Aladdin: A New Translation by Yasmine Seale

Title: Aladdin: A New Translation
Author: Yasmine Seale (Translator)
Genre: Fantasy, Folklore, Translation

I thoroughly enjoyed this short, quick read! I had never read the original story of Aladdin, nor did I know anything about its origin in general. It was actually first recorded on paper in French, based on an oral story told by a Syrian in the 1700s. The story really isn't much like Disney's Aladdin at all; for one, it's actually set in China. And no, there aren't 3 wishes or a pet tiger. Or a flying carpet. But there is a lot of magic! I found the story to read very much like an old folk tale. At only 115 pages with modern, understandable language, it's easy to digest as well. I highly recommend this, especially if you're in a reading slump!

Also, if you're interested in more fascinating background knowledge, check out this interview from Publisher's Weekly with Yasmine Seale, the French-Syrian who translated this tale into English. Seale is in the process of translating all of The Arabian Nights, of which Aladdin is a part.

- Sarah P.

Check out Aladdin: A New Translation @ the library!

Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes

World War II has been over for 70 years. Adolf Hitler has been dead for 70 years. Vermes' Look Who's Back imagines what the world would be like if Hitler didn't die in 1945 like previously thought. The book starts with Hitler waking up in Berlin in 2011, and Hitler himself if shocked to see that Germany looks nothing like it did when he last saw it in 1945. There's no Ava Braun, no Nazi Party, and no World War II. Completely confused Hitler roams about Berlin until he stumbles across a newsstand, whose owner mistakes the real Adolf Hitler for a Hitler impersonator. The real Hitler takes offense that nobody takes him seriously as the Führer of Germany. Put to work as a "Hitler impersonator" (who refuses to break character) for a local TV station, this suddenly makes Hitler a sensation once again. Now it's his job to once again put Germany back on track and convince the world that he's the real Adolf Hitler.

Look Who's Back is an entertaining satire, imaging what life would be like if Hitler were alive today. With a focus on how technology has changed the face of politics, it's interesting to imagine what a modern world with Hitler would be like. This book is sure to provide a few laughs and question modern politics.

Agostino by Alberto Moravia

Originally written in 1940’s Italy and rejected by Fascist censors, Agostino by Alberto Moravia has been retranslated and republished by the New York Review of Books. Despite being set in a different country and different time, it tells a timeless and universal story of isolation and loss of innocence. Thirteen year old Agostino is vacationing at a beach with his attractive and newly widowed mother. An only child, he has basked in his mother’s attentions all his life. So, when she seems to enjoy the attentions of a handsome young man on the beach, Agostino begins to feel jealous, confused and rejected.To avoid his mother, he hangs out with a gang of tough working class boys, boys with whom he has nothing in common. They steal and vandalize property. They communicate each other with insults and physical blows. They humiliate Agostino emotionally and physically. Nevertheless, driven by curiosity and a desire to leave behind his childhood(and his attachment to his mother), he seeks them out daily. He comes to realize that he no longer fits into either world.

Check out Agostino by Alberto Moravia @ the library!