Take a Trip Around the World with These Incredible Translated Books

During the pandemic, travel has at best become a trip to the supermarket or a day in the office. Many of us have lost the ability to visit new places and experience new things.

Translated fiction has become my favourite way to scratch that travel itch while never leaving the house. Whether it be to the surreal nightlife of Tokyo, or solving a murder mystery in Sweden, there’s a piece of translated fiction waiting for you that will open your eyes to new and valuable experiences.

I can visit Spain, Germany, Cuba, and Japan without ever taking my eyes off the page. That, for me, is invaluable in literature. Read on to see some of our favourite pieces of translated fiction.

The Inheritors by Hannelore Cayre

Translated by Stephanie Smee

Spanning two centuries, from Paris on the eve of the Franco-Prussian War to the modern-day, this unforgettable family saga lays bare the persistent and poisonous injustice of inequality. In her trademark razor-sharp style, Hannelore Cayre again delivers the sardonic humour and devilish creativity that made The Godmother an international bestseller.

The Little Prince by Antione de Saint-Exupery

Translated by Richard Howard

With timeless charm, The Little Prince tells the story of a boy who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet to travel the universe, learning the vagaries of adult behaviour through a series of extraordinary encounters.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Translated by Reg Keeland

Murder mystery, family saga, and financial intrigue combine into one satisfyingly complex and entertaining thriller, the first in Stieg Larsson’s thrilling Millenium series featuring Lisbeth Salander.

Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri

Translated by Jhumpa Lahiri

A rare work of fiction, Whereabouts—first written in Italian and then translated by the author herself— brims with the impulse to cross barriers. By grafting herself onto a new literary language, Lahiri has pushed herself to a new level of artistic achievement.

The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili

Translated by Charlotte Collins/Ruth Martin

Truly epic and utterly absorbing, The Eighth Life is a novel of seven exceptional lives lived under the heat and light of empire, revolution, war, repression, and liberation.

Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-ju

Translated by Jamie Chang

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is the South Korean sensation that has got the whole world talking. The life story of one young woman born at the end of the twentieth century raises questions about endemic misogyny and institutional oppression that are relevant to us all.