Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Top ten bilingual books

Yara Rodrigues Fowler's first novel, Stubborn Archivist, is out now in the UK and forthcoming (July 2019) in the USA.

One of her ten favorite tales told in multiple languages, as shared at the Guardian:
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I know, I know, we’ve all already read this book, but it’s too good not to be on here. And, interestingly, although Adichie uses Ibgo in her earlier novels Purple Hibiscus and Half a Yellow Sun, Americanah is the first one where she does not translate. (To readers who can’t read Igbo, Adichie suggests Google). Even the title is kind of bilingualism, holding a specific meaning to Nigerian readers.
Read about another entry on the list.

Americanah is among Greta Gerwig's ten favorite books and Nada Awar Jarrar's ten favorite books about exile.

--Marshal Zeringue