

I didn't entirely like The Adventures of China Iron but it many respects it is very impressive, particularly in its ambition.

Yes reviews of all their titles, in order of publication, on my Charco shelf!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

The President's Room was good. And Selva Almada is interesting if you like Southern Gothic.

This is very helpful. I think I'll pick up the Sagasti and Almada books, and leave Camara for another day. I am fond of Southern Gothic but haven't read much of it recently. Brickmakers looks like it will be in the discussion for the IB.

Thanks for asking the question David and Paul for the link to his Charco shelf, as I too am wondering what I should buy (although I have zero need for more books on my shelves!). I will second Paul on The President's Room. I loved it, having bought it after one of the owners of another small press recommended it during an ROC zoom meeting with authors and their presses.