***Before we dive into our post about this weekend’s book-hiding extravaganza in partnership with The American Literary Translators Association, we wanted to share a reminder that we are fundraising for book-hiding and book-sharing in 2024! If you can help us, we would be so grateful for your support and donations! (and if you’ve already donated, thank you so much for supporting our work!!!)***

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Now… onward to info about this weekend’s hidden book 🙂

About the book, from Penguin Random House:

“In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . .

A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? it asks. Who is worthy of a voice?”

About the Author, Olga Tokarczuk:

“Olga Tokarczuk has won the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Man Book International Prize, among many other honors. She is the author of a dozen works of fiction, two collections of essays, and a children’s book; her work has been translated into fifty languages.”

About the Translator, Antonia Lloyd-Jones:

“Antonia Lloyd-Jones is a British translator of Polish literature based in London. She is best known as the long-time translator of Olga Tokarczuk’s works in English, including Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2019. Other recent awards include: ZAiKS prize for translation into English, 2017; Transatlantyk Award for the best promoter of Polish literature abroad, 2018; Gloria Artis silver medal awarded by the Polish Ministry of Culture for contribution to culture, 2019.”

Why I selected Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead for the October 2023 Giveaway:

• First, I was SO EXCITED to select a book in translation this month as part of my collaboration with The American Literary Translators Association, which is headquartered in Tucson. Did you know that the home of translated literature in the United States is here in Tucson? No? Well, now you know!
• I wanted to evoke cold and chilly vibes. Honestly, this gnome is so ready for fall – and this book transports you to the snowy wilds of Poland.
• This story is SPOOKY and definitely a little weird. It’s perfect reading for October (for those of you who enjoy such things!).
• Do you like astrology, William Blake, wildlife, murder mysteries, or entomology? If so, there is something for you in this book. Honestly, it is nearly impossible to classify this story, and this book (seriously) has something for everyone.
• This gnome might have resonated with the main character, Janina, a little too much. I can imagine myself being a little like her in 20 years. And honestly, we need more books that include older female protagonists. As this book so eloquently highlights, older women are often invisible in society, and that’s really a shame.