As a reader, I like to set goals to diversify the books I choose, which helps me avoid reading slumps and pushes me to pick books I may have otherwise overlooked. My goals this year include reading classics, literary prize lists and translated fiction, especially by women. Books have always been a meaningful way to immerse oneself in other cultures, and reading books in translation unlocks a world of rewarding stories.
The book that pushed me from being interested in reading women in translation to being completely obsessed was My Brilliant Friend, the first book in the Neapolitan Quartet by Elena Ferrante (Italy) and translated by Ann Goldstein. I ended up starting the book while placed on bed rest during my twin pregnancy in 2016. I remember being so engrossed in the story, which transported me into the lives of two girls in 1950s Naples, that I read the next three books, one in the hospital while recovering from the twinsโ birth, another during the long days in the NICU, and the last during the first weeks after bringing them home. The series follows the two friends through six decades and is the greatest story of friendship that I have ever read.
Reading the Neapolitan Quartet unleashed a desire in me to read more women in translation, and I continue to seek out books that illuminate womenโs stories from around the world. I have read translated stories by women from over 30 countries, and across five continents, and have found some of my favorite authors, including: Han Kang (South Korea), Annie Ernaux (France), Jacqueline Harpman (Belgium), Meiko Kawakami (Japan), Dahlia De La Cerda (Mexico), Shahrnush Parsipur (Iran), Olga Ravn (Denmark), Yรกng Shuฤng-zว (Taiwan), Adania Shibli (Palestine), Rene Karabash (Bulgaria), Samanta Schweblin, Agustina Bazterrica, Mariana Enriquez (Argentina) and Olga Tokarczuk (Poland).
What am I reading now? I just finished two Marlen Haushofer (Austria) novellas translated by Shaun Whiteside that are incredible, The Fifth Year and Killing Stella, and currently I am reading The Collected Stories by Clarice Lispector (Brazil), translated by Benjamin Moser and Katrina Dodson. Next up for me is a highly anticipated new release, The Song of Stork and Dromedary by Anjet Daanje (The Netherlands) and translated by David McKay.
Emily Slattery Phillips currently works as a youth services librarian for the Des Moines Public Library after a career as an art educator in the public schools. An obsessive reader, books have always been a home for her, and a place to explore and learn.ย This article was originally published in Little Villageโs October 2026 issue.
