Trevor Berrett

Trevor Berrett is the editor of The Mookse and the Gripes

Stig Sæterbakken: Through the Night

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It’s a shame that through the Best Translated Book Award I’ve come to know a couple of authors by books that function almost as suicide notes — or, rather, we read them like that because they talk of death and depression (and suicide) and then shortly after their publication the author has taken his (no women to date) own life. Such … Read more

Sjón: The Whispering Muse

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I was thrilled last year when FSG published three novels from Icelandic author Sjón. I’d seen the British press covering them for a few years, and they always looked so intriguing. One of them, The Whispering Muse (Argóarflísin, 2005; tr. from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb, 2012), has found its way on to the Best Translated Book Award … Read more

Marcelle Sauvageot: Commentary

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One thing I love about the Best Translated Book Award is that it looks at what it considers to be the best translated books, regardless of when they were first written. Regardless, in fact, of whether the author is still alive and can claim their honor (and the $5,000 prize). Consequently, on the longlist we’ll … Read more

Maria Gripe: The Glassblower’s Children

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I’m letting my two older boys take over again to review a wonderful children’s book that was just reissued by New York Review Children’s Collection: The Glassblower’s Children (Glasbåsarns barn, 1964; tr. from the Swedish by Sheila La Farge, 1973; illustrated by Harald Gripe). I’m also thrilled to get them into the world of translated fiction! But … Read more