November 2023 MBR The Literary Fiction Shelf

The Literary Fiction Shelf

A Description of Moldavia
Dimitrie Cantemir
Center for Romanian Studies
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592110254, $49.99, HC, 276pp

https://www.amazon.com/Description-Moldavia-Dimitrie-Cantemir/dp/1592110258

Synopsis: Written by one of the country's most renowned rulers, "A Description of Moldavia" by Dimitrie Cantemir provides unique insight into the geography, history, economy, ethnography, culture, and traditions of the principality.

Born to a noble family, Dimitrie Cantemir, ruled as Prince of Moldavia on two occasions (March-April 1693 and 1710-1711). He was a famed statesman, philosopher, and scholar. Cantemir wrote his Description of Moldavia (Descriptio Moldaviae) in 1716 at the request of the Royal Academy in Berlin, of which he was a member.

Cantemir's manuscript included a map (reproduced in this current edition), which the first real map of the country and containing geographical detail. "A Description of Moldavia" also provides a wealth of information about the country's natural resources, political organization, customs and traditions, history, religion, and language. This deluxe edition of this classic work marks the first time "A Description of Moldavia" has appeared in the English language.

An introduction and notes by Dr. A.K. Brackob, a noted specialist on Romanian and East European history, further enhances this invaluable historical resource.

Critique: Deftly edited and featuring an informative Introduction by A. K. Brackob, "A Description of Moldavia" by Dimetrie Cantemir (26 October 1673 - 21 August 1723) is organized into three major sections: Geography; Politics; Religion & Literature. Fascinating, informative. A unique historical resource, "A Description of Moldavia" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Romanian History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: A. K. Brackob is a noted specialist in East European history. His other books include Scanderbeg: George Castriota and the Albanian Resistance to Islamic Expansion in Southeastern Europe in the Fifteenth Century and Mircea the Old: Father of Wallachia, Grandfather of Dracula.

At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia
Ionel Teodoreanu
Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592112920, $24.99, PB, 356pp

https://www.amazon.com/At-Medeleni-Moldavia-Classics-Literature/dp/1592112927

Synopsis: "At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia" by Ionel Teodoreanu is classic work of Romanian literature and a wonderful novel for all ages. Ionel Teodoreanu captivates your mind and your heart as he places you alongside his memorable characters: Olga, Monica, and Dan.

"At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia" takes place during the years between the two world wars and is a delightful account of brother-sister rivalry, along with the life of a generally happy, easy-going family in rural Moldavia.

Critique: A finely crafted novel written with 'warmth, wit, love, and the pursuit of dreams', "At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia" will prove to be of special appeal for readers ages 15 to 95 with an interest in a family life novel whose excellence and merit raise it to the level of timeless Fine Arts Literary Fiction. While an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for highscool, community and academic library Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49).

Editorial Note: Ionel Teodoreanu (6 January 1897 - 3 February 1954) wrote more than twenty books during his prolific literary career, including the classic Lorelei, but At Medeleni remains his most beloved work. In it, the author drew on his experiences growing up in rural Moldavia. Published as a trilogy, At Medeleni: A Summer in Moldavia is a translation of volume 1 of the trilogy, titled in Romanian, Hotarul Nestatornic. The illustrated edition of At Medeleni is part of the Classics of Romanian Literature series published by the Center for Romanian Studies as part of its efforts to promote access to Romanian culture in the world. It includes an introduction by A.K. Brackob.

The Dream of the Red Chamber
Cao Xueqin, author
Edwein lowe, introduction
H. Bencraft Joly, translator
Tuttle Publishing
www.tuttlepublishing.com
9780804840965, $29.95, PB, 992pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Red-Chamber-Tuttle-Classics/dp/0804840962

Synopsis: "The Dream of the Red Chamber" by Cao Xueqin is one of the "Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature." It is renowned for its huge scope, large cast of characters, and telling observations about the life and social structures of 18th century China. Many consider it to be the pinnacle of the classical Chinese novel.

The "Red Chamber" is a term used to describe the sheltered area where the daughters of wealthy Chinese families lived. "The Dream of the Red Chamber" is believed to be based on the author's own life and intended as a memorial to the women that he knew in his youth.

As Edwin Lowe writes in his introduction, "Henry Bencraft Joly's attention to detail and the faithfulness in his translation of Hong Lou Meng makes this revised edition of The Dream of the Red Chamber an excellent book for the student of modern Chinese."

Critique: A work of fiction that easily rises to the full level of literary excellence and aptly translated into English by H. Bencraft Joly for a contemporary American readersip, a student studying Chinese, a member of academia studying or teaching Chinese historical literature, or a non-specialist general readers simply interested in Chinese literature, "The Dream of the Red Chamber" is an eloquent, elegant, multilayered, richly descriptive, complex and entertaining story that also provides a wealth of key insights into Chinese culture and history. While especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, college, college/university Chinese Classical Literature collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted that "The Dream of the Red Chamber" is also available in a digital format (Kindle, $1.99).

Editorial Note #1: Cao Xueqin (4 April 1710-10 June 1765) was a Chinese novelist and poet during the Qing dynasty. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Xueqin)

Editorial Note #2: There is a lengthy listing of titles translated into English by H. Bencraft Joly at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10034387.H_Bencraft_Joly

Editorial Note #3: Edwin H. Lowe has been a university researcher and academic for over 20 years in the diverse fields of conservation genetics, molecular biology, defence and strategic studies, Chinese history, Chinese politics and Chinese to English translation. He has worked and taught at Macquarie University, the Australian National University, the University of New South Wales and the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies, Australian Defence College. Edwin has authored and co-authored articles and books in these fields, and has translated and edited translations of Chinese texts.

The Siren's Lament: Essential Stories
Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, author
Bryan Karetnyk, translator
Pushkin Press
www.pushkinpress.com
9781782278092, $18.00, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sirens-Lament-Essential-Stories/dp/1782278095

Synopsis: Featuring "The Qilin," "The Siren's Lament," and the novella "Killing O-Tsuya", this gorgeous new edition of 3 classic works from Pushkin Press are ably translated into English by Bryan Karetnyk who deftly distills the essence of Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's shorter fiction: the co-mingling of Japanese and Chinese mythologies, the chillingly dark side of desire, and the paper-thin line between the sublime and the depraved.

"The Qilin": The sage Confucius travels to a kingdom ruled by a struggling duke, whose pursuit of virtue is threatened by his consort's obsession desire for pleasure.

"Killing O-Tsuya": A naive servant elopes with his master's daughter, only to be plunged headlong into a world of murder and corruption.

"The Siren's Lament": Exhausted by a lifestyle of never-ending debauchery, a young prince finds himself in possession of a dazzling, beguiling mermaid.

The essential short works of one of the most important and widely-read figured in modern Japanese literature, and the author of hugely popular works including In Praise of Shadows, The Makioka Sisters, and Naomi, author Jun'ichiro Tanizaki is renowned for his investigations of family dynamics, eroticism, and cultural identity.

Critique: This compact (4.78 x 0.6 x 6.44 inches, 6.40 ounces) paperback edition of "The Siren's Lament" will prove to be of immense interest to students, academia, and the non-specialist general reader of Japanese literature. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99), "The Siren's Lament" is an ideal and unreservedly recommended pick for community and college/university International Literary Fiction collections and supplemental Japanese Literary Studies curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Jun'ichiro Tanizaki (24 July 1886 - 30 July 1965) was a widely acclaimed writer, considered to be one of the most important figures in modern Japanese literature. His writing career extended from the end of the Meiji era in 1912 through the rapid growth and modernization of the 1960s. His writing draws on elements of classical Japanese literature, as well as Chinese mythology and Western literature.

Editorial Note #2: Bryan Karetnyk (https://lithub.com/author/briankaretnyk) is a British writer and translator. His translations for Pushkin Press include several works by Gaito Gazdanov, Irina Odoevtseva and Rynunosuke Akutagawa. He is also the editor of the Penguin Classics anthology Russian Emigre Short Stories from Bunin to Yanovsky.

What Makes You Think You're Supposed to Feel Better
Jody Hobbs Hesler
Cornerstone Press
9781960329073, $24.95, PB, 236pp

https://www.amazon.com/Makes-Think-Youre-Supposed-Better/dp/1960329073

Synopsis: The seventeen short stories by Jody Hobbs Hesler that comprise "What Makes You Think You're Supposed to Feel Better" include: The grisly death of the hermit outsider in a tight-knit neighborhood prompts a young mom to yearn for solitude. A man wrestles with regrets from a 30-year-old affair while his wife hovers toward death in the ICU. An older, childless woman aches to rescue the seemingly mistreated child she observes in the grocery store. And a girl's desire to avoid the party her father dragged her to nearly gets her abducted.

All seventeen short stories comprising Jody Hobbs Hesler's debut collection are told with restraint and deep compassion against the backdrop of Virginia back streets and small towns, shines with its portraits of longing, disconnection, and the ache for renewal and redemption that comes from our own frailties.

Critique: Eloquent, elegant, deft crafted, original, thoughtfully entertaining, Jody Hobbs Hesler's "What Makes You Think You're Supposed to Feel Better: Stories" from Cornerstone Press is an especially and unreservedly recommended pick for personal reading lists, as well as community, and college/university library Literary Fiction & Short Story Anthology collections.

Editorial Note: Jody Hobbs Hesler (https://www.jodyhobbshesler.com) has written ever since she could hold a pencil and now lives and writes in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her stories and other work have appeared in Los Angeles Review, Valparaiso Fiction Review, Necessary Fiction, CRAFT, Pithead Chapel, and elsewhere. Growing up, she split time between suburban Richmond, Virginia, and the mountains outside Winchester, Virginia. Experiences of all three regions flavor her writing. She teaches at WriterHouse in Charlottesville, Virginia, and reads for The Los Angeles Review. Her debut novel, "Without You Here", is forthcoming in November 2024.

The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann
Virginia Pye
www.virginiapye.com
9781646033973, $19.95, PB, 312pp

https://www.amazon.com/Literary-Undoing-Victoria-Swann/dp/1646033973

Synopsis: Victoria Swann is a successful author of romance and adventure novels who becomes a champion of women's rights as she takes on the literary establishment and finds her true voice, both on and off the page.

Everything changes for Victoria when she goes against her publisher's demands and abandons her frivolous style to tell her own story. Her new, young, Harvard-bred editor becomes her unexpected ally as she fights for the women who have been her faithful readers.

Set in Gilded Age Boston, "The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann" shows writing and reading as acts of defiance and revision in life and revision on the page as intimately entwined.

Critique: A fun and thought-provoking read from start to finish, "The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann" is a deftly crafted novel that showcases author Virginia Pye's genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that will make "The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann" linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after it is finished and set back upon the shelf. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.49), "The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Historical Literary Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Virginia Pye (www.virginiapye.com" is the author of the story collection "Shelf Life of Happiness" which won the 2019 IPPY Gold Medal for Short Fiction. Her two historical novels set in China, "Dreams of the Red Phoenix" and "River of Dust", also received literary awards. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Literary Hub, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She is Fiction Editor at Pangyrus and has taught writing at NYU, UPenn, and at GrubStreet Writing Center in Boston.

The Language of Kin
Lynne Hugo
Amphorae Publishing Group
https://amphoraepublishing.com
9781943075775, $18.99, PB, 372pp

https://www.amazon.com/Language-Kin-Novel-Lynne-Hugo/dp/B0BJ85D4QH

Synopsis: Eve, a chimpanzee orphaned by poachers and used for experiments in a medical lab, can finally lead a new life. When she arrives at the Dayton Zoo, Kate and Marc must overcome professional differences to build a relationship with her.

Forced to work together, Kate and Marc find common ground when they discover they both are the sole caregivers for their mothers, one who has been deaf her entire life and the other who recently lost her ability to process words.

After a life-threatening crisis occurs, can they find the courage (and the shared language) to reach across these silent divides to heal the ones they love?

Critique: A work of fiction that rises to an impressive level of literary excellence, "The Language of Kin" by novelist Lynne Hugo is deftly and beautifully written exploration of how the language of healing can transcend seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Especially and unreservedly recommended for community and college/university library Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Language of Kin" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.49).

Editorial Note: Lynne Hugo (https://www.lynnehugo.com) is the author of ten previous novels. She is also a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship recipient who has also received grants from the Ohio Arts Council and the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Her memoir, Where the Trail Grows Faint: A Year In the Life of A Therapy Dog Team, won the Riverteeth Literary Nonfiction Book Prize.

Looking for an Address
Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Translated from Bangla by Chhanda Chattopadhyay Bewtra
Parabaas Publishing
https://parabaas.com/ourbooks.php
9781946582119, $6.95 ebook/$14.95 Paper

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1946582115

Looking for an Address is set in the 1990s in New York City and centers on the lives of several expats from both Bangladesh and India who find their status as immigrants challenged by the political relationship and cultural differences between India and the U.S. "Most Bangladeshis seek political asylum. Like the Punjabis do. And a great many lie about it. Now the government has become much more strict. The F.B.I. inspects each case." American readers need not hold prior familiarity with immigrant policies and politics or Bengali culture in order to appreciate Nabaneeta Dev Sen's disparate characters, which embark on different searches for a sense of place in their revised lives, encountering new ideas and challenges in the process.

Anything needed in cultural or political background is incorporated into the story in a compelling manner as the characters encounter challenges to their dreams and ideals and are forced to make responses and changes that revise their ideas of independence, family relationships, and social status. Some words and ideas are hard to translate in Bengali, as the characters discover when a single description (such as 'innocence', for example) becomes impossible to properly transmit, even in the course of flirting. The free atmosphere of New York releases some who are prisoners of their own perceptions and creates a milieu that encourages not just growth, but taking greater risks for the sake of enlightenment. "You've come to this world. Don't you need an address for your heart?"

Book clubs discussing expat Indian literature and Indian/American cultural experiences will find Looking for an Address a compelling search for meaning and understanding, while libraries considering modern literature that expands the representation of Indian culture will find this book a key acquisition.

Grendel Wept
C. P. Serret
Tempest & Gayle
www.tempestandgayle.com
9781734323474, $24.99 Hardcover/$14.99 Paper

https://www.amazon.com/Grendel-Wept-C-P-Serret/dp/B0CJXGRXH7

Nemesis is a young woman who has pursued defrocked archaeologist and art curator Julian Corbin past the gates of his personal hell in quest of keys to place an item in storage. So opens a surrealistic scenario in which Julian's nightmares become part of a living death which operates (to him) on many different levels. Readers who begin Grendel Wept will discover that the literary narrative incorporates many unique devices to follow Julian's journey. These include conversations not presented in the usual quotes, explorations which teeter on the edge of insanity to blur the lines of reality and dreams, and observations of modern dilemmas and truths that permeate Julian's attitude and approach to living. The nuances which contribute to Grendel Wept's philosophical, literary, and psychological depth are many, placing this novel's illusions, allusions, and progression on the radars of intellectual readers and book clubs interested in a story which concurrently embraces traditional and unconventional threads in Everyman's interactions with society.

Ideally, readers of Grendel Wept will hold a special form literary and philosophical education that will allow their inspections of this story to fully embrace its most compelling features. From a serial killer's surreal threat to the wild intersection of fantasy and reality that drive Julian's world, readers can anticipate a slow read only because the thought-provoking nature of the passages and their presentation demands and deserves an attention to detail and the knowledge of literary precedent: "-I shall not take it, Father, for it looks to be both fish and man, and I hate fish."

The result is a work of art that both reflects Julian's passions and integrates present-day society with visions of death that are never far behind the living. The ultimate impact is nothing short of sensational: "I was without words, and a remembered sensation passed through me, shivering me: Grendel weeping alone in the darkness, not for his - my - mortal wounds, but for in gaining all, I'd lost it too." Readers and libraries looking for works of modern literature that display depth and challenge on intellectual, philosophical, and psychological scales will find Grendel Wept a powerful study in psyche and art. It deserves a place on literature shelves and assignment in contemporary classrooms studying modern literary achievement.

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