On Tuesday January 5^th, 2010, Three Percent, the online resource for international literature, announced the 2010 Best Translated Fiction Award longlist. The list, compiled by nine scholar-panelists, comprises 25 of the top-nominated international books that have been translated into English and published in the United States in the past 12 months. It includes authors from 24 different countries, writing in 17 different languages, and published by 15 different publishers.

Three Percent, launched in 2007 by the University of Rochester’s translation program and Open Letter Books, is a self-proclaimed “place for students to present their translations and reviews, as well as a place to cultivate the next generation of literary enthusiasts.” According to the site, only about 3% of all books published in the United States are works in translation - hence the origin of their name. However, that 3% figure includes all books in translation - in terms of literary fiction and poetry, the number is actually closer to 0.7%. The University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in literary translation studies.

The longlist, available here, was narrowed down on Tuesday, February 16^th, to a shortlist, containing the top ten fiction books in translation published this past year. Also on that day, Three Percent announced the ten titles in poetry nominated for the 2010 Best Translated Book Award in poetry. The ten fiction finalists can be found here, and the ten poetry finalists here. On Wednesday, March 10^th, 2010, the winning books in each of the two categories will be announced. Last year’s winners were the fiction novel Tranquility by Attila Bartis, translated from the Hungarian, and the book of poetry For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut by Takashi Hiraide, translated from the Japanese. The books were respectively published by Archipelago Books and New Directions.

Look at the list and you will notice that most of the titles included have been published by independent and, relatively small book publishers. Coincidence? Well, the simple answer may be that the care and interest that fuels the publishing of translated foreign language books is motivated by the desire to introduce great literature of the world to the English-speaking-and-reading public. This is a goal that does not often coincide with the interests of the big publishing houses, whose money-hungry habits are perpetuated by the necessity to see big returns on their investments. The big publishers have little interest in introducing readers to new writers; they want only to release books that will sell in massive quantities. However, the independent publishing houses that are putting out translated works in America are doing so with an enthusiasm that is hard to find from any of the big houses.

Accordingly, it should be no surprise that most of the publishers of books included in the list are either not-for-profit organizations or presses managed by universities. It is not by coincidence that many of the publishers found on Three Percent’s list are continual contributors of titles included on each previous annual Best Translated Book Award list, as well as many other award lists, such as NPR’s and The Independent’s. Though few, the independent book presses that publish translated fiction remain strong and dedicated. Among the presses most commonly found on the list are Dalkey Archive, Archipelago, Open Letter, New Directions, Melville House, and various university presses, such as Northwestern and Columbia.

Dalkey Archive Press, founded in Chicago in 1984, began by publishing reprints of lost masterpieces and little-known translations by writers who were overlooked by the mainstream critical establishment. Soon after, they began releasing original works that had not before been published. In December 2006, Dalkey Archive relocated to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana to be part of the university’s commitment to global projects that complement the Press’s commitment to translations.

At the start of this year, Dalkey Archive released 2010 Best European Fiction, the inaugural issue of an annual anthology of short stories from across Europe. Bosnian novelist and MacArthur “Genius-Award” winner Aleksandar Hemon edited the first book in the series, which includes 35 writers from 30 countries. According to Hemon, “American literature is crippled by the shortage of available translations.” Dalkey archive published about three to four books of fiction, poetry, and essays each month, a great majority of which are translated works from all over the world.

Archipelago Books is a not-for-profit press devoted to publishing translations of classic and contemporary world literature. Archipelago’s release of Tranquility by Attila Bartis, translated from the Hungarian by Imre Goldstein, was selected by Three Percent as the winner of the 2009 Best Translated Book Award.

Open Letter Books is the literary publishing house operated by the University of Rochester, where students and faculty in the Literary Translations program work to connect readers with international works of literature. Both Open Letter and Archipelago annually publish twelve books, most of which are novels or short story collections.

New Directions Publishing is, along with Dalkey Archive, one of the United States’ most prolific publishers of translated fiction. Founded in 1936 by a 22-year-old Harvard sophomore, New Directions has earned its reputation as one of the most well respected independent book publishers in the country. Today they publish about 30 books each year of work by both foreign authors and English authors alike, including such writers as Franz Kafka, Jorge Luis Borge, W. G. Sebald, and Roberto Bolaño.

Now that you know a little more about the small publishers behind some of the country’s best translated fiction, visit the Three Percent website to take a look at the books nominated for the 2010 Best Translated Book Award and support literary translation.

Michael Filippone is a senior at Drexel University. He is studying Music Industry.

Here is some news relating to our recent article about publishing books in creative and intriguing designs and packages:

The online literary magazine DIAGRAM is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the release of an anthology in the form of a deck of cards. Contributors include: Brian Evenson, Ben Marcus, John D’Agata, Michael Martone, Derek White, Paul La Farge, Sean Lovelace, Ander Monson, and many others who have been published in Diagram over the past decade. DIAGRAM says:

We asked former contributors and other favorite writer-types to pick a card, any card, and to write or draw or whatever a piece for that card. The piece–prose or poem or sometimes both–would have to indicate the suit and rank of the card, so the deck is actually usable for play.

Horror and science-fiction movies have never really been “my thing.”  I don’t  know all the rules behind vampires and zombies, but I feel like I have a good general sense.  And, I think more modern versions have been bending the rules a little too far.

In terms of zombies, I never fully understood their appeal from the beginning.  How could such a novelty idea gain so much popularity that it became its own genre?  In search of an answer, I read a little article about the creator of the Zombie, George A. Romero.  In it, he explained a basic function of the Zombie was the fact that they couldn’t run because they were decomposed bodies whose “ankles would break.”

Just from the previews of movies like I Am Legend, 28 Days Later, and Dawn of the Dead (the remake), it’s obvious that some filmmakers have begun to disregard that rule.  I see problems with both sides of the argument.  I side with Romero in a sense that his rule makes sense, and he came up with the idea in the first place.  But, I also see why revisions would be made since, if they can only walk, couldn’t you just run away?

The biggest issue I have with vampires (aside from their annoying huge appeal right now) came along with Twilight.  Unlike Romero, Stephanie Meyer (the author), didn’t invent the idea of the vampire.  Traditional vampires had to avoid sunlight because it could weaken and/or kill them, her “vampires” just have really glittery skin.  So, why does she even get to reinvent the things and then still call them by the same name?

Have you ever noticed that textbooks seem to exaggerate the actual reality of the situation, especially regarding medicine and human anatomy & physiology? According to my human physiology textbook, for example, proteins have feet…yep, which hydrolyze ATP into ADP and an inorganic phosphate group. The proteins then proceed to walk along the microtubules of the cellular skeleton. Seriously…? Proteins with feet? Why the need to animate biological macromolecules…especially in college? I’m perfectly capable of comprehending that proteins do not actually possess limbs and therefore, are otherwise capable of traveling along the microtubules of the cellular cytoskeleton.

Also, regarding the coloration of the various diagrams in textbooks, I’m pretty sure that the pancreas isn’t actually purple and that the different lobes of the brain aren’t rainbow-colored. I understand that the color differentiation is intended to simplify and facilitate comprehension…but, I can’t even begin to fathom how confused I will be someday when I’m dissecting a cadaver in medical school, expecting to locate a purple pancreas.

It’s just about Spring Training time.  As a baseball enthusiast, I’d usually be keyed up right about now.  However, there are certain feelings of disappointment, betrayal, and desperation that come with being a true sports fan.  Following my favorite team doesn’t make me an exception.  I believe it’s fair to say that I’ve ridden the Oakland Athletics roller coaster during my stint as an avid fan.  There have been many ups over the last nine seasons (I know that doesn’t sound that long, but I’m only 21).  Over the last three, though, it feels like we’ve gotten stuck at bottom, and I don’t know if we’ll be climbing back up anytime soon.

As sad as that sounds, I found someone to blame.  His name is Billy Beane, and he’s the much-acclaimed general manager of the A’s.  In 2003, Michael Lewis wrote a book about Beane and titled it, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.  The book attempts to explain why the A’s, as one of the most financially-challenged teams in baseball, had been winning so many games.  Lewis gave Beane all the credit.  The Sporting News also recognized him as Executive of the Year in 1999 and so did Baseball America in 2002.  He’s also been named one of Baseball’s Heavy Hitters and one of the top 40 Under 40 by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal.

None of those titles are what I would call him.  As successful as the A’s may have been early on in his career as GM, he hasn’t put together a consistently strong team since he was formally praised.  It’s true that baseball is unfair, and his job is difficult.  However, it was frustrating to look at him as he gathered accolades, knowing that he was the reason for my heartache.  In reality, the team hasn’t done as well since Moneyball was published.  It makes me wonder if Lewis jumped the gun in even writing it.

Don’t get me wrong. I do realize, on one hand, that baseball has grown into more and more of a business than just a game.  Some factors are out of Beane’s control because, in Lewis’ words, “For more than a decade the people who run professional baseball have argued that the game was ceasing to be an athletic competition and becoming a financial one.”  Some trading and releasing is to be expected, but it has to stop at some point.  I know that, with the Athletics’ limited payroll, it’s much harder for Beane to make deals.  But, on the other hand of the business argument, fans bring in a lot of revenue, and we definitely get attached to our favorites.  So, shouldn’t we be considered at some point too? All I know is that, right now; he has made the A’s really hard to root for.

I don’t want to sound like a fair-weather fan, and I vowed never to become one.  However, this situation is a little different.  To me, “fairweatherness” means not rooting for the players on your team when they’re not doing as well as they “should.”  My issue is that, when I look on the field, absolutely none of my players are still there.  Since I began following the A’s in 1998 (a year after Beane took his general manager position) I studied the roster and learned everything I could about my favorites.  I knew every meaningless bit of information from the colleges they attended to their favorite cereals and types of pillowcases.  I knew Eric Byrnes had two English Bulldogs names Bella and Bruin; that Barry Zito guest-starred in an episode of JAG.

I know it seems ridiculous, but it was something that I loved doing and I put a lot of stock into it.  It wasn’t until 2006 that things started to change.  That was the last year the A’s made the playoffs.  They finished in first place in the American League West, but they haven’t even come close since.  When they used to struggle, I could still look to “my guys” and hope along with them that they’d eventually pull through like they had for me so many times before.  But, out of the 40 men on the roster today, only three of them are left from that 2006 team.  That means over about three seasons my team, as I knew it, disappeared.  So, what am I supposed to do now?

Am I supposed to bet that Beane’s new “elite” prospects will be able to get the job done?   I have a hard time believing that a completely overturned roster filled with young players much in need of veteran guidance (that they won’t come by) will be able to fill the roles of those who came before.  For now, I guess all I can do is continue to hope, but my gusto is definitely fading away.

Katrina Gaudier is a senior at Drexel University. She is studying English and Philosophy and is expected to graduate in June of 2010.

Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program is responsible for a city-wide graffiti clean-up over the past 20+ years. In short, they try to recruit teens that illegally use graffiti on Philadelphia buildings, and instead pay them to be legitimate artists. As a result, Philadelphia now has 3,000 murals covering its buildings, the most in the entire world.

As a teen, Steven Powers was recruited by the group to turn in his spray can and stop illegally painting on buildings.  He refused to join. Now, at the age of 41, he’s since changed his ways, and has had work featured in many galleries like the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia.

His newest project is a series of murals all over West Philadelphia, entitled “Love Letter.” Powers has painted cryptic and creative love messages across 50 rooftop and street-level buildings. In addition to changing the image of West Philadelphia, there is now a tour that visitors and residents can take along SEPTA’s Market Street corridor. You can find photos of the murals here.

With crazy happenings going on such as earthquakes in Chile and a congress that can’t seem to agree on anything, it can feel to the average American like the world is ending. So why not learn exactly how it will?

On March 9th, the Philadelphia Public Library is holding a free event with Zecharia Sitchin, author of the Earth Chronicles series. He just released the conclusion to his series, The End of Days: Armageddon and Prophecies of the Return, discussing the Sumerian and Biblical tales of the end of days not as mythology, but as records and recollections of mankind’s past.

Sitchin is well known for his theories on Ancient Astronauts and his well documented and researched theory that fallout from nuclear weapons, used during a war between factions of extraterrestrials, is the “evil wind” that destroyed the ancient Sumerian city of Ur around 2000 BC.

1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA. Phone: 215-567-4341. 2:00 PM, FREE

This past Monday, a light went out in the world of words. Barry Hannah passed away of a heart attack at the age of 67. Hannah has published four story collections and eight novels, including Geronimo Rex (1972), which was awarded the William Faulkner Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Award. His New York Times obituary can be found here.

htmlgiant.com has posted a collection of eulogies and remembrances given by writers and editors, which can he found here.

Here is an excerpt from a eulogy by Michael Bible (author of My Second Best Bear Rug” (Paper Hero Press) and “Gorilla Math” (Greying Ghost Press)):

He believed in teaching writing, that it could help you if you listened and worked as hard as you could. But he hated the idea of “school.” When class started he would shut the door and say, “Ok, that’s school out there. This is life in here.”

We won’t forget you, Barry Hannah

Osama bin Laden recently claimed responsibility for authorizing yet another terrorist attack - the 2009 Christmas Day bombing attempt on the Northwest Airlines flight en route from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Detroit, Michigan. This attack, among others including the 9/11 attacks on the U. S. World Trade Center and the Pentagon, made me wonder whether bin Laden had always harbored such a hatred for non-Muslims, specifically for Christian Americans. Surely, he was not born a terrorist, as I hold the firm belief that no one is born evil. I figured then that he must have once held some sort of regard or dignity for human life and therefore, I sought to find out about Osama’s past and the man that he once was. Hoping to find an answer, I searched for any existent biography of bin Laden and I came across the book, Growing Up bin Laden written by Najwa bin Laden, Osama bin Laden’s first wife; Omar bin Laden, his fourth son by this wife; and Jean Sasson. Although not exactly a biography of Osama bin Laden, this eloquently-written book relates the everyday lives of both Najwa and Omar while living with Osama and their memories of who he once was compared to who he is now.

The book commences with Najwa reminiscing about her childhood in Syria and her life before Osama’s conversion to radical Islam, as she begins, “I was not always the wife of Osama bin Laden. Once I was an innocent child dreaming little girl dreams. These days my thoughts often drift back in time and I remember the little girl that I was and the safe and happy childhood I enjoyed. Often I’ve heard adults speak of their childhood with regret and even anger, glad that they have escaped their younger years. Such talk is baffling to me, for if I could, I would go back in time to the first part of my life and I would remain a little girl forever” (3). Najwa then proceeds to recount stories of her childhood and the Osama that she grew up with and eventually married at the age of fifteen, as she relates, “In describing the young boy Osama that we all knew, I would say that he was proud, but not arrogant. He was delicate, but not weak. He was grave, but not severe” (8). As a child, then, bin Laden, according to his first wife, was mildly strict yet gentle, in contrast to the man that he is now. It seems that once he was just like anyone else- compassionate, devoted, and loving.

However, it was much later into the marriage that Najwa began to witness the change in Osama. Although born into wealth, following his marriage to Najwa, Osama severely rejected any form of modern technology, including air conditioning, and thereby, forced the family to cope otherwise in times of extreme heat. Moreover, despite being assertively independent during his young adulthood, over the course of their marriage, Osama continued to become increasingly more captivated by the Jihad movement and thereby, both politically and religiously dependent on the leader of this movement, Dr. Ayman Muhammad al-Zawahiri, whose foremost objective was to overthrow the Egyptian government. During this time, Najwa, like most Muslim wives of that era, played the role of the traditional, dutiful, Islamic wife, and thus never sought to interfere in Osama’s political affairs. Rather, following her marriage to Osama, Najwa’s sole role was to bear Osama children and as Osama once phrased it, “to have many more children for the greater good of Islam.” Omar too, like his mother, also began to note the subtle changes in Osama, such as his transition from the once gentle and meek father to the authoritative and esteemed al-Qaeda leader that he is now.

Even though it is taught that children must respect those older regardless of their elders’ words or actions, Omar, unlike his mother, eventually found the courage to speak out against his father. While growing up, Omar and his siblings were taught by their father that Muslims everywhere were under attack by non-Muslims and that in order to preserve Islam Muslims must rid the world of non-Muslims. However, it was with time that Omar began to see the full picture, or as he states, “For the first time I sensed that our father was addicted to an aggressive pattern of thought that would endanger us all” (127). Furthermore, Omar goes on to state that his father, compelled by his obsession with the Jihad movement and martyrdom for Islam, even went to the extent of encouraging his sons to enlist as suicide bombers and thus, die a heroic death for their faith. It can thus be seen that as a result of the radical Jihad movement, the Osama that had once placed a great emphasis on human life and dignity eventually decided to sacrifice his own sons’ lives “to spread Islam’s message.”

Despite the fact that both he and his mother have left Osama and that he has publically spoken out against his father’s actions, Omar does, however, still love his father. When asked about his father’s whereabouts and whether he would turn his father over to the law if discovered, Omar admits that he would never betray his father to do as such. Although he does not agree with his father’s actions, beliefs, and teachings, he would never disrespect his father due to the traditions and values with which he was raised. Omar concludes at one point by stating, “Although I cannot simply order my heart to stop loving my father, I do not agree with his behavior. There are times that I feel my heart swell with anger at his actions, which have harmed many people, people he did not know, as well as members of his own family. As the son of Osama bin Laden, I am truly sorry for all the terrible things that have happened, the innocent lives that have been destroyed, the grief that still lingers in many hearts…” (41).

Thus, Growing Up bin Laden is truly a heartfelt and eye-opening recollection of all that Najwa and Omar have experienced and endured during their life with Osama. As I mentioned prior, I was led to the book by my desire to unearth whether Osama had always been the terrorist that he is now. As best summarized by Omar, “My father was not always a man who hated. My father was not always a man hated by others. There was a time when many people spoke of my father with the highest accolades. History shows that he was once loved by many people. Despite our differences, I am not ashamed to admit that I loved my father with the usual passion of a young boy for his father” (41). I thus learned that Osama was not always the Islamic extremist and zealous Jihad follower that he is now; rather, he was once loved and respected by many and, in turn, loved and respected human life and dignity. Therefore, I recommend this book to all those that believe and want to continue believing that no one, not even Osama bin Laden, was born evil.

Giby George is currently a sophomore at Drexel University, majoring in biological sciences with a pre-med concentration.

I have two lamps in my room and a desk light.  At nighttime I rely so heavily on those three sources of light.  Several months ago one of the lamps closest to my bed had burned out and I didn’t bother to replace the bulb.  I figured that the other lamp was doing a fine job by itself.  This morning I turned on the light switch and in a shocking *burst, I no longer had a “legitimate” source of light in my room… that desk lamp is as useful as a lit matchstick in providing my room with light.  *(I would like to point out that my light bulb burst wasn’t as extreme as in the above video)

I unscrewed both light bulbs and saw that they both were 75-watts.  I had to remember that number when I later went to CVS in my pursuit to purchase new ones.  Honestly, I didn’t really understand the significance of how many watts were in a light bulb… I must have skipped that day of physics.

Shopping for bulbs is an adventure.  There are too many different shapes, sizes, types, and… watts.  I chose to go with 60-watt bulbs thinking that it was close enough to what I had originally.  Four energy saver bulbs that, according to the box will last me 9-years, for $11… I didn’t even think twice.

I screwed both bulbs in and stood in the doorway to see what I could make of my newly lit room.  All I could think was wow I should have purchased those 75-watt bulbs instead.  15 watts make a huge difference to the lighting!  My room is lit, but it’s not that bright.  Between both lamps there is a dark shadow that simply cannot be reached by the 60-watt range.  Maybe I’ll move my desk lamp there… or maybe I’ll just go out and purchase those 75-watt bulbs.