Translations in the US market - more details
Two months ago Alison Flood wondered whether Muriel Barbery's French bestseller The Elegance of the Hedgehog was Too spiky for British readers ?, and now Cynthia Crossen considers the same title as she 'wonders why more European novels don't make the l...

Ivan Klima on '68 - more details
Eurozine reprints Ivan Klima piece on 'a rebellion against censorship' in 1967 and the role of the Czech literary weekly Literarni noviny, in Seeds of spring.

Le Clezio backlash ? - more details
In the TLS Adrian Tahourdin has a fun look at: Le Clezio, le backlash.

Michael Crichton (1942-2008) - more details
As widely reported, Michael Crichton has passed away.

Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa - more details
They awarded the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa on Sunday, with Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu's Zahrah the Windseeker beating out Uzodinma Iweala's Beast of No Nation.

Election day reading - more details
At The New York Review of Books quite a few writers consider A Fateful Election, while Granta (online) has some interesting contributions for its US Election Special.

Kundera support - more details
Eleven heavyweights -- well, a number of heavyweights and a few others -- have signed a decleration in support of Milan Kundera regarding the charges that he essentially handed someone over to the Czech authorities over half a century ago.

Le Clezio in the US - more details
Rachel Deahl reports that S and S Strikes New Le Clezio Deal in Publishers Weekly.

Qin Qiang wins Mao Dun Prize - more details
As, for example, the Beijing Review reports, Jia Pingwa's Qin Qiang Wins Mao Dun Prize , one of the most prestigious Chinese literary awards.

November Open Letters Monthly - more details
Always worth a look, the November issue of Open Letters Monthly is now available.