Books from the Man Booker International shortlist to add to your booklist

The Man Booker International Prize has recently unveiled the ‘Man Booker Dozen’ of 13 novels in contest for 2018, celebrating carefully chosen splendid pieces of translated fictions from across the world that were released during 2017. Of these thirteen, six were shortlisted for the next level. The books are a magnificent collection of picks from across several cultures with a flavor of their natives that makes them a refreshing read. It is recommended that you give this collection a chance as they have found a place in people's hearts and has made a way through into the list of most renowned pieces of literary translations for the year 2017, surpassing borders and continents.

Photo: Amazon

Flights by Olga Tokarczuk: Flights tells us how we are all time travellers in all aspects of our lives. The book interweaves

hauntingly beautiful tales about a Dutch anatomist who researches about Achilles tendon on his own amputated leg, a guy Chopin who’s heart is carried to Warsaw by his sister, a lady who in a bid to poison her terminally ill childhood sweetheart returns to Poland, and a man who loses his mind when his wife and child disappear and similarly reappear few later.

Photo: Amazon

Like a Fading Shadow by Antonio Fernández Molina: It is a historical account cum memoir about James Earl Ray during 1968 and sketches his quest to evade an arrest following the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. After having shot Martin Luther King Jr. and finding himself on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, James bids to escape his arrest by securing a fake passport and driving to another country and goes fugitive. He finds pleasure in his escapades and revels in being on the run. His joy, however, does not last forever as he fails to secure a passport to Angola and fears extradition from Lisbon, the last destination of his several havens.

Photo: Amazon

The White Book by Han Kang: This book is a narrative by an unnamed woman who’s elder sister survived for only two hours after her birth. Set in the backdrop of war-razed Europe during the world war II, this book describes, from the author’s point of view, her wishful thoughts of having her sister alive, and how she has kept her alive within herself as a figment of imagination. It helps her sail smooth through life. The book has several photographs spread throughout to make the experience relatable and easy to visualise. The narration feels genuine and truly captivating.

Photo: Amazon

Vernon Subutex 1 by Virginie Despentes: This book by the French author revolves around the life of Vernon Subutex, owner of a popular music outlet who runs out of business during the 2000s due to the advent of technology. Vernon hits financial rock bottom as the government withdraws his unemployment benefits and a friend who took care of his finances dies due to drug overdose.

Things take a wild turn when his casual facebook comment makes him popular overnight. Vernon does not realize the gravity of what he has in his possession: A last recording piece of his late friend and famous musician Alex Bleach. Vernon soon finds himself being chased by record producers, online trolls and porn stars for this prized possession.

Photo: Amazon

The World Goes On by László Krasznahorkai: This book, by the winner of 2015 Man Booker International Prize, is a collection of eleven stories by the narrator who speaks in first person and takes a leave from the readers by the end of the book. Each story aims to draw the readers away from worldly affairs. The stories span across the world from the ghats of Varanasi to Kiev’s Chernobyl’s exclusion zone, featuring lone men in despair.

Photo: Amazon

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi : Frankenstein in Baghdad captures the contemporary Iraq as is, with a twist: The city of Baghdad is troubled by supernatural forces. The story begins with Hadi, a scavenger with an eccentric fixation to stitch together the body parts he finds in the war zone. This fixation has a real cause, which is to help the government recognise the bodies as individuals with identities and give them a proper burial. Things go haywire when Hadi’s creations come to life and catastrophize the streets of Baghdad, the corpse takes the form of Frankenstein, standing true to its title.

Photo: Amazon