Tony Malone
@tonysreadinglist.bsky.social
Championing the wonders of translated fiction, one review at a time. Slightly older and more haggard than the photos suggest. Bitter at most things, really.
Need some cheering up for #GermanLitMonth? Here's Thomas Bernhard to brighten up your day :)
Wait a minute...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/13/f...
Wait a minute...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/13/f...
November 13, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Need some cheering up for #GermanLitMonth? Here's Thomas Bernhard to brighten up your day :)
Wait a minute...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/13/f...
Wait a minute...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/13/f...
Fear and loathing in downtown Vienna for #GermanLitMonth today, with Elfriede Jelinek's 'Die Klavierlehrerin' ('The Piano Teacher'):
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/d...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/d...
November 10, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Fear and loathing in downtown Vienna for #GermanLitMonth today, with Elfriede Jelinek's 'Die Klavierlehrerin' ('The Piano Teacher'):
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/d...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/d...
My second review for #GermanLitMonth's Genre Week takes us to Germany (via Austria) for Ingeborg Bachmann's 'Frankfurter Vorlesungen' ('Frankfurt Lectures'), a series of talks the writer gave way back when :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/f...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/f...
November 6, 2025 at 9:12 AM
My second review for #GermanLitMonth's Genre Week takes us to Germany (via Austria) for Ingeborg Bachmann's 'Frankfurter Vorlesungen' ('Frankfurt Lectures'), a series of talks the writer gave way back when :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/f...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/f...
Looking for some dark reading for the spooky season? Well, Honford Star have got you covered with their new 'Lovecraft Reanimated' series, three translations from the Korean inspired by the American writer and his Cthulhu mythos. See my reviews here :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/l...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/l...
October 31, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Looking for some dark reading for the spooky season? Well, Honford Star have got you covered with their new 'Lovecraft Reanimated' series, three translations from the Korean inspired by the American writer and his Cthulhu mythos. See my reviews here :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/l...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/l...
Anyone looking for an eerie read in translation for Hallowe'en might want to check out this interesting series from @honfordstar, 'Lovecraft Reanimated' - three of Lovecraft's works reimagined by Korean writers...
honfordstar.com/collections/...
honfordstar.com/collections/...
October 4, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Anyone looking for an eerie read in translation for Hallowe'en might want to check out this interesting series from @honfordstar, 'Lovecraft Reanimated' - three of Lovecraft's works reimagined by Korean writers...
honfordstar.com/collections/...
honfordstar.com/collections/...
Just had an enjoyable day's reading courtesy of LTI Korea's latest edition of 'Korean Literature Now' - lots of reviews, essays and fiction, including a story from featured writer Hwang Jungeun. It can all be tried for free at the site, too :) klwave.or.kr/klw/magazine...
September 26, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Just had an enjoyable day's reading courtesy of LTI Korea's latest edition of 'Korean Literature Now' - lots of reviews, essays and fiction, including a story from featured writer Hwang Jungeun. It can all be tried for free at the site, too :) klwave.or.kr/klw/magazine...
New start - same old Genji... Here's my look at Chapter 14 of the Tale, 'Miotsukushi':
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/25/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/25/t...
September 25, 2025 at 9:34 AM
New start - same old Genji... Here's my look at Chapter 14 of the Tale, 'Miotsukushi':
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/25/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/25/t...
Busy recently, so I haven't been online much, but in November I'm hoping to be more active to help with this year's #GermanLitMonth - here's the badge, with a building you may recognise :)
September 19, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Busy recently, so I haven't been online much, but in November I'm hoping to be more active to help with this year's #GermanLitMonth - here's the badge, with a building you may recognise :)
There's a new cat in town - well, the cat's translator, anyway! So how does Nick Bradley's version of Natsume Sōseki's 'I Am a Cat' compare to Aiko Ito & Graeme Wilson's version? Well, I can't promise a definitive answer, but...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/11/i...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/11/i...
September 11, 2025 at 9:12 AM
There's a new cat in town - well, the cat's translator, anyway! So how does Nick Bradley's version of Natsume Sōseki's 'I Am a Cat' compare to Aiko Ito & Graeme Wilson's version? Well, I can't promise a definitive answer, but...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/11/i...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/11/i...
I'm back with another Genji post, the second part of my take on 'Akashi', as we see what's been going on back in the Capital, including some divine intervention...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/05/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/05/t...
September 5, 2025 at 8:43 AM
I'm back with another Genji post, the second part of my take on 'Akashi', as we see what's been going on back in the Capital, including some divine intervention...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/05/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/05/t...
After a break for #WITMonth, I'm back on the road with my chapter-by-chapter look at 'The Tale of Genji'. Today sees the first of two posts on Chapter 13, 'Akashi', with our young friend finding love just down the coast... tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/04/t...
September 4, 2025 at 10:19 AM
After a break for #WITMonth, I'm back on the road with my chapter-by-chapter look at 'The Tale of Genji'. Today sees the first of two posts on Chapter 13, 'Akashi', with our young friend finding love just down the coast... tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/09/04/t...
I was sent a copy of Miranda Darling's 'Fireweather' (out in Aus at the start of September) a while back, and it was only when I had a closer look recently that I realised it was a follow-up of sorts to another book, 'Thunderhead' - many thanks to Scribe Publications for that one, too :)
August 29, 2025 at 10:27 AM
I was sent a copy of Miranda Darling's 'Fireweather' (out in Aus at the start of September) a while back, and it was only when I had a closer look recently that I realised it was a follow-up of sorts to another book, 'Thunderhead' - many thanks to Scribe Publications for that one, too :)
It's not #WITMonth without a bit of Genji, so I'm rounding off my August reviews with a look at my new precious, Melissa McCormick's 'The Tale of Genji: A Visual Companion' :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/08/28/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/08/28/t...
August 28, 2025 at 10:03 AM
It's not #WITMonth without a bit of Genji, so I'm rounding off my August reviews with a look at my new precious, Melissa McCormick's 'The Tale of Genji: A Visual Companion' :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/08/28/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/08/28/t...
A welcome arrival - a new take on Natsume Sōseki's classic novel 'I Am a Cat', translated by Nick Bradley, out in September from Vintage Books. Looking forward to catching up with my old feline friend soon :)
August 26, 2025 at 10:52 AM
A welcome arrival - a new take on Natsume Sōseki's classic novel 'I Am a Cat', translated by Nick Bradley, out in September from Vintage Books. Looking forward to catching up with my old feline friend soon :)
A nice surprise in the post today (out in September from @QCfiction), a book I was hoping to see: 'All Kidding Aside' (translated by Neil Smith), the latest novel in English from Jean-Christophe Réhel, the author of 'Tatouine' :)
August 15, 2025 at 12:40 PM
A nice surprise in the post today (out in September from @QCfiction), a book I was hoping to see: 'All Kidding Aside' (translated by Neil Smith), the latest novel in English from Jean-Christophe Réhel, the author of 'Tatouine' :)
Review number four for #WITMonth sees a return to Japan for Joan E. Ericson's 'Be a Woman', part monograph, part translation, a work looking at Fumiko Hayashi's life and writing and the idea of 'women's literature' in Japan:
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/b...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/b...
August 14, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Review number four for #WITMonth sees a return to Japan for Joan E. Ericson's 'Be a Woman', part monograph, part translation, a work looking at Fumiko Hayashi's life and writing and the idea of 'women's literature' in Japan:
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/b...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/b...
Just arrived (the book, not the shoes...), one I really should have got to long ago. Translated by Philip Gabriel, 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' takes a look at H. Murakami's fascination with running, but I'm sure there's something about writing in there, too ;)
August 9, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Just arrived (the book, not the shoes...), one I really should have got to long ago. Translated by Philip Gabriel, 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' takes a look at H. Murakami's fascination with running, but I'm sure there's something about writing in there, too ;)
Two books, two names, but just one writer - whether it's written O Chŏng-Hŭi or Oh Jung-Hee, what's not in doubt is the quality of the Korean writer's work. On the right, a new arrival, just in time for #WITMonth, 'Chinatown', translated by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton :)
August 5, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Two books, two names, but just one writer - whether it's written O Chŏng-Hŭi or Oh Jung-Hee, what's not in doubt is the quality of the Korean writer's work. On the right, a new arrival, just in time for #WITMonth, 'Chinatown', translated by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton :)
A new (yes, *new*) piece of fiction by Japanese writer Shūsaku Endō? That and more in 'Portraits of a Mother' (translated by Van C. Gessel, courtesy of Yale University Press) - see my review here :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/31/p...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/31/p...
July 31, 2025 at 8:14 AM
A new (yes, *new*) piece of fiction by Japanese writer Shūsaku Endō? That and more in 'Portraits of a Mother' (translated by Van C. Gessel, courtesy of Yale University Press) - see my review here :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/31/p...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/31/p...
More incoming Osamu Dazai, with Juliet Winters Carpenter's new translation of 'The Setting Sun', courtesy of Tuttle Publishing. Keen to see how it differs from the Donald Keene version shown here (from New Directions)!
July 29, 2025 at 12:00 PM
More incoming Osamu Dazai, with Juliet Winters Carpenter's new translation of 'The Setting Sun', courtesy of Tuttle Publishing. Keen to see how it differs from the Donald Keene version shown here (from New Directions)!
My latest review looks at Elizabeth von Arnim's 'The Enchanted April', a tale of four women, strangers at the start, enjoying a month in a castle, and in the Italian sun :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/t...
July 28, 2025 at 10:30 AM
My latest review looks at Elizabeth von Arnim's 'The Enchanted April', a tale of four women, strangers at the start, enjoying a month in a castle, and in the Italian sun :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/t...
He left his home in Kyoto, headed for Suma Bay...
Join Genji in sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time (even if the tide is doing anything but rollin' away!):
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/25/t...
Join Genji in sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time (even if the tide is doing anything but rollin' away!):
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/25/t...
July 25, 2025 at 10:07 AM
He left his home in Kyoto, headed for Suma Bay...
Join Genji in sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time (even if the tide is doing anything but rollin' away!):
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/25/t...
Join Genji in sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' time (even if the tide is doing anything but rollin' away!):
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/25/t...
A slightly different slant on my Genji adventures today, as I review Patrick W. Caddeau's 'Appraising Genji', a look at what nineteenth-century literatus Hiromichi Hagiwara contributed to Genji commentary :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/17/a...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/17/a...
July 17, 2025 at 10:36 AM
A slightly different slant on my Genji adventures today, as I review Patrick W. Caddeau's 'Appraising Genji', a look at what nineteenth-century literatus Hiromichi Hagiwara contributed to Genji commentary :)
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/17/a...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/17/a...
I actually read this one a few months back, but my first read was all for me! Now, after a reread, I'm ready to share my thoughts with others, and as you'll see, perhaps it was for the best that I kept them to myself until after the second try...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/14/w...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/14/w...
July 14, 2025 at 8:17 AM
I actually read this one a few months back, but my first read was all for me! Now, after a reread, I'm ready to share my thoughts with others, and as you'll see, perhaps it was for the best that I kept them to myself until after the second try...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/14/w...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/14/w...
Fancy a mini-Genji-translation-slam? Of course you do ;) Three writers, one paragraph from 'Hanchirusato' - who does it best?
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/11/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/11/t...
July 11, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Fancy a mini-Genji-translation-slam? Of course you do ;) Three writers, one paragraph from 'Hanchirusato' - who does it best?
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/11/t...
tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2025/07/11/t...