A timely and interesting article from The Wall Street Journal about an Iraqi author who has found a way to get published–in translation–even though he’s been practically shut out of publishing in his native language.
Though his stories have been published in Italian, Spanish, Polish and Finnish, Mr. Blasim says he has struggled to reach an Arabic-speaking audience. Arabic publishers and critics have dismissed Mr. Blasim’s work on account of his often crude language and his graphic depictions of sex and violence, and because his stories often deal with heretical, atheistic ideas, Mr. Blasim says. A heavily edited Arabic volume of his stories was published in 2012 in Jordan, but was immediately banned.
Most people are published first in their native language and then translated later, making Hassan Blasim’s case an unusual one. I liked the idea of finding “literary asylum in English translation” because although it’s well known that the American market is not always friendly to translated works, this is a great instance of a book that really adds something to the U.S. literary landscape.
‘The Corpse Exhibition” by Hassan Blasim, published by Penguin. Translated into English by British journalist and translator Jonathan Wright.
French and the city 