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This is terrible news. She was an absolutely stunning writer. Segu and I, Tituba are up there among my favourite novels. I'm still looking forward to continuing to work my way through her catalogue, but it's sad that she'll never get the Nobel she so richly deserved.

I liked Paradise of the Blind a lot as well. It was a pretty tough read just because of the relentless doom and gloom of it all, but again I loved the details of every day life she uses to bring the story to life. I'm gonna be keen to see what else is available of hers in English.

About flipping time! Fitzcarraldo acquired these ages ago, at least last year if not before. And I met Olga and Antonia Lloyd-Jones at an event I think in 2018 or 2019 and they told me then that the translation of Anna in the Catacombs was complete and they were just looking for a publisher. Why...

I just finished reading Novel Without A Name and liked it a lot. I thought she did an excellent job of describing the horrors of the Vietnam War without ever descending into gratuitousness as many writers do in an attempt to shock. We see it all through the eyes of an ordinary soldier, who is a...

I've read it and I think it's brilliant. I've also read The Funeral Party and Just The Plague, both of which I liked a lot.

I'm hoping to have time to take part this year! For transparency, I voted: Lyudmila Ulitskaya Ananda Devi Hamid Ismailov

Hi everyone! Been a bit too busy to keep up this year, but here are my wishes: 1) Ngugi wa Thiong'o 2) Hamid Ismailov 3) Lyudmila Ulitskaya 4) Maryse Condé 5) Ananda Devi Also: Stop feeding the troll, people!

May be of interest to some here: Empuzjon is forthcoming in English translation from Fitzcarraldo Editions, as is Anna In The Catacombs. Both translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones. They also seem to have acquired the rights to Primeval and Other Times and House of Day, House of Night as those too...

The more I read, the more gaps in my reading I find. C'est la vie. But if we're talking primarily countries, the ones I am yet to visit are Kiribati, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao...

Happy with this. I've only read The Years, but I liked it very much and will get to more of her stuff in due course. This is a staggering hit rate for Fitzcarraldo Editions, her UK publisher - three Nobel laureates in recent years for such a small publishing house!

Thank you! It's great to be back.

Is The Last Lover typical of Can Xue's work? I ask because I read it for a book club years back and absolutely *hated* it, I'm wondering if it's worth trying something else of hers or if I should just accept that she's not for me.

I did not! Wow, it's been a long time...

Yes I finally fixed my account and can post again! Probably need to go back and read the whole thread, but my very lazy 2 cents - Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Ngugi wa Thiong'o or Hamid Ismailov would all make me very happy. Now go tell me why I'm wrong ;)

Hamid Ismailov is actually from Uzbekistan. I agree he'd be a really strong candidate though.

This is the only one on the longlist I've read and I think it's great, FWIW. Apparently it took her ten years to write and it's absolutely beautifully crafted. Her previous novel, Beneath The Lion's Gaze, is well worth a read too.

If you respect someone you use their preferred pronouns. Deliberately misgendering someone is not respecting them no matter how you wrap it up in a freedom of speech argument.

Houellebecq winning would be a low point I've got to say. I tried reading Soumission and couldn't get through it.

Anyway, back on the topic of the actual thread. I haven't had time to peruse all 27 pages, so probably there are repetitions here, but I'd like to throw out some names I'd be very happy to see win this year: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Hamid Ismailov Elena Ferrante And some I think could be in with a...

My impression is that The Color Purple and The Third Life Of Grange Copeland, her first novel, are the high points, with Meridian and Possessing The Secret Of Joy also worthy reads. However I haven't read any of her short stories, poetry or non-fiction.