An interview with… Santiago Roncagliolo

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Ruth Green

Here is my interview with Santiago Roncagliolo for Booktrust:

In the busy hub of Foyle’s cafe, I meet the winner of this year’s Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, Santiago Roncagliolo. In spite of the building publicity surrounding the Prize over the past few weeks, it is unlikely that any of the other cafe goers would think twice to look at Roncagliolo. A Peruvian-born writer, he moved to Spain ten years ago and his political thriller Abril Rojo (Red April) was awarded the prestigious Spanish literary prize the Premio Alfaguara de Novela in 2006. However, until last Thursday, he has remained, relatively unknown elsewhere in Europe. Now at the age of just 36, he has triumphed once again and has become the youngest ever recipient of the IFFP for Red April.

Published on 31-05-11. Read on here

Spotlight on the Shortlist: Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2011

Posted on May 26, 2011 by ollie

Here is my latest blog for Booktrust:

Last night I attended a panel discussion on the six titles shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. With news that volcanic ash had disrupted a number of flights across Europe, I was anxious to see whether any of the authors and translators would make it. Thankfully the books were well represented, with Peruvian writer Santiago Roncagliolo, Danish translator Charlotte Barslund, US-Turkish translator Maureen Freely and Irish translator Frank Wynne all speaking on behalf of their shortlist entries.

Published on 26-05-11. Read on here

New Russia

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Ruth Green

Here is my latest blog for Booktrust:

This is a historical week for Russia, since it marks the 50th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering journey as the first man to fly into outer space. It’s also the week where the London Book Fair has named Russia its market focus country. As a whole host of Russian writers and literary publishers flock to London, I thought it would be worthwhile drawing attention to what modern-day Russian literature has to offer.

Published on 26-04-11. Read on here

The Art of Reading in the 21st Century

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Ruth Green

Here is my latest blog for Booktrust:

The UK celebrated World Book Day last Thursday and it got me thinking about the nature of reading in modern times.

Although there’s no doubting the pleasure of reading a hard copy of a book, the internet has clearly revolutionised our access to foreign language books, both in the original language and in translation. Project Gutenberg and its vast collection of ebooks has long made it a valuable resource for people looking for texts in translation, original prose and even related literary criticism.

Published on 15-03-11. Read on here

In discussion: The Anatomy of a Moment by Javier Cercas

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Ruth Green

Here is my latest blog for Booktrust:

On Monday evening I attended a talk by Javier Cercas chaired by Antony Beevor at the Southbank Centre. Cercas was speaking about his new book The Anatomy of a Moment (La Anatomia de un instante), which describes an incident in February 1971 when a group of around 200 soldiers and members of the Civil Guard stormed the lower house of the Spanish Parliament.

Published on 11-02-11. Read on here

Ruth Green

International Freelance Journalist

Category Archives: Literature

An interview with… Santiago Roncagliolo

Spotlight on the Shortlist: Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2011

New Russia

The Art of Reading in the 21st Century

In discussion: The Anatomy of a Moment by Javier Cercas