Can you believe it? Considering the contribution France makes to the coffers of world literature every year, it’s statistically improbable to carry on this way. In the dozen years they’ve been handing out BTBAs, not once has the prize gone to a French-language original. I can, however, present you with some external factors that might sway you toward my point of view.įirst off, Disoriental is translated from French. whereupon I interrupt and say, look, as with any artistic decision, subjective criteria ultimately play a determinative role and there’s not much else I can do to convince you of the intrinsic merit of this book. To which you say, why should I believe you. To which I say, true, but this one is the best. Trust me when I say it’s a hell of a good book.īut James, you say, there are a hell of a lot of hellaciously good books on this year’s BTBA longlist. It has the scope to encompass ancient Persian history, Tehranian politics during the revolution, and the contemporary punk-rock vie bohème in Paris.

The story is told by Kimiâ, a young woman occupying a chair in a fertility clinic waiting room (under false pretenses) and reminiscing about the lifelong journey that has brought her from Iran to France and ultimately to a crucial decision about her future. It’s a novel of expatriation and assimilation, of traditional families put asunder and new ones under construction. It’s Disoriental by Négar Djavadi, translated by Tina Kover, published by Europa Editions. So I’m here to tell you which is this year’s Best Translated Book. Only retired Triple Crown thoroughbreds have a better gig than that. We don’t have to read all 400+ eligible works of fiction but occasionally we get asked to give our opinions about the longlisted titles anyway, like I’m doing now. The only thing better than being a BTBA judge (or is it jurist?) is being a BTBA judge (or jurist) emeritus. His writing about literature appears on Three Percent, Full Stop, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association blog, and elsewhere on the web.ĭisoriental by Négar Djavadi, translated from the French by Tina Kover (Iran, Europa Editions) James Crossley has stood behind the counter of one independent bookstore or another for more than fifteen years and is currently the manager of brand-new Madison Books in Seattle. Check in daily for new Why This Book Should Win posts covering all thirty-five titles longlisted for the 2019 Best Translated Book Awards.

Disoriental book