Women in Translation Month 2025: Here's why you need to read these 12 translated books

The Continents Between by Bani Basu: BASU’S epic novel, translated by Debali Mookerjea-Leonard from Bengali, traces the lives of Sudeep and Kamalika who’ve returned to Kolkata from New York, along with their children. We learn how the four navigate their lives differently when thrown into this new environment of a Bengali household, consisting of extended family and new friends.

Sheela Tomy

Valli by Sheela Tomy: Four generations form the core of this novel, translated from Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil. This is the story of Wayanad situated in the Western Ghats; the people who migrated to make it their home, and the Adivasis, whose lives were uprooted by the migration and exploitation of the forest. The reader is transported to the 1970s, and returns to the present to read the tale of repression and resistance.

Salma

The Hour Past Midnight by Salma: Rabia sneaks off to watch a film but is caught in the process and reprimanded by her mother. Meanwhile, Firdaus refuses to stay with the groom on the night of their wedding. The book dives into the lives of three women negotiating spaces for themselves within the unit of a traditional male-centric Muslim household. The book has been translated from Tamil by Lakshmi Holmstrom.

Thingnam Anjulika Samom

Crafting the Word by Thingnam Anjulika Samom: Who is the Manipuri woman and what are her beliefs? Samom searches for answers to these questions in stories and poems written by women writers from the Northeastern state. Among others, they include Nee Devi, who explores a tragic lesbian love story, translated by Soibam Haripriya, and Chongtham Jamini Devi, whose story, translated by Samom, questions domestic responsibility in a male-dominated society.

INTERNATIONAL READS

Annie Ernaux

A Girl’s Story by Annie Ernaux: Translated from French by Alison Strayer, Ernaux’s memoir recalls the summer she was an 18-year-old holiday camp instructor, and submitted herself to a man who subsequently left her. Reflecting on how the incident shaped her life and writing, she is now found being gentle on her past self, and walks towards a journey of self-discovery away from shame.

Hoda Barakat

Voices of the Lost by Hoda Barakat: Translated from Arabic by Marilyn Booth, this is a story of how five letters by migrants from war-torn countries reveal things they could not get themselves to tell their loved ones. The letters are found by unintended recipients, and the novel explores the effect they have on these recipients.

Herta Muller

Travelling on One Leg by Herta Muller: Irene, a German woman, emigrates from Romania to Berlin in the late 1980s. The book explores her relationship with three men and herself as she experiences immense isolation. She begins to engage in a creative pursuit to find solace. This narrative of dislocation is brought to English readers from the original German by Valentina Glajar and Andre Lefevere.

Kyung-Sook Shin

Please Look After Mother by Kyung-Sook Shin: When So-Nyo is separated from her husband at a subway station, her family sets out to find her. They recall her life, and begin learning about all that they did not know about her – her pains, sacrifices, and secrets. Chi-Young Kim deftly translates this sensitive novel from the original Korean title.

Rania Mamoun

Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun: This is a short story collection translated from Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette. Set primarily in Sudan, the 10 stories explore themes ranging from estrangement and longing, to love. One of the most poignant ones in the collection is ‘Passing’, where the narrator grieves her father’s death. Meanwhile, the one titled ‘In the Muck of the Soul’ follows a format akin to that of a screenplay to depict Sudan as seen from the eyes of the media.

Available: Leading bookstores and e-stores

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