Zadie Smith<\/strong> Mark Haddon<\/strong>
<\/strong>Margaret Busby\u2019s Part of the Story: Writings from Half a Century<\/a> is the record of one woman\u2019s lifelong passion for the literature and life of Africa and its diaspora, wherever she finds it. A beautiful collection. The funniest and smartest novel I\u2019ve read in a while is Black Bag<\/a> by Luke Kennard.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Can I recommend some metaphorical summer travel? Taiwan Travelogue<\/a> by Y\u00e1ng Shu\u0101ng-z\u01d0, translated by Lin King, won the International Booker prize<\/a> so you\u2019re legally obliged to read it. But there are three other books on the shortlist I would strongly urge you to get your hands on. The Director<\/a> by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin, brilliantly fictionalises the story of the film director WG Pabst who fled Germany before the outbreak of the second world war, felt ignored in Hollywood and made the foolish decision to return home. On Earth As It Is Beneath<\/a> by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan, is a short, sharp cleaver-blow of political horror set in a Brazilian prison camp. And She Who Remains<\/a> by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel, is the story of Bekija\/Matija who escapes an arranged marriage in Albania\u2019s Accursed Mountains by becoming a \u201csworn virgin\u201d under the ancient laws of the Kanun and living her life as a man.<\/p>\n
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