If you haven’t heard, while the World Cup is going on, there is also a World Cup of Literature, hosted by Three Percent (see “the details” here). It all started yesterday, when, with a 4-0 score, Brazil’s Budapest, by Chico Buarque and translated by Alison Entrekin, walloped Croatia’s Dark Heart of the Night, by Leonora Miano and translated from the French by Tasmin Black (see the match here).
I am one of the hard working judges, analyzing every foot placement, throwing out yellow cards, ignoring the violations I agree with. And today I’ve thrown down my first verdict in Italy v. England. Italy is represented by Elena Ferrante’s The Days of Abandonment (tr. from the Italian by Ann Goldstein) and England by Zadie Smith’s NW. Go here for the result.
We hope you continue to follow along and engage with the calls — it’s all the more fun that way.
I feel we were compromised before a ball was kicked. Smith is notoriously weak at the back. Inevitable loss.