Progress on reading books eligible for the 2011 International Dagger

It was late August when I last asked myself how I am getting on with the books eligible for the International Dagger for 2011. To qualify, books have to be translated, and published in the UK between May 2010 and June 2011. Karen has recently updated her essential Euro Crime blog post of eligible titles, now up to 48.

These are the books on the list that I had read when I wrote my 21 August post (links go to my reviews):

The Wings of the Sphinx by Andrea Camilleri, translated by Stephen Sartarelli (Italy)
Needle in a Haystack  by Ernesto Mallo, translated by Jethro Soutar (Argentina)
Bad Intentions by Karin Fossum , translated by Charlotte Barslund (Norway)
The Inspector and Silence by Hakan Nesser, translated by Laurie Thompson (Sweden)

Since then, I have read:

Red Wolf by Liza Marklund, translated by Neil Smith (Sweden)
River of Shadows by Valerio Varesi, translated by Joseph Farrell (Italy)
Ashes to Dust by Yrsa Sigurdardottir, translated by Philip Roughton (Iceland)
Silence by Jan Costin Wagner, translated by Anthea Bell (German, setting Finland)
Three Seconds by Roslund-Hellstrom, translated by Kari Dickson (Sweden)
Bunker by Andrea Maria Shenckel, translated by Anthea Bell (Germany); review submitted to Euro Crime
Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur Indridason , translated by Victoria Cribb (Iceland); review in draft of a copy via the library.

Books I have on my shelf or e-reader waiting to be read:

1222 by Anne Holt 
The Postcard Killers by Liza Marklund and A. N. Other 

Remaining to read - none of which are yet available on Amazon UK apart from Villain (which is quite expensive):

Basic Shareholder by Petros Markaris
Frozen Moment by Camilla Ceder
Villain by Shuichi Yoshida
Rendezvous by Esther Verhoef
The Leopard by Jo Nesbo
The Quarry by Johan Theorin
The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell
Death on a Galician Shore by Domingo Villar
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
The Gallows Bird by Camilla Lackberg
Shadow Sister by Simone van der Vlugt
Bandit Love by Massimo Carlotto
Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End by Leif G W Persson
Summertime by Mari Jungstedt
Blood Sisters by Alessandro Perissinotto
An Uncertain Place by Fred Vargas
Inquisition by Alfredo Carlitto 

There are around 20 titles left to read if I manage to get through all the above list. 

See  International Dagger, a collection of all the posts at Petrona on this topic. 

2011 International Dagger - list of eligible titles.

2010 International Dagger - list of eligible titles.

The CWA International Dagger page, currently featuring the 2010 winner, The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin, translated by Marlaine Delargy.

Petrona's post about the 2010 winner.

The 2010 shortlist, and my reviews of each title on it.

Petrona posts tagged International Dagger.

Euro Crime list of 2011 eligible titles.

Comments

[Margot Kinberg]

Maxine - Thanks for this update. I get so many good ideas for what to read from what you've accomplished. This is a most impressive list :-).

[Simon Clarke]

Maxine,
Thanks for that--I have read 11 of the titles on the list-
including The Postcard Killers--which was not very impressive--
and I don't think should be on the list --as most of the novel
was written in English.

[Maxine]

Thank you, Margot, for your kind words. Reading is easier than writing them,and I am lost in admiration for those like you who can write the books we enjoy reading so much!

[Maxine]

PS I notice that the list has a very Euro-centric nature. I wonder whether not much fiction is translated from other regions.

[Bernadette]

I have read an amazing two of all these with another one on my eReader. Mostly my problem is access - they're not very easy to get hold of here (aside from the one co-authored by Mr Nother which is on every street corner). Almost none of these will ever be released here and it's getting more expensive - and more difficult - to buy from overseas stores. Territorial copyright restrictions SUCK.

[Craig]

Is Postcard Killers eligible for the International Dagger? I thought it was published in English first/concurrently, rather than Swedish then translated? (not that it would/should have any chance anyway)...

[[email protected]]

I have read exactly none, but have Yrsa Siggurdattir's book on reserve at the library. Have to start figuring out Book Depository budget. But I will wait until I read reviews here and elsewhere before deciding. And I'm still working on last Spring's lists of translated fiction.

[Maxine]

I am not sure about Postcard Killers - I had heard that it wasn't written in English, but only anecdotally. I don't know if the publisher has actually submitted it, of course - this list is only the eligible titles.

Bernadette - I agree, it's very frustrating knowing a book is out somewhere and that one can't read it because one is somewhere else. Remember the story of Stupid White Men (Michael Mooore) which managed to overcome this....?

[Bernadette]

Good point about the Michael Moore book Maxine, perhaps if the translated authors banded together they might be able to generate as much librarian backlash as Moore did (though he really is a master at that kind of 'poor me' publicity and I'm not sure too many others could pull it off).

I suspect I'll have to resign myself to being a year or so behind on translations as I can usually manage to get hold of the paperbacks when they are published in the UK. For now anyway. Some of the UK stores have stopped allowing any purchasing from outside the UK, not just eBooks. So far Book Depository and Amazon UK still allow it for printed books but for how long?

[[email protected]]

I'm sunk without Book Depository for translated crime fiction unless I wait a year for U.S. publishing, but many global books aren't published over here. And, my library system doesn't buy too many international books, or else one copy is purchased, stored at the main library center and is noncirculating. And, it's impossible to access.

[Maxine]

According to the Bookseller this week, Watertsones has "no plans" to restore access to non-UK readers (including Irish readers). Shame.