Walk into any bookshop in mainland Europe and you are sure to find shelves stacked with literature from all over the world. Stroll into any high street bookshop in the UK, however, and your choices will be somewhat more limited. Forget Ian McEwan, Hilary Mantel and William Boyd, let's make space for Marie Darrieussecq, Javier Marías and Jenny Erpenbeck …
I've just read Marías' All Souls, which combines wit and satire in retelling the author's experiences as a teacher in Oxford. Offering a Spanish perspective on the antiquated, often-beguiling rituals of dons and high-table dinners, this novel put a smile on my face.
Any more suggestions of novels in translation?
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