Reading the World

Confessions of a Literary Explorer

Ann Morgan

Formats & editions

Buy from…

Apple Books

A thought-provoking and eye-opening journey through world literature inspired by a quest to read a book from every country.

In 2012, the world arrived in London for the Olympics...and Ann Morgan went out to meet it. She read her way around all the globe's 196 independent countries (plus one extra), sampling one book from every nation. It wasn't easy. Many languages have next to nothing translated into English; there are tiny, tucked-away places where very little is written down at all; some governments don't like to let works of art leak out to corrupt Westerners.

Her literary adventures shed light on the issues that affect us all: personal, political, national and global. Using her quest as a starting point, this book explores questions such as: What is cultural heritage? How do we define national identity? Is it possible to overcome censorship and propaganda? And how can we celebrate, challenge and change our remarkable world?

Published: 5 February 2015
ISBN: 9781448181568
Imprint: Vintage Digital
Format: EBook
Pages: 336

Categories:

Share…

About the author

Ann Morgan

Ann Morgan is a freelance writer and editor. She continues to blog about books at ayearofreadingtheworld.com and lives with her husband Steve Lennon in south London.

Praise for Reading the World

Reading The World is a treasure-trove of new discoveries
Sara Wheeler, Observer

A wonderful book
Viv Groskop, Red

An enjoyable book that brings a world of literature into our homes
Ian Thomson, Daily Telegraph

A great way into literature in translation
Viv Groskop, Red Online

A truly inspiring read
Lady

If you, like me, are a fan of fiction in translation then I would suggest this is a must-read, or at the very least a really-should-read
Me And My Big Mouth (Blog)