First 50
$350.00
by Open Letter
"I recommend an outfit called Open Letter Books. They are an institute recently founded at the University of Rochester for the study and advocacy of international translation."
—David Kipen, former Director of Literature and National Reading Initiatives, National Endowment for the Arts
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Open Letter Books at the University of Rochester is working directly with libraries and individuals to bring great works of international literature to the hands of as many readers as possible.
With direct support from the University of Rochester, Open Letter is now able to provide the complete catalog of our first 50 titles at a deep discount of about 60% off. That’s Open Letter’s first 50 books for only $350, including free shipping within the United States.
Fewer than 3% of books published in the U.S. are translated from another language. Open Letter—one of the only U.S. organizations with a commitment to cultivating an appreciation for international literature—is a nonprofit publisher dedicated to addressing this problem by connecting readers to great international books. The collection features:
- 50 books with content from over 30 countries;
- Classic, internationally renowned authors such as Marguerite Duras, Mercè Rodoreda, and Ilf & Petrov;
- Epic, award-winning works from contemporary authors such as Mikhail Shishkin, Can Xue, Arnon Grunberg, and Mathias Énard;
- Along with novels, the collection also includes several collections of short fiction, essays, poetry, and two anthologies;
- Some hardbound editions;
- Free shipping on all U.S. domestic orders, and discounted shipping for international orders;
- Click here to see/download a more detailed bibliographic list of all the books included in this offer;
- Are you a library or other institution and don't want to order by credit card? Click here to see alternate ways to order.
Here's a list of all the books included, with links to learn more about each one:
- High Tide by Inga Ābele (Latvia, trans. Kaija Straumanis)
- The Cyclist Conspiracy by Svetislav Basara (Serbia, trans. Randall A. Major)
- My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec (Argentina, trans. Margaret B. Carson)
- The Planets by Sergio Chejfec (Argentina, trans. Heather Cleary)
- The Smoke of Distant Fires by Eduardo Chirinos (Peru, trans. G. J. Racz)
- L'Amour by Marguerite Duras (France, trans. Kazim Ali & Libby Murphy)
- The Sailor from Gibraltar by Marguerite Duras (France, trans. Barbara Bray)
- Zone by Mathias Énard (France, trans. Charlotte Mandell)
- The Museum of Eterna’s Novel by Macedonio Fernández (Argentina, trans. Margaret Schwartz)
- The Taker & Other Stories Rubem Fonseca (Brazil, trans. Clifford Landers)
- Dark Times Filled with Light by Juan Gelman (Argentina, trans. Paul Pines)
- Tirza by Arnon Grunberg (The Netherlands, trans. Sam Garrett)
- A Short Tale of Shame by Angel Igov (Bulgaria, trans. Angela Rodel)
- The Golden Calf by Ilya Ilf & Evgeny Petrov (Russia, trans. Konstantin Gurevich & Helen Anderson)
- 18% Gray by Zachary Karabashliev (Bulgaria, trans. Angela Rodel)
- The Discoverer by Jan Kjærstad (Norway, trans. Barbara Haveland)
- Ergo by Jakov Lind (Austria, trans. Ralph Manheim)
- Landscape in Concrete by Jakov Lind (Austria, trans. Ralph Manheim)
- Klausen by Andreas Maier (Germany, trans. Kenneth J. Northcott)
- Gasoline by Quim Monzó (Catalonia, trans. Mary Ann Newman)
- Guadalajara by Quim Monzó (Catalonia, trans. Peter Bush)
- A Thousand Morons by Quim Monzó (Catalonia, trans. Peter Bush)
- Aracoeli by Elsa Morante (Italy, trans. William Weaver)
- When We Leave Each Other by Henrik Nordbrandt (Denmark, trans. Patrick Phillips)
- The Ambassador by Bragi Olafsson (Icelnad, trans. Lytton Smith)
- The Pets by Bragi Ólafsson (Iceland, trans. Janice Balfour)
- Children in Reindeer Woods by Kristín Ómarsdóttir (Iceland, trans. Lytton Smith)
- The Future Is Not Ours: New Latin American Fiction, ed. by Diego Trelles Paz (Latin America, trans. Janet Hendrickson)
- Rupert: A Confession by Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer (Netherlands, trans. Michele Hutchison)
- The Mighty Angel by Jerzy Pilch (Poland, trans. Bill Johnston)
- My First Suicide by Jerzy Pilch (Poland, trans. David Frick)
- A Thousand Peaceful Cities by Jerzy Pilch (Poland, trans. David Frick)
- Death in Spring by Mercè Rodoreda (Catalonia, trans. Martha Tennent)
- The Selected Stories of Mercè Rodoreda (Catalonia, trans. Martha Tennent)
- Thrown into Nature by Milen Ruskov (Bulgaria, trans. Angela Rodel)
- Scars by Juan José Saer (Argentina, trans. Steve Dolph)
- The Sixty-Five Years of Washington by Juan José Saer (Argentina, trans. Steve Dolph)
- Maidenhair by Mikhail Shishkin (Russia, trans. Marian Schwartz)
- Lodgings by Andrzej Sosnowski (Poland, trans. Benjamin Paloff)
- The Canvas by Benjamin Stein (Germany, trans. Brian Zumhagen)
- Karaoke Culture by Dubravka Ugresic (World, trans. David Williams)
- Nobody's Home by Dubravka Ugresic (World, trans. Ellen Elias-Bursac)
- The Guinea Pigs by Ludvík Vaculík (Czech Republic, trans. Kača Poláčková)
- Season of Ash by Jorge Volpi (Mexico, trans. Alfred MacAdam)
- The Book of Happenstance by Ingrid Winterbach (South Africa, trans. Dirk & Ingrid Winterbach)
- To Hell with Cronjé by Ingrid Winterbach (South Africa, trans. Elsa Silke)
- Two or Three Years Later by Ror Wolf (Germany, trans. Jennifer Marquart)
- The Wall in My Head: Words and Images from the Fall of the Iron Curtain, ed. by Words Without Borders (World, trans. various)
- Vertical Motion by Can Xue (China, trans. Karen Gernant & Chen Zeping)
- The Private Lives of Trees by Alejandro Zambra (Chile, trans. Megan McDowell)
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"A role of academic libraries is to provide ready access to international literature to foster broader cultural awareness, appreciation, and understanding. The publications of Open Letter remove the barrier of language that too often impedes multicultural understanding."
—Susan Gibbons, University Librarian at Yale University