29 August 2006

Our journey so far...

World Book Group Edinburgh, first UNESCO World City of Literature

See our interview at "http://www.readingbooksguide.com/"
Country - Book - Author

Italy - Italian journey - JW von Goethe
Austria - Setting free the bears - John Irving
Germany - Perfume - Patrick Süskind
Poland - In my father’s court - Isaac Bashevis Singer
Czech Republic/Slovakia - Closely observed trains - Bohumil Hrabal
Hungary - Embers - Sándor Márai
Ukraine - Diary of a madman and other stories - Nikolai Gogol
Romania - The land of green plums - Herta Müller
Serbia - The dawning - Milka Bajić Poderegin
Albania - Broken April - Ismail Kadare
Greece - Uncle Petros and the Goldbach Conjecture - Apostolos Doxiadis
Turkey - The other side of the mountain - Erendiz Atasü
Syria - Just like a river - Muhammad Kamil al-Khatib
Lebanon - The rock of Tanios - Amin Maalouf
Israel - The blue mountain - Meir Shalev
Palestine - The secret life of Saeed - Emile Habiby
Egypt - Beer in the snooker hall - Waguih Ghali
Libya - The bleeding of the stone - Ibrahim al-Koni
Tunisia - Wounding words - Evelyne Accad
Algeria - The last summer of reason - Tahar Djaout
Morocco - Welcome to Paradise - Mahi Binebine
Senegal - God’s bits of wood - Sembene Ousmane
The Gambia – Chaff on the wind – Ebou Dibba
Guinea - The radiance of the king - Camara Laye
Sierra Leone – Sunset in Sierra Leone – Michael Nicolas Wundah
Ivory Coast - Waiting for the wild beasts to vote - Ahmadou Kourouma
Ghana – The beautyful ones are not yet born – Ayi Kwei Armah
Nigeria - Anthills of the savannah - Chinua Achebe
Cameroon - Houseboy - Ferdinand Oyono
Gabon - Mema - Daniel Mengara
Congo - A bend in the river - VS Naipaul
Angola - The return of the water spirit - Pepetela
Namibia - The purple violet of Oshaantu - Neshani Andreas
Botswana - Maru - Bessie Head
South Africa - The House Gun - Nadine Gordimer
Mozambique - Under the Frangipani - Mia Couto
Zimbabwe - Harvest of Thorns - Shimmer Chinodya
Zambia - A Cowrie of Hope - Binwell Sinyangwe
Malawi - Smouldering charcoal - Tiyambe Zeleza
Tanzania - By the Sea - Abdulrazak Gurnah
Rwanda - The Oldest Orphan - Tierno Monénembo
Uganda - Abyssinian Chronicles - Moses Isegawa
Kenya - Devil on the Cross - Ngungi wa Thiong’o
Somalia - From a crooked rib - Nuruddin Farah
Ethiopia - The god who begat a jackal - Nega Mezlekia
Sudan - The translator - Leila Aboulela
Yemen - The hostage - Zayd Mutee’ Dammaj
Saudi Arabia - Adama - Turki Al-Hamad
Jordan - Pillars of Salt - Fadia Faqir
Iraq - Naphtalene - Alia Mamdouh
Iran - Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi
Uzbekistan - The Railway - Hamid Ismailov
Afghanistan - The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Pakistan - Kartography - Kamila Shamsie
India - The God of small things - Arundhati Roy
Bangladesh – A Golden Age – Tahmima Anam
Sri Lanka - The Sandglass - Romesh Gunesekera
Myanmar - Not out of hate - Ma Ma Lay
Malaysia - The rice mother - Rani Manicka
Indonesia - This Earth of Mankind - Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Vietnam - Memories of a pure spring - Duong Thu Huong
Philippines – Noli me tangere – José Rizal
Taiwan - Wintry night - Li Qiao
China - Red sorghum - Mo Yan
Russia - A hero of our time - Mikail Lermontov
Korea - Translations of beauty - Mia Yun
Japan - The waiting years - Fumiko Enchi
Australia - Rabbit-proof fence - Nugi Garimara (Doris Pilkington)
New Zealand - The bone people - Keri Hulme
Tahiti - Frangipani - Celestine Hitiura-Vaite
Samoa - They who do not grieve - Sia Figiel
Canada - House made of dawn - N Scott Momaday
USA - Fools Crow - James Welch
Ecuador - The Villagers (Huasipungo) - Jorge Icaza
Peru - Conversation in The Cathedral - Mario Vargas Llosa
Chile - Daughter of Fortune - Isabel Allende
Bolivia - The matter of desire - Edmundo Paz Soldan
Paraguay - I The Supreme - Augusto Roa Bastos
Argentina - The Winners - Julio Cortazar
Uruguay - The Book of Embraces - Eduardo Galeano
Brazil - Gabriella: Clove and Cinnamon - Jorge Amado
Guyana - Buxton Spice - Oonya Kempadoo
Venezuela – Doña Inés versus Oblivion – Ana Teresa Torres
Colombia – Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Costa Rica – Assault on Paradise – Tatiana Lobo
Nicaragua – The Lost Chronicles of Terra Firma – Rosario Aguilar
Honduras – Never Through Miami – Roberto Quesada
El Salvador – One day of life – Manlio Argueta
Guatemala – Rattlesnake – Arturo Arias
Belize – Time and the river – Zee Edgell
Mexico – The day of the moon – Graciela Limón
Cayman Islands – Far Tortuga – Peter Matthiessen
Jamaica – Homestretch – Velma Pollard
Cuba – View of dawn in the tropics – G Cabrera Infante
Haiti – The farming of bones – Edwidge Danticat
Dominican Republic – In the time of the butterflies – Julia Alvarez
Puerto Rico – The house on the lagoon – Rosario Ferré
Antigua – Lucy – Jamaica Kincaid
Guadeloupe – Tree of life – Maryse Condé
Dominica – Wide Sargasso Sea – Jean Rhys
Martinique – Texaco – Patrick Chamoiseau
Barbados – In the castle of my skin – George Lamming
Grenada – Under the silk cotton tree – Jean Buffong
Trinidad – In the heat of the day – Michael Anthony
Iceland – The fish can sing – Halldór Laxness
Norway – Out stealing horses – Per Petterson
Sweden – Hanna’s Daughters – Marianne Fredrickson
Finland – The howling miller – Arto Paasilinna
Estonia – The Czar’s madman – Jaan Kross
Latvia – Red weather – Pauls Toutonghi
Lithuania – Stalemate – Icchokas Meras
Denmark – An altered light – Jens Christian Grøndahl
Netherlands – The twin – Gerbrand Bakker
Belgium – The sorrow of Belgium – Hugo Claus
France – Jean de Florette – Marcel Pagnol
Spain – The accordionist’s son – Bernardo Atxaga
Portugal – All the names - Jose Saramago
Switzerland – Night train to Lisbon – Pascal Mercier
Italy - The Leopard – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Roma people – Stone cradle – Louise Doughty

07 August 2006

These are the books we've liked best so far....

World Book Group Edinburgh, first UNESCO World City of Literature Rank - Country - Author - Title - Score 1. New Zealand – Keri Hulme – The bone people – 8.7 2. Iran – Khaled Hosseini – The kite runner – 8.5 2. Dominican Republic – Julia Alvarez – In the time of the butterflies – 8.5 2. Norway – Per Petterson – Out stealing horses – 8.5 5. Albania – Ismail Kadare – Broken April – 8.4 5. Sudan – Leila Aboulela – The translator – 8.4 5. USA – James Welch – Fools Crow – 8.4 5. Mexico – Graciela Limón – The day of the moon – 8.4 9. Spain – Bernardo Atxaga – The accordionist’s son – 8.33 10. Nigeria – Chinua Achebe – Anthills of the savannah – 8.3 11. Sweden – Marianne Fredriksson – Hanna’s daughters – 8.25 12. France – Marcel Pagnol – Jean de Florette – 8.17 13. Tanzania – Abdulrazak Gurnah – By the sea - 8.1 13. Japan – Fumiko Enchi – The waiting years – 8.1 15. Libya – Ibrahim al-Koni – The bleeding of the stone – 8.0 15. Russia – Mikhail Lermentov – A hero of our time – 8.0 15. Germany – Patrick Susskind – Perfume – 8.0 18. Roma – Louise Doughty – Stone Cradle 7.91 19. Israel – Meir Shalev – Blue mountain – 7.9 19. Zimbabwe – Shimmer Chinodya – Harvest of thorns – 7.9 21. Czechoslovakia – Bohumil Hrabal – Closely observed trains – 7.8