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Children's Editor-at-Large Sarah Odedina shares her summer reading list sarah RECOMMENDS: teen and young adult Start the summer right with these £2.99 teen and young adult adventures Hello Pushkin readers, Books for young readers act as mirrors and windows, allowing the reader to not only see themselves and find support but also to see the lives of others in a way that encourages understanding. This selection of Pushkin titles provides a handful of stories that offer readers entertainment, reflection and access all through the wonderful magic that is unique to fiction. Dive in and discover. The world is here in books. Happy reading, Sarah Odedina has worked in publishing since 1988 and most of that time in the world of books for young readers. As an editor she looks for great characters in wonderful plot driven stories. Sarah is a co-founder of the children’s magazine SCOOP and is a trustee of The Poetry Translation Centre. THIS WEEK... Bearmouth by Liz Hyder SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE Liz Hyder has done something utterly unique. She has written a novel set in a completely self-contained environment, which is made real to the reader through the voice of a unique character – written entirely in a dialect that she has created. It is a novel that is totally immersive and full of hope and courage and a determined belief in the power of change. It is a remarkable and original book.   Piglettes by Clémentine BeauvaisThis book simply charmed me. How often do you get to spend time with three absolutely adorable young women cycling across France selling sausages? But the story is so much more than that, as it challenges sexism and bullying and shines a light on the importance of friendship. AND best of all, it is also really funny! The Disappearances by Emily Bain MurphyI was hooked from the start. This gorgeous and magical novel is set in an imagined America and introduces us to a brother and sister who are sent to live with people they barely know when their widowed father goes to war. The town is afflicted by a strange curse that their mother appears to be implicated in… I literally couldn’t put the book down until all was revealed. The Disappearances has poetic prose, skilful use of magic and a host of gorgeous characters – reading it is magic itself.  Emily's next book, Splinters of Scarlet, published last week. LOST by Ele FountainReading for me is often about being introduced to the lives of others and finding out what challenges those people might face, and in LOST we are introduced with kindness, tact and sensitivity to the theme of child homelessness. This issue affects children all over the world, and in a completely non-judgemental way Ele Fountain lets us imagine what this might be like. Set in an unnamed city in an unnamed country, this important book reminds us of the universality of the problem. Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff (tr. Annie Prime)I was so excited when I read this book: pulsing with atmosphere, laser-focused on issues around the lives of women, and, like the best dystopian and fantasy novels, deeply rooted in real social issues. Turtschaninoff cuts into the themes of the book like a surgeon and I loved being in her safe hands. Copyright © 2020 Pushkin Press, All rights reserved.

Selected by the award-winning translator, Boris Dralyuk boris RECOMMENDS: translated classics Sending love to the translators of the world this week with £2.99 ebooks Hello Pushkin readers, If the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) were magically transported to the present day, he would be proud to see his name on the handsome covers below. He would also be amazed at the progress we’ve made. In his era, translators were merely “the post-horses of enlightenment,” while the Pushkin Collection is a veritable stable of thoroughbreds. For years these translators have brought enlightenment to anglophone readers with uniform grace and individual panache. The volumes I’ve chosen to showcase are personal favorites, but there isn’t a weak book in the Pushkin bunch. Happy reading, Boris Dralyuk is an award-winning translator and the Executive Editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books. He is the translator of Isaac Babel’s Red Cavalry and Odessa Stories from Pushkin Press. THIS WEEK... And the Earth Will Sit on the Moon by Nikolai Gogol (tr. Oliver Ready) The madcap tales of Pushkin’s great contemporary, Nikolai Gogol, dash through haunted St. Petersburg and devil-plagued Ukraine like “a troika as fast as a whirlwind.” In these dazzling translations, Oliver Ready gives free rein to his stylistic imagination, offering us one of the wildest literary rides of our lives. The Beauties by Anton Chekhov (tr. Nicolas Pasternak Slater)While Gogol dazzles us with syntactic pyrotechnics, Chekhov beguiles us with seemingly casual elegance and timeless psychological insights. Nicolas Pasternak Slater preserves the startling poignancy of the best of Chekhov’s prose, the sense that his characters continue their existence long after we turn the last page. At the end of each sensitively rendered story, we are left to feel that “the end [is] a long, long way off, and the most difficult and complicated part [is] only just beginning.” Subtly Worded and Other Stories by Teffi (tr. Anne Marie Jackson)If one could imagine a blend of Gogol and Chekhov, it might read something like Teffi at her most colorful. By and large, she is far closer to Chekhov, bringing the same cool head and unfailing sense of perspective to even the most dramatic events. War, revolution, exile — Teffi takes them all in stride, never making light of tragedy but also never missing an opportunity to have a good laugh. In her Pushkin Press debut, a crack team of translators led by Anne Marie Jackson and Robert and Elizabeth Chandler delivers just what the title promises: subtly worded renditions of one of the wittiest writers of her or any other time The Buddha's Return and The Beggar by Gaito Gazdanov (tr. Bryan Karetnyk)The work of Teffi’s younger contemporary among the Russian émigrés, Gaito Gazdanov, provides an eerier, more atmospheric depiction of exilic life in Paris — a ground-level view through the windshield of a taxi. The nights and days of Gazdanov’s fellow émigrés were enveloped in shadows and fog, in guilt and nostalgia, “an illusoriness that was many-layered and inescapable.” The Buddha’s Return and the tales in The Beggar capture the pain and confusion of displacement, of lives riven by history, in prose as chillingly clear as a confession under hypnosis. Bryan Karetnyk’s impeccable translations of Gazdanov’s novels and stories have established the Russian author as a vital voice in English, a bridge between Dostoyevsky and Camus. Copyright © 2020 Pushkin Press, All rights reserved.

Be thrilled by our worldwide crime selection harriet RECOMMENDS: crime around the world Our best thrillers at criminal prices this week - just £1.99 on ebook! Hi Pushkin readers, When the weather outside is warm, I like to turn to dark and twisty mysteries to act as a counterpoint. There really is nothing better than sitting in the sun feeling like you are actually in the depths of a Scandinavian winter. These titles from our crime imprint Pushkin Vertigo will provide the perfect summer escapism – for what is more satisfying than a flawlessly crafted crime novel? I’m sure there will be something for you here, whether you love fiendish murder mysteries, thrilling detective capers or classic cosy crime. Enjoy these spine-tingling reads, but beware – they may just keep you up at night… THIS WEEK... Death Going Down by María Angélica Bosco (tr. Lucy Greaves) A young woman is dead. Was it suicide? Inspector Ericourt is not so sure, but soon finds that no one is to be trusted. One of Argentina’s greatest detective stories, it is a postwar tale of survival and obsession. 'Clever and intense' Sunday Times Crime Club 'One of the best Argentinean detective novels of the twentieth century' MDZ Magazine Resurrection Bay by Emma ViskicEmma Viskic’s fans include Ian Rankin, Jane Harper and Val McDermid – and rightly so. The first in a gripping series featuring Caleb Zelic, a profoundly deaf and indomitable protagonist, sees Caleb on a hunt for vengeance for the murderer of his childhood friend. High-octane and thrilling, this grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.  'A stunning debut... original and splendidly plotted [with] a superb cast of main characters' The Times Crime Book of the Month Clinch by Martin Holmén (tr. Henning Koch)Harry Kvist was once a notorious boxer, but now spends his days drinking, and his nights chasing debts amongst the pimps, prostitutes and petty thieves of 1930s Stockholm. Trouble follows Kvist though like a bad smell, and soon he is connected to a murder he had no hand in. This is an electric, brutal thrill of a read. ‘Clinch is a dark, atmospheric, powerful thriller, the best debut novel I’ve read in years’ Lynda La Plante Bird in a Cage by Frédéric Dard (tr. David Bellos)Frédéric Dard is, according to the Observer, 'the French master of noir', and in Bird in a Cage he delivers precisely that mastery. Back in Paris for a funeral, Albert meets a beautiful and mysterious woman. All is not quite as it seems, but he willingly (and naively) goes back to her apartment. The scene that awaits them is horrifying, and Albert finds increasingly enmeshed in a nightmarish situation. Disturbing, twisty and cinematic, this is a classic of the genre. 'Alongside the Maigret novels of Georges Simenon there is a rich vein of period French crime still to be tapped. Frédéric Dard is a case in point' Daily Mail The Pledge by Friedrich Dürrenmatt (tr. Joel Agee)A dead girl, a criminal who confesses – should be a simple case closed? But Inspector Matthai can’t put this particular incident out of his mind. A tale of obsession, mistrust and jealousy, this novella was written in 1958 and is named one of the Sunday Times 100 Best Crime Novels and Thrillers Since 1945. It has also been made into a major film with Jack Nicholson. This is assured, clever and the perfect summer read. 'A chilling study of obsession that defies all reason' Daily Mail Copyright © 2020 Pushkin Press, All rights reserved.

Presenting Pushkin's most impressive first time authors laura RECOMMENDS: debut voices Discover our fresh new voices for just £1.99 in ebook or in a discounted bundle Hi Pushkin readers, With summer days at their peak, it’s time to lie on the grass, book in hand, with the scent of grass, and the distant tinkle of an ice cream van in the background. These are the days I turn to debut writers above all, seeking fresh ideas, new voices, unique insights. Each of these standout debut novels from Pushkin Press brings a new perspective on how we live now, and I’m sure you’ll find something here to surprise, provoke, and refresh. Enjoy! THIS WEEK... The Other's Gold by Elizabeth Ames Following four friends from their early days at university through relationships, first jobs, political consciousness, and motherhood, this is a novel to get completely wrapped up in. There’s still something radical about a campus novel about women, and Elizabeth Ames explores friendship, and how much you can forgive those you love, while reminding us of our own deepest connections. My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci (tr. David Hackston)Pajtim Statovci is possibly the most zeitgeisty author you’ve ever come across. His debut novel takes in immigration, sexual identity, living with trauma, but also a pet boa constrictor and a talking cat. Beautifully translated from the Finnish by David Hackston, it deserves to become a classic. The Inland Sea by Madeleine WattsThis is a novel about emergency. It’s about growing up in a world of climate crisis, it’s about living with a dying world, and what it’s like when reality seems increasingly dystopic. It’s about being young, wading through self-destructive impulses, and longing to escape. It’s one of the finest works of contemporary fiction I’ve ever read. It’ll blow your mind. Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian LiThis delightful novel introduces us to the staff and customers at everyone’s favourite Chinese restaurant. We’re thrown into simmering family tensions, and the challenges of immigrant life, but it’s the characters who absolutely make this novel – they are so real, so complex, so warm, selfish, and flawed – it’s almost like spending time with your own family. Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (tr. Sarah Moses)Cheating a little here, but this is Argentinian superstar Augustina Bazterrica’s first novel to be translated into English. It’s a shocking dystopian tale that imagines a world in which the consumption of human meat has become normalised. Really it’s about humanity, and it addresses some of the most significant moral questions of our time. Copyright © 2020 Pushkin Press, All rights reserved.

OUT TODAY: a memoir of adoption like you've never read before OUT TODAY from rising star nicole chung a REVELATORY MEMOIR explorING adoption, race, motherhood and belonging The story Nicole Chung's mother told her about her birth parents was always the same: they had made the ultimate sacrifice in the hope of giving their baby a better life. But years later, grown up and expecting a child of her own, Nicole begins to wonder if her mother's story is the whole truth. As she embarks on a search for her beginnings, Nicole discovers that the answers she seeks, and the truth behind them, are darker than she imagined. Heart-rending yet endlessly hopeful, All You Can Ever Know is a compelling memoir about adoption, race, and how it feels to lose your roots - and then find them in the least expected of places.   A NOTE FROM NICOLE:"I couldn't be more thrilled to be sharing All You Can Ever Know with you. It is a joy and a great privilege to be able to create a book with one's publisher (especially a publisher as special as Pushkin), knowing it will make its way to open, thoughtful readers who will then have their own relationship with it. All You Can Ever Know is my debut memoir, and it means so much to me to be able to tell the story of my families by birth and adoption and choice—all of them real, loved, and forever a part of me. If you spend any time with this book, thank you, and I very much hope you enjoy it." Want to dip your toes in? Here's a sneak preview: The story my mother told me about them was always the same. Your birth parents had just moved here from Korea. They thought they wouldn’t be able to give you the life you deserved. It’s the first story I can recall, one that would shape a hundred others once I was old enough and brave enough to go looking like what you see? READ THE full FIRST CHAPTER HERE more from nicole... observer new review nicole chung: 'if my life were fiction, you would not believe it'  Click here to read Nicole's interview with the Observer New Review, where she talks about her critically-acclaimed new memoir, and the experiences she faced as a transracially adopted child. read it here . Copyright © 2020 Pushkin Press, All rights reserved.

Discover a classic author in our £1.99 ebook drops this week rory RECOMMENDS: antal szerb Discover five of Szerb's best works in our £1.99 ebooks this week only Hi Pushkin readers, This week I’m happy to turn the spotlight on the sly, witty work of Antal Szerb. A lot of people have been turning to the classics recently, and Szerb provides so many portals out of the present moment: stories of loss and dissolution beginning in the backalleys of Venice, a satirical romp involving eccentric Welsh nobility and a surprising, humorous slant on the folly and delusion of eighteenth-century Paris… To me, what’s amazing about Szerb is how he’s both so entertaining and so profound. His narratives move with a light foot, moments of bizarre comedy opening onto deep mystery, with his subtle irony a constant thread. He’s a foundational Pushkin author and a true European original, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy following the winding track laid down by his work. Happy reading, THIS WEEK... Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb (tr. Len Rix) A major classic, this darkly comical yet moving story follows a bourgeois businessman, Mihály, as he abandons his new wife in pursuit of a wilder, lost version of himself. ‘A writer of immense subtlety and generosity... Can literary mastery be this quiet-seeming, this hilarious, this kind? Antal Szerb is one of the great European writers’ Ali Smith The Pendragon Legend by Antal Szerb (tr. Len Rix)When young scholar Janos is invited to the ancestral seat of the Earl of Gwynedd's family, a mysterious phone call tells him not to go. Hungarian academia meets Welsh aristocracy in this  bizarre tale of mysticism and romance, animal experimentation, and planned murder. 'An absolute treat, deliciously ludic' Guardian Oliver VII by Antal Szerb (tr. Len Rix)Desperate to escape his duties and experience the 'real' world of Venice, a young Central European leader stages a coup against himself. But his mistakes are abundant and, through a series of bizarre and convoluted cons, he ends up impersonating himself. Paradoxical, complicated and droll, Oliver VII is another example of Szerb's playful takes on the human condition. Love in a Bottle by Antal Szerb (tr. Len Rix)Set variously in mythical times and the London and Paris of the twenties and thirties, this collection of Szerb's stories and novellas is an exhilarating guide to the author's abundant love for life and humanity, and his incomparable, witty storytelling. 'Here you have Szerb in miniature revealing his multi-faceted genius' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian The Queen's Necklace by Antal Szerb (tr. Len Rix)In August 1785, Paris was buzzing with scandal. At its centre was the hated Queen herself, Marie Antoinette, and the most expensive diamond necklace ever assembled that hung on her neck. Szerb's great knowledge and sensitivies shine through as he explores the tangle of fraud, folly, blindness and self-delusion that led to the fall of the French monarchy. Copyright © 2020 Pushkin Press, All rights reserved.