What's a young history buff to do? In the magazine Words Without Borders, literary translator Ruth Ahmedzai Kempexplains the dilemma:
For young people interested in world history, school curricula and the diet of readily available historical fiction can be disappointingly local in focus. . . .
When we bring into the mix literature in translation from other languages—and #ownvoices authors writing from different narrative traditions—we open up our horizons to new and sometimes surprising perspectives on global historical events . . . [MORE]
Her recommendations include work from Africa, Bangladesh, and the Palestinian Territory. Other books, from Japan and South Korea, make good compliments to the free online collections on WWB Campus!
Looking for something unusual to introduce to students this Halloween? How about a no-face ghost, a grandmother-golem, or a murderous pack of zombies? Below, you'll find stories and poems featuring the ghosts of Japan, the all-too-real human monsters of Stalin-era Russia, and many other uncanny characters.
In a video interview with WWB, Suzanne Dracius explains that her poem "Women's Fantasies" came out of some frustration with traditional depictions of women's identities and experiences of love:
Two street signs in Puerto Rico: "Paseo De La Princesa" & "No Entre." By Gabriela Maldonado (cropped.) License: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Set among Puerto Rican teens dealing with friendships, bullying, and gender identity, Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro's short story "Bruises" offers an unflinching, yet deeply sympathetic, look at growing up. The story is available bilingually, making it especially relevant to Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month, and Lawrence Schimel's translation preserves some of the original Spanish.
Pizarro's protagonist, Elena, is an unforgettable character equally capable of dreaming about her classmate Johana, taking part in a beat-down of a boy, and obsessing over her burgeoning chin-hairs. In a pivotal scene, the boy Elena once bullied offers her some timely advice:
