Help NYRB find more women authors

Anyone have any thoughts on Molly Keane?

Thanks for starting this thread sarajill and looking for more neglected women.

I like the Molly Keane I have read. (You should see the dicussion going on about her in the Virago group). There is a subtle brutality under the veneer of interpersonal relationships that could be difficult to take but I suspect has the right edge for NYRB.

Actually, the subtle viciousness of some of her characters reminds me of The Slaves of Solitude

Don't know her, but I'd love to see NYRB publish Honor Tracy's The Straight and Narrow Path, a hysterically funny and satiric novel about Ireland, the Catholic church, English newspapermen and much more. (In fact, I suggested this to NYRB via their web site.) It is sadly out of print and my copy, which was my mother's, is falling apart from age and multiple rereadings.

I have said it ad nauseam (and probably, by now, someone would like to hit me on the head with a very heavy book), but I would love to see NYRB publish House of Liars by Elsa Morante, which has been out of print for quite a while and is too wonderful a book to be neglected.
Another author I would like to see published is Annie Vivanti, an Anglo-Italian writer who lived between the end of 19th and the beginning of 20th centuries. She wrote extensively both in English (her mother tongue) and Italian, novels and some fine short stories. If you think it might be interesting, sarajill, I shall be happy to tell you more about her. I know the Italian editor of her works, which have been published by Sellerio. Her works have been out of print for a very long time in the US and Britain, and she has been re-published in Italy only recently, and with great success. Oh, and as far as I heard from her editor, the copyright on her works has expired.

I'll mention again (I think it was in this group...) the turn-of-the-century Hungarian Margit Kaffka, contemporary of Mansfield and Woolf.

Anna Maria Ortese doesn't seem to have been widely translated into English, and she's a marvellous, unclassifiable writer.

Anna Seghers must be due for a revival.

What about Silvina Ocampo?

That is interesting Lola. Who is Silvina Ocampo?

An Argentine writer from the circle around the 'Sur" magazine (founded by her sister, Victoria Ocampo). She was married to Borges' friend and collaborator Bioy Casares. Wrote lovely strange stories and poetry.

Even MORE interesting! And, I forgot to mention before, Margit Kaffka sounds like someone who should definitely be reprinted.

I have had great trouble finding books by Vera Cacciatore translated into English - could her works be considered for publication or is she too contemporary?

mrspenny, I confess my ignorance, but I have never heard of Vera Cacciatore!

aluvalibri - I have a book of three short stories by VC called The Swing. The other stories are The Bridge and Demetrio. This was translated by W.J. Strachan and published in 1959 by Eyre & Spottiswoode. In the flyleaf the author is described as an Italian writer of distinction. However, she is not included in the Companion to Italian Literature. I liked her style of writing in the short stories. I have just ordered a copy of another book by VC called A Room in Rome. Apart from those two, there doesn't seem to be many of her works available.

My first vote goes to women writers in translation: I feel unqualified to offer suggestions here because if they're not translated, I haven't read them (unless they happen to be written in French). One American writer who has been unjustly neglected is Jean Stafford. I would recommend her Boston Adventure. It's a quirky, bizarre novel peopled by enough eccentrics to fill an asylum. It also has a mean edge to it. One Argentine writer (fantasy but literary fantasy--no elves and such) of whose work I would like to read more is Angelica Gorodischer. Small Beer Press has published one of her novels Kalpa Imperial translated by Ursula Le Guin. Judging from the lyrical prose, Le Guin either added a lot or has an excellent feel for Gorodischer's work. I have no idea what the quality of Gorodischer other works. I was unsuccessful in locating any other work of hers. Helena Parente Cunha, author of Woman Between Mirrors, might be interesting to pursue. Woman Between Mirrors was excellent.

#11> Interesting.....I will do some research and let you know. However, as I said, I have never heard of her and, as you can imagine, my knowledge of Italian lit and fiction is quite good (show off!!!!).
;-)

Thank you - you are too modest!!! - I would describe your knowledge of Italian lit and fiction as excellent - I'm keen to know what your research may discover about the mysterious VC - maybe she discovered she was a better cook than a writer and created chicken cacciatore:-))))))

My dear mrspenny, you have me in stitches!!!!!!
Thank you for bringing a laughter into my day.
:-))))))

Thanks for all of this. Interesting and not run-of-the-mill suggestions.

Will re-read all of this over more carefully. But a few quick responses. We looked at Anna Seghers several years ago. But another publisher bought up the rights at the time. (Edited: Just realized that I was confusing her with Anna Kavan. We DID look at Seghurs, though. The book I read was Transit. Wasn't convinced. Any other of her books worth looking at?)

We've just bought Jean Stafford's The Mountain Lion. So look for that in about a year and a half.

The Mountain Lion is good, but it doesn't hold a candle to Boston Adventure. I've read everything Jean Stafford has written. Boston Adventure is amazing.

>17 urania1: I like Jean Stafford, too, and think she is unjustly neglected. I haven't read everything by her but agree with you on Boston Adventure.

>16 nyrbclassics: I am so glad that something she wrote will be back in print!

Thank you Marise for reminding me that I should be glad that anything by Stafford is returning to print. Thanks to NYRB for this.

I've just started reading Susan Glaspell's 1929 novel Fugitive's Return, which has been described as "a modernist tour de force." It is evidently out of print, and only one copy is available on Amazon. Persephone publishes two of Glaspell's novels (Fidelity and Brook Evans). Does NYRB want to snatch up Fugitive's Return?

Excellent idea, Rob! She needs to be republished in the US, her books are just too hard to find!

I've blogged my review of Fugitive's Return. It really should be reprinted. What a wonderful novel!

I just finished School of the Sun (aka Primera Memoria) by Ana Maria Matute and loved it. The copy I have was published by Quartet Encounters; I think they are currently out of business. It's a lushly written, tragic coming-of-age story set during the Spanish Civil War. Also, the book is the first in a trilogy - the others being The Soldiers Cry at Night and The Trap. I think Matute's short stories are regularly used for Spanish classes (I read a couple back in high school, and my friend, who was a Spanish major, said they also read some at the university). It looks like most of her books are out of print on Amazon; it would be great if NYRB could reprint some of her work.

I liked Elinor Glyn's early books--The Visits of Elizabeth, The Reflections of Ambrosine, The Vicissitudes of Evangeline (aka Red Hair), and Elizabeth Visits America. I would also like to read 'It' and Other Stories but haven't found a copy yet. I think her books are in the public domain and are available at gutenberg.org.

http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/g#a1762

I just finished The Hour of the Star by Brazilian author Clarice Lispector (died in 1977). She is definitely NYRB material.

Is the Mitford family still keeping Nancy Mitford's Wigs on the Green out of print? I'd like to read that.

Did Elizabeth Hardwick write fiction other than Sleepless Nights?

#27> The Ghostly Lover and Simple Truth, for example.

I did a simple search and can answer my own question: The Ghostly Lover and The Simple Truth.

Anyone have an opinion about Isabel Colegate? particularly the Orlando novels? She is/was published by Virago, so I thought there might well be some readers of her work here.

inaudible We have a collection of Elizabeth Hardwick's short stories coming out next year. Most of them were published in the New Yorker, a few others in the New York Review, and handful of oddballs. Her close friend Darryl Pinkney is writing the introduction.

I am getting ready to read Colegate's novel The Shooting Party. I will let you know what I think.

31> Fabulous! I wish there was more here in Lexington celebrating her.

Not just neglected women authors but another LT friend sent me a link to this neglected book blog. It seems like it might be a dangerous thing for many here.

http://www.neglectedbooks.com/

Very dangerous site! But having just read the NYRB edition of Lolly Willowes, I certainly would love to read more by Sylvia Townsend Warner.

I recently read an inter-library loan copy of If It Prove Fair Weather by Isabel Paterson and think she would be an excellent candidate for NYRB publication. Her novels have never been reprinted, to my knowledge and it is very hard to find her fiction.

I learned about her on the neglected books site Marensr linked above in #34.

I love Isabel Colegate's work, especially Deceits of Time and The Summer of the Royal Visit. She's an author who never fails to challenge and surprise me.

>37 mollygrace:: I just may check those other Isabel Colgate books out. I feel the same about the Orlando Trilogy. What an interesting and engaging writer. Surprised to find so little discussion of her, even in the Virago forum.

>38 nyrbclassics:: Winter Journey is another Colegate book I admire.

S. T. Haymon's two books about her childhood are quite wonderful: Opposite the Cross Keys and The Quivering Tree

I just finished Voltaire in Love by Nancy Mitford and liked it as much as I liked Madame de Pompadour. It is not only written by a woman but Voltaire's mistress, the Marquise du Châtelet, was better than Voltaire at math and science--she translated Isaac Newton into French. Voltaire in Love is not a traditional love story at all and Nancy Mitford is excellent at bringing historical figures to life and making them interesting.

Question to NYRB: what about Fernando Pessoa work?, the "Book of Inquietude", for instance...

Sorry, still a newbie in this librarything... only now did I read "women"...
And NYRB, sorry for the add in "friends", my intention was to put you in my watchl-list.

Still the question is pertinent :-)

Elena Garro!

Mexican writer, author of Recollections of Things to Come and a bunch of other titles, many of which have never been translated. Recollections was published by the University of Texas press.

I would like to see more of Angélica Gorodischer's (Argentina) work translated and published. To date only one of her books Kalpa Imperial has been translated into English. It frequently gets lumped in the sci-fi/fantasy quarters, but this link is misleading. Her work defies easy categorization.

Haitian writer Marie Vieux-Chauvet's work is quite good as well.

>46 Jesse_wiedinmyer: Jesse,

That is an awesome article. I think there's a novel or a dissertation in it. I am composing the structure of the novel as I write. Thanks for passing on the article.

Oh, I read that, too, and would love to read The House without Windows!

Only $295 on Amazon. I wonder if anyone in the family retained the rights?

Vedrana Rudan

I think she's a Serbian living in Croatia, but I may be wrong. She has a funny, dark book called Night.

This thread has been dormant for a while now, but NYRB still needs more books by female authors right?

I recently read a very fine novel by the Australian author Elizabeth Harrower called The Long Prospect. Its published in Australia by Text Classics.

It reminded me a lot of John Williams Stoner, which gives you an idea how good I thought it was.

Well, 4+ years since my post at #3, and probably NYRB has already rejected this idea, alas, but I'd still love to see Honor Tracy's The Straight and Narrow Path!

I was glad to see that NYRB is reissuing Renata Adler. Both Speedboat and Pitch Dark deserve new audience.

I liked Isabel Colegate's Winter Journey very much. The edition I have was published by Counterpoint. I don't know if it's still in print.

It might be worth having a look at Theodora Keogh. She wrote, among other novels, The Tattooed Heart and The Double Door. (Fun fact: Keogh's grandfather was Theodore Roosevelt.)

Also, it would be nice to have a complete edition of Dorothy Richardson's Pilgrimage.

Oh, and how about Elisabeth Sanxay Holding? No less than Raymond Chandler called her "the top suspense writer of them all."

I recently bought a copy of that after seeing you praise it here.

Two authors who come to mind are Karolina Pavlova - A Double Life and Hortensia Papadat Bengescu - Le Concert de Bach.

One work I'd like to see translated is Margot en de engelen by Kristien Hemmerechts. It'd have a small built-in audience as it is in Boxall's 1001 Books to Read Before You Die, but as far as I can tell only exists in Dutch and German.

I'd love to see NYRB publish some new translations of Silvina Ocampo. Very little of her work is in print in English and she was an immensely important figure in 20th century Argentinian literature.

I discovered a wonderful new novel, JOURNAL OF EVA MORELLI, by Maryann D'Agincourt. Highly recommend it.

Eliza Orzeszkowa's Marta, or maybe The Witch would be candidates. Also Božena Němcová's Grandmother.

Marietherese—I believe we will be publishing a volume of poetry by Silvina Ocampo in 2014, we're in the planning stages now.

@63 That's great news! I will be on the lookout for it in 2014.

The Sound of Anthems by Marjory Alyn deserves a reprint.

Over at Writers No One Reads is an excellent post about Elspeth Davie (whom I had never heard of before). When I tried to see if any of her books are available they're all out of print.

Here's the link to the post:

Writers No One Reads.

@60—I forgot to mention that we'll also be publishing a new selection of Silvina Ocampo stories in 2014—in addition to the poetry.

I loved Transit by Anna Seghers and I'd love to see translations of more of her work. (I also bought The Seventh Cross which was published by D. R. Godine in 2004.)

NYRB, I am really pleased to hear about the two Ocampo volumes. You have at least one guaranteed buyer here!

Has Hortense Calisher been mentioned? Some of her stuff may be in print, or was recently, but most isn't, and some kind of collection of her best short stories and novellas would make a great NYRB volume.

Calisher has been mentioned—to us at least! But I think that a volume of stories might have come out not too long ago with another publisher.

And we're considering more Seghers, definitely.

Seeing that two of my suggestions have been successful so far... I'll link to the old post and hope for the other two! :)

http://www.librarything.com/topic/50030#893539

Thanks for the Seghers!

I have the impression that NYRB favours modern 20th century writers, but the 18th/19th century fairy tales of Sophie Tieck (or Tieck-Bernhardi), Ludwig Tieck's sister, are something special. Renate Siebenhaar describes the stories in Wunderbilder und Träume in elf Märchen as practically avant-garde, filled with subversive energy (I only read a selection of three, but I concur with the latter enthusiastically!)

Sophie Tieck seems to be quite obscure in English, Wikipedia doesn't even translate her article (German here: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie_Tieck).

And another writer I meant to mention a while ago, after reading a collection of her stories Sheep's-head & Babylon; and other stories of yesterday and to-day: Marjorie Bowen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Bowen

I'd compare her to John Collier. Anyone who liked his Fancies and Goodnights might like her too, she wrote in a similar register, lots of fantasy, supernatural, tinged with humour and horror (sometimes at the same time).

I liked Tainaron: Mail from Another City by Leena Krohn. Not much of her work has been translated into English.

agmll, Leena Krohn's work is being translated into English and published by Cheeky Frawg, so I doubt she's a good candidate for NYRB. I am very excited that more of her work is being published in English, though!

LolaWalser Where is the best place to start with Marjorie Bowen?

Hi! Unfortunately I only have and have read that one book of hers (Sheep's-head & Babylon; and other stories of yesterday and to-day, first edition, 1929, The Bodley Head), so I'd say that one! as soon as any other (maybe sooner, as it seems to be rare for some reason--it's not even listed on her fantasticfiction.co.uk page).

Her author page here:

http://www.librarything.com/author/bowenmarjorie-1

lists quite a few titles, although it would seem the most commonly held are new selections, not reissues of the original novels or collections.

And, wow, one LT member lists no less than 62 titles--wonder if some are individual stories? Either that, or they are the person to ask! :)

Project Gutenberg Australia has a few of her books up:

http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty-a-m.html#bowen

And if it's a question of genre, I'd go for Gothic and weird fiction before historical.

Incidentally, the stories in my collection show that she liked to try out different styles, so any one piece of writing isn't going to be representative. For instance, there's a dark tale in Scottish accents (she was not afraid of using dialect), then a frothy 18th century Frenchifying piece, historical pastiches, psychological horror etc. all written in different voices.

#74
Your impression of NYRBʻs seeming preference for 20th c. authors is my impression too.

As the "Century of the Pacific" (is that what is really meant?), perhaps the NYRB might extend its 20th c. interests from Euro-American to Asian-Pacific? As the informed know, ASIA is RICH in literature. LTʻs membership evidences that.ʻ Yet somehow in the Groups and Topics lists, like "Asian Fiction and Non-Fiction," the turn out is poor. Yet Asian critics in NYC exist -- Kakutani is my favoutie. And of novelists, Maxine Hong Kingstonʻs, for WOMAN WARRIOR, although Amy Tanʻs THE JOY LUCK CLUB, which lacks Hong-Kingstonʻs depth and insight, is treated like a Great. There are WOMEN POETS of earlier times who have been Translated superbly and are virtually unknown even among Asians, excepting the anomalous and wonderful A/P/A of Columbia, who bring out their writers cross-world.
NYC has many educated Asians the NYRB could tap into exposing the literatures of. It does not shrink from political critiques of European writers (and Iʻm glad it doesnʻt) but it gave up on Hong-Kingston when she began to write novels about Chinese men, like those who worked on the Trans-Pacific RR. Perhaps it expected the LA Times to cover what may be a "niche"? Anyway, let me introduce a 12thc. lyric poet LI-Chiʻang-Chao, trans. by the inimitable Kenneth Rexroth -- of course, masterfully. Can anyone add to this?

I'm not sure NYRB would publish poetry. I recall one collection of verses in their Classics line, The Stray Dog Cabaret. Did they do one of the Stuffed Owl anthologies too? Looks like light and whimsical verse might be a go, but serious poetry maybe less so.

Your post reminded me of an Asian woman writer I read for the first time recently, Ichiyo Higuchi. She'd fit very well. She died at 25 but managed to produce more than two dozen novels, novellas, story collections and essays in between constant scraping and drudgery. Not much seems to have been translated into English so far.

The stories I read all centred on women in difficult situations--a noblewoman whose fortunes have declined, an overworked maid, a cruelly mistreated wife. In German at least they read as deeply felt but not sentimental, with fine, well chosen detail and an almost sardonic sense of humour.

The Stray Dog Cabaret was a disaster, IMHO - the 'translator' actually rewrote the poems and added bits to them..... I was not impressed.

1. THE STRAY DOG CABARET was recommended by Tomcatmurr. I read an example from it. Tsvetaeva.
Mind Blowing. I need to buy it.
2. Your contention: "rewrote" and "added bits." I love Kunitzʻs translation of Akhmatova, e.g., and raised the question -- since I love Kunitz top of the heap was it Kunitz I loved of his translation or Akhmatova?
Not knowing Russian, Iʻm a captive (willingly in this case). So is every reader who canʻt access the original. I think, as a practicing poet, one HAS to INVENT ways of SAYING . . .ESPECIALLY in post-modernist poetry because the English syntax and cultural frames of reference and POETRY RULINGS OF SENSIBILITIES simply do NOT work.
3. I read many of Tsvetaevaʻs poems on the PoemHunter.com, which are given without acknowledgement of the translators, ridiculously. They were terrible. But I read one translation example of a poem by her (JEALOUS) I think by Ilya Kaminsky? -- it is unforgettable. Is the translation (on Internet) -- padding? and how can one NOT "rewrite" Some parts when translating, since the original in its own language is what is the "problem"!

>81 LolaWalser: NYRB has a separate poetry series NYRB Poets. I've seen some of the books in my favorite bookstore.

#81
It is so UNFAIR for the NYRB to publish serious prose but not serious poetry. I suppose the reason is: poetry does not "pay"?

Thatʻs like Cutting Every Human Being in Half, keeping the Right Side and throwing out the Left. Or showing Humans as of two kinds: the ones who exist from the Feet to the Waist and the kind that come shaped from the Head to the Waist --- all walking around in Central Park talking about THEIR SIDE OF LIVING IN NYC, as
homeless, or abandoned or student reject or flushed HIP DOWNers or the same as Hip UPPERers. Imagine the music one would get out of that inventive community of writers, artists . . . .

#84

Thanks, news to me.

#84
You saved the NYRB, rebeccanyc. BUT WHY CUT THE BODY IN HALF AND GET
DUMMIES (the books for us, and us, for the books/ reviews).
My half bodies need full circulating power or weʻll be on the level of weeds and not the kind that sprouts yellow flowers and dandelions in Central Park, even.

In Stray Dog, the translator saw fit to add extra lines to Mayakovsky's poems - that's enough for me to abandon it straight away.

#88
My question remains -- unanswered. And by your evaluation, unanswerable. Iʻm not a translator, so you may answer as such , whether you are or not. If you are a writer, as I, or e.g. a poet in particular, as I am, the question is tantamount in your view to being unanswerable in the sense of not possible to be put in practice. For example: two English words that are like Hawaiian of high frequency, wide distribution, and (common) regularity are Family vs. Clan (Hawn: ʻohana -- for both), Parents vs. Aunts/Uncles (Hawn: na mōtua, na mātua for both fathers and uncles, as well as mothers and aunts), etc. In English, the distinctions are "finer" grained because, I suspect, the society was more populous? (I base this on a Linguistic rule of thumb). The trouble is that if you translated Hawaiian into English, youʻd have to distinguish -- MY/YOUR FATHER does not exist as an idea; it must include ALL PERSONS MALE OF FATHER"S GENERATION, etc. And for ʻohana, the idea of nuclear family does not exist; ONLY the idea of CLAN does . . . .
Reading an English translation of Hawaiian --even just stories-- comes off NOT ONLY HIGHLY INACCURATE BUT, WITH the all important graduated and parallel forms of respect that go with the specific cultural meanings, ABSOLUTELY STUPID. Which may be why Hawaiians laugh a lot about these transmissions that go awry, from "nobodyʻs" fault. Itʻs just the way the respective worlds -- and I havenʻt mentioned the Gods and Godships --go awry. Amok! would be closer, in cases of religious subjects.

What do you do, thatʻs not the same, when translating Russian into English?

A very outstanding critic (Lord, why canʻt I remember his name) in writing about Osip Mandestam said (if I recall correctly): Russian does not press (?) word order (i.e., it does not observe it as English does) but uses TONE and RHYTHM to establish/press/suggest? meaning. I donʻt know if this is correct. But even more, his insight, if correct, makes the language (it canʻt be only for poetry?) REALLY an ORAL/AURAL experience. The print when vocalized gets transformed? (my words: like inhabiting a body?). The question, then is: why can one NOT have extra lines in
a translation?

I'm a reader, not a writer. Other readers have said the same as me - I quote:

"In Mayakovsky's "Me," Schmidt actually *invents* the insipid refrain, "And it makes / me / cry," a decision that made / me / cringe."

"Some of the choices are questionable. In particular, changing the dedication of one of Blok's poems from Marina Nelidova to Anna Akhmatova is problematic. The addition of "And it makes/ me / cry" to a Mayakovsky poem is not one of the better moments in the collection. "

As a reader, I'm reliant on the translator. Yes, there has to be interpretation. But if the translator is going to invent and add things that are just not there in the original, I can't trust them. You really *can't* change a poet's dedication! That's all I have to say on the subject, really.

How about The widowmaker by Maria Fagyas, originally published in 1965? It's not high literature, but an able, lively and frequently macabre-funny fictionalised account of an epidemic of poisonings in a Hungarian village in the 1920s, as demobilised peasants were returning home to find their wives reluctant to give up unprecedented freedom. The victims were mostly men (about 50 to as many as 300), the murderers mostly women. Lots of characters and events, but Fagyas succeeds remarkably in giving everyone recognisable human features and individual situations, showing how various the motivations for these crimes could be.

Fagyas was born and lived in Hungary until she emigrated to the US with her husband, and her knowledge of that world is obvious and gives the book a special flavour. Picture a noir set in Central Europe, with peasant protagonists.