Stories about Literature
Interview with Ukraine's most translated author, Russophone novelist Andrei Kurkov
Global Voices interviewed Andrei Kurkov, one of Ukraine's most prolific and translated authors, who writes his novels in Russian and his non-fiction in Ukrainian.
The Loneliest Monument — how activists in Armenia are trying to draw attention to the victims of Soviet repression
Like the history of the Soviet repressions itself, this Cascade Memorial remains largely neglected, which is something a handful of Armenians are now trying to change.
The dreams of Saudi human rights defender Loujain Al-Hathloul in a children’s book
In the story, little Loujain yearns to fly with her wings, but only boys had that right. Despite hardship, her family supports her dream, making her an inspiring heroine.
Russian diplomats react to a new law on language in Kyrgyzstan, bringing back colonial past
The Kyrgyz language is an integral part of national identity. It is vital for the survival of Kyrgyz people as a separate ethnic group and Kyrgyzstan as a nation.
A 1961 Senegalese novel shows the enduring wealth of African literature
Cheikh Hamidou Kane's novels are penetrating explorations of the deep-seated unease within Africa's intellectual class amid French colonization — still relevant today
The future of Ukrainian New York
A frontline town in eastern Ukraine restored its historic name and gained fame in 2021. Now, activists and supporters are trying to preserve what they can after losing their home and friends.
Some authors are gone, others are still writing, but Caribbean literature endures
"[A]s Peepal Tree Press publishes Rahim’s posthumous novel, [it is] pronounced among “best Caribbean novels,” tackling questions of “society and personal being asked by great novelists from Eliot to Lovelace.”
Death and defiance in a historic Ukrainian city after a Russian rocket strike
Ten people were killed and 42 wounded in Lviv, a city packed with tourists, civilian volunteers, and those fleeing the Russian occupation of the Ukrainian east and south.
In Uzbekistan, literary house museums are also monuments to interior design
In Uzbekistan, famous writers’ houses are also monuments to traditional Uzbek interior architecture that can be visited and inspire Uzbeks when decorating their homes.
In a first for Jamaica, Kwame McPherson is selected overall winner of the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
McPherson's winning story, "Ocoee," is based upon historical events, taking its name from the Florida town that was the site of a horrible racially motivated attack in 1920.
A Trinidad & Tobago bookstore carrying a LGBTQ+ themed children's book causes both outrage and inspiration online
A book about identity and acceptance has found itself at the core of a discussion that some believe is about the need to protect the country's children.
Tajikistan's government adds another colossal building to its tally
Tajikistan building all these buildings is all the more striking given the fact that it is the poorest country in Central Asia.
Can poetry in translation reimagine a free Belarusian–Ukrainian bridge?
Belarus is a victim of and a tool for Russia in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Can poetry and translation establish a fragile bridge between Ukraine and free Belarusians?
Kazakhstan is still haunted by Soviet-era political repression and famine
Kazakhstan is still grappling with the past tragedies and processing its national trauma.
How I ended up despising my mother tongue in Ukraine
Attempts to explain our position to war supporters in Russia failed in the first months of 2022, and using Russian now evokes the trauma of that total non-understanding and aggressive denial.
Hadda Ouakki: The enchanting Amazigh voice that moved the Atlas Mountains and soothed the Atlantic Ocean
Hadda's unwavering commitment to art, despite personal sacrifices, showcased her remarkable ability to harness and modulate her voice in a time when sound effects were still unfamiliar.
‘The task of achieving transitional justice in Taiwan remains unfinished': Interview with writer C.J. Anderson-Wu
Taiwanese translator turned anglophone writer C. J. Anderson-Wu explains in an interview how the need to convey Taiwan's experience of military dictatorship made her pick English as a creative language.
The books Hong Kong is purging from public libraries
In the latest round of removal, in addition to political satires, titles by civil society figures, politicians, and humanity scholars also disappeared.
Interview with the author of “The Fugitive of Gezi Park”
Ten years ago, a group of environmentalists gathered at Istanbul's Gezi Park resisting the demolition of one of the remaining green spaces in the heart of this cosmopolitan city.
Who will this generation be after the war in Ukraine?
I never cared about politics. And now I am 37, I have a bunch of written books under my belt, also translations, depression, and a gun.
‘Central Asian literature exists regionally only in Russian': Interview with Russophone Uyghur writer Ramil Niyazov-Adyldzhyan
While the majority of Uyghur people live in China, a large Uyghur diaspora lives in Central Asia, including in Kazakhstan, where they are freer to express themselves.