Top Foreign Fiction of 2008

Pair of Spanish-language works highlight NPR list
By Doug Sweeney,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 2, 2008 4:40 PM CST
Top Foreign Fiction of 2008
As cores da lei   (©Ricardo)

Of 340 new works of foreign fiction and poetry translated for US audiences this year, NPR has culled five of the best into a list:

  • Senselessness, by Horacio Castellanos Moya: A Latin American freelance writer is hired by the Catholic Church to edit sinister documents in this compact dark comedy.

  • Kieron Smith, boy, by James Kelman: This tale of a Scottish boy and his difficulties growing up is authentic and endearing.
  • 2666, by Roberto Bolaño: This late author's novel, which centers on atrocities against women in a Mexican city, is among year's best works in any language.
  • Metropole, by Ferenc Karinthy: A linguist finds himself in a strange city and endeavors to find his way home in this Hungarian work.
  • The Lost Daughter, by Elena Ferrante: A mother struggles with not loving her children in this Italian novel.
(More fiction stories.)

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