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engage

the best writers you

never heard of

we miss out on the work of most of the

world’s writers. here are three ways

to catch up. by abel delgado

the world is full of great writers, but you probably

never heard of most of them. that’s because of

all the books published in the united states each

year, only three percent are translations from

foreign languages. here are three masterful authors

from the three percent whose work is well worth

considering.

J.M.G. LE CLÉZIO. winner of the nobel prize in

literature in 2008, le clézio favors a clear prose

style that lushly celebrates nature and details

colonialism’s injustices.

Top picks: Wandering Star, which unfolds twin stories of two

refugees during and after world war ii, one Jewish and one

palestinian; Desert, about a moroccan girl who emigrates to france

during the early 20th century and the challenges she faces in trying

to survive; The Prospector, which focuses on a man seeking

treasure in the remote islands of the indian ocean

LYUDMILA ULITSKAYA. her elegant prose furthers russian

literature’s realist tradition, with compelling characters that suffer

through both family problems and the oppressive regime of the

former soviet union. she’s a master of crisp dialogue and colorfully

drawn descriptions of her characters’ worlds.

Top picks: The Funeral, a poignantly funny story about a russian

immigrant in new york city who is juggling complex relationships

with his wife, his lovers and a girl who’s possibly his daughter, all

from his deathbed; Medea and Her Children, a multigenerational

saga about the matriarch of a crimean family that offers fascinating

glimpses into life before and after the soviet era

tROBERTO BOLAÑO. this chilean poet-turned-novelist

is known for wild novels that defy conventional structure,

interrupting the plot’s progress to suddenly switch to oral

histories or abruptly changing focus to the perspectives of

new characters seemingly unrelated to previous ones. Bolaño’s

works explore youth, literature, the role of art in our lives and

violence, all within the framework of latin american culture.

Top picks: The Savage Detectives, a riotous, sprawling work

about two young writers searching for an obscure poetry icon;

2666, a five-part novel that integrates literary obsession and

pretensions with the murders of young women in the fictional

town of santa teresa; The Skating Rink, in which Bolaño twists

the conventions of the crime novel to reveal a deep emotional

core rarely seen in the genre