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Open Letters Review

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Open Letters Review

Open Letters Review

An Arts & Literature Review

Open Letters Review

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September 01, 2023

Theoderic the Great by Hans-Ulrich Wiemer

September 01, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
Theoderic the Great by Hans-Ulrich Wiemer

A masterful new biography of the storied Theoderic the Great.

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September 01, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
History, Nonfiction Translations
Theoderic the Great: King of the Goths, Hans-Ulrich Wiemer, Theoderic, Ostrogoths, Roman history, history, biography, ancient biography, Steve Donoghue, 2023
April 19, 2023

Ninth Building by Zou Jingzhi

April 19, 2023/ Kiran Gill
Ninth Building by Zou Jingzhi

The Cultural Revolution looms large in Zou Jingzhi’s newly-translated novel.

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April 19, 2023/ Kiran Gill/
Nonfiction Translations, Biography/Memoir
Ninth Building, Zou Jingzhi, Jeremy Taing, fiction, contemporary fiction, literature in translation, Kiran Gill, 2023
January 25, 2023

Daodejing by Laozi, translated by Brook Ziporyn

January 25, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
Daodejing by Laozi, translated by Brook Ziporyn

An innovative new translation of one of the most-translated books in the world.

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January 25, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Nonfiction Translations, Philosophy
Daodejing, Tao Te Ching, Laozi, Lao Tzu, Eastern philosophy, translated literature, Brook Ziporyn, Steve Donoghue, 2023
August 30, 2022

A Woman's Battles and Transformations by Édouard Louis

August 30, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
A Woman's Battles and Transformations by Édouard Louis

A brief memoir from the author of “The End of Eddy.”

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August 30, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
Nonfiction Translations, Biography/Memoir
A Woman's Battles and Transformations, Édouard Louis, memoir, French literature, Tash Aw, French translation, Steve Donoghue
August 26, 2022

In Hitler's Munich by Michael Brenner

August 26, 2022/ James Holder
In Hitler's Munich by Michael Brenner

A new study of the harrowing rise of the Nazis in the cultured city of Munich.

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August 26, 2022/ James Holder/
History, Nonfiction Translations
In Hitler's Munich, The Rise of Nazism, Michael Brenner, Jeremiah Riemer, Nazi history, Munich, James Holder, translations
April 30, 2022

M: Son of the Century by Antonio Scurati

April 30, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
M: Son of the Century by Antonio Scurati

The bestselling Italian novel about Benito Mussolini gets a sterling English-language translation.

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April 30, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
History, Nonfiction Translations
M: Son of the Century, Antonio Scurati, Anne Milano Appel, fiction, historical fiction, literature in translation, Mussolini, Steve Donoghue
April 20, 2022

Stalking the Atomic City by Markiyan Kamysh

April 20, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
Stalking the Atomic City by Markiyan Kamysh

A Ukrainian writer periodically vacations in the abandoned Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

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April 20, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
Nonfiction Translations
Markiyan Kamysh, Stalking the Atomic City, Hanna Leliv, Reilly Costigan-Humes, Chernobyl, Ukraine, Steve Donoghue
April 23, 2021

Genesis by Guido Tonelli

April 23, 2021/ Steve Donoghue
Genesis by Guido Tonelli

Particle physicist Guido Tonelli writes about the first fraction of a second of our universe.

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April 23, 2021/ Steve Donoghue/
Nonfiction Translations, Science/Technology
Genesis, Guido Tonelli, Erica Segre, Simon Carnell, particle physics, cosmology, science, evolution, translations, Italian translation
March 22, 2021

Four Plays by Aristophanes

March 22, 2021/ Steve Donoghue
Four Plays by Aristophanes

Four great comedies by Aristophanes get a lively new translation.

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March 22, 2021/ Steve Donoghue/
Classic Literature, Nonfiction Translations
Aaron Poochigian, Aristophanes, Greek Literature, classic literature, Steve Donoghue, translations, Greek history, Greek translations, classical drama, performing arts
January 19, 2021

Hello, Habits by Fumio Sasaki

January 19, 2021/ Steve Donoghue
Hello, Habits by Fumio Sasaki

A celebrated minimalist describes how to re-wire your brain.

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January 19, 2021/ Steve Donoghue/
Nonfiction Translations, Society & Culture
Fumio Sasaki, Eriko Sugita, translations, Japanese Translation, minimalism, Steve Donoghue
October 27, 2020

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers - Horace & Seneca

October 27, 2020/ Steve Donoghue
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers - Horace & Seneca

New considerations of the modern-day relevance of ancient Roman writers Seneca and Horace.

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October 27, 2020/ Steve Donoghue/
Classic Literature, Philosophy, Nonfiction Translations
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers, Horace, Seneca, Stephen Harrison, James Romm, classics, Steve Donoghue, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, philosophy
August 25, 2020

Last Witnesses by Svetlana Alexievich

August 25, 2020/ Jennifer Helinek
Last Witnesses by Svetlana Alexievich

Svetlana Alexievich interviews 100 people who were children during the Second World War and relates their stories.

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August 25, 2020/ Jennifer Helinek/
History, Nonfiction Translations
Svetlana Alexievich, World War II, history, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky, European history, translations, Russia, Russian translations, Jennifer Helinek
January 09, 2020

The Magical Language of Others by E. J. Koh

January 09, 2020/ Olive Fellows
The Magical Language of Others by E. J. Koh

A cache of letters is at the heart of this multi-generational memoir about a Korean family.

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January 09, 2020/ Olive Fellows/
Biography/Memoir, Nonfiction Translations
E. J. Koh, Tin House Books, memoir, Korean translation, Olive Fellows
November 21, 2019

Parade by Hiromi Kawakami

November 21, 2019/ Bailey Trela
Parade by Hiromi Kawakami

You don’t really need to be aware that Parade is a loose sequel to Kawakami’s previous novel, 2017’s Strange Weather in Tokyo.

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November 21, 2019/ Bailey Trela/
Nonfiction Translations
Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell, Soft Skull Press, Bailey Trela, translations
October 21, 2019

Dogs by Mark Alizart

October 21, 2019/ Steve Donoghue
Dogs by Mark Alizart

Monoglot dog lovers can now spend an hour basking in Alizart’s singularly Gallic combination of eloquence and hooey.

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October 21, 2019/ Steve Donoghue/
Nonfiction Translations, Animals & Nature
dogs, Mark Alizart, Robin McKay, French translation, nonfiction, Steve Donoghue
October 12, 2019

The Successor by Willemijn Van Dijk

October 12, 2019/ Steve Donoghue
The Successor by Willemijn Van Dijk

An account of Tiberius’ life before his reign that is about as full as it can be given the sources we have.

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October 12, 2019/ Steve Donoghue/
Biography/Memoir, Nonfiction Translations
Willemijn Van Dijk, Kathleen Brandt-Carey, Baylor University Press, Dutch translation, nonfiction, biography, Roman history, Steve Donoghue, translations
May 14, 2019

Birthday by César Aira

May 14, 2019/ Bailey Trela
Birthday by César Aira

Aira’s lack of a larger schema ultimately makes Birthday an unsatisfying venture.

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May 14, 2019/ Bailey Trela/
Literary Fiction, Nonfiction Translations
Cesar Aira, memoir, New Direction Publishing, translations
April 25, 2019

The War for Gaul translated by James O'Donnell

April 25, 2019/ Steve Donoghue
The War for Gaul translated by James O'Donnell

A fluid, confessional thing unlike any other English-language Caesar.

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April 25, 2019/ Steve Donoghue/
History, Nonfiction Translations
Julius Caesar, James O'Donnell, Roman history, translations
March 14, 2019

How Attention Works by Stefan Van Der Stigchel

March 14, 2019/ Steve Donoghue
How Attention Works by Stefan Van Der Stigchel

This study covers an enormous amount of research in only a little more than 100 pages.

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March 14, 2019/ Steve Donoghue/
Nonfiction Translations, Health & Psychology
Stefan Van Der Stigchel, Danny Guinan, The MIT Press, social media, the internet, psychology, Steve Donoghue, translations
March 11, 2019

The Life of Leonardo da Vinci by Giorgio Vasari

March 11, 2019/ Steve Donoghue
The Life of Leonardo da Vinci by Giorgio Vasari

Enjoy this unexpected treat: a new stand-alone translation of the 40-page biography of Leonardo by Florentine artist and architect Giorgio Vasari.

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March 11, 2019/ Steve Donoghue/
Biography/Memoir, Nonfiction Translations, Art & Music
Giorgio Vasari, Martin Kemp, Lucy Russell, Thames & Hudson, Leonardo Da Vinci, translations
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Editors:

Steve Donoghue
Sam Sacks
Britta Böhler
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Eric Karl Anderson
Olive Fellows
Jack Hanson
Jennifer Helinek
Justin Hickey
Hannah Joyner
Zach Rabiroff
Jessica Tvordi

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