This article is shared from our magazine PAPER #7 as an inspiration for you to make reading plans: British writer Ann Morgan reveals how her ambitious project took shape – and its ongoing life.
"Only a tiny proportion of the literary works published in English – some 4.5% – is translated from other languages."
Some 12 years ago, British writer Ann Morgan cast a glance at her brimming bookshelves. Glaring back at her was a particular kind of void. “I’ve been a bookworm since childhood, devouring a diverse range of literary styles and authors ever since – so I was shocked to realise I had no books by writers working in languages other than my mother tongue – English,” she says. “I decided there and then that this had to change, and vowed to embark on an intensive course of global reading for a year.”
An adventure of exploring books
And so began a literary adventure, taking Morgan around the world, one book at a time. This amounted to 197 titles – the 195 on the UN list of official countries, plus Taiwan and Kurdistan. “A year of reading the world,” as Morgan named her brainchild and associated blog, has become a lifelong endeavour, ultimately steering the literary explorer in a new direction. Today, she’s a world literature speaker, editor and author, with three books under her belt – and a fourth underway. She also holds workshops, often challenging us to rethink the way we read – an inspiration stemming from that transformative year in 2012.
“We're educated to read in a way that delivers the right answers and the satisfying feeling that we are right in our assumptions. If you read in a truly international way, these notions quickly go out the window. You’ll come across jokes that go over your head, and you’ll be kept on your toes – filling in the gaps and embracing the unfamiliar. It’s quite an anarchic experience and it’s certainly challenging.”
Getting global literature tips
Ploughing through nearly 200 books in 12 months is an achievement in itself, but the sourcing of translated world literature also proved a herculean task. Morgan, who worked full time as a freelance journalist at the time, quickly realised she needed help. She went about setting up a blog, inviting anyone to offer global literature tips. Before long, she was inundated with recommendations. “Receiving input from the global community was invaluable, particularly since only a tiny proportion of the literary works published in English – some 4.5% – is translated from other languages,” explains Morgan.
Morgan talks animatedly about the different cultures she’s acquainted herself with via her never-ending international reading list. She is, however, careful not to paint herself as an expert on every country’s identity.
Expanding the view
“Reading one book per country will merely give you a snapshot. If anything, I’ve become even more aware to what degree stereotypes form the basis of perceptions about different national identities. These notions say more about the person describing these characteristics than the actual truth. Look deeper and you realise you may have been conditioned to form certain opinions, and we often like to have these beliefs reaffirmed – a little like a hall of mirrors reflecting back at you.”
Not one to exclude herself from this tendency, Morgan admits she found some German and Eastern European literature unpredictably funny. “In the UK, there’s this notion that German literature, and perhaps, by extension, the culture, is very serious, but anyone reading the children’s book When Dad’s Hair Took Off would be proven wrong. It’s very funny, with a quirky sense of humour.” This particular book featured recently on Morgan’s blog as “Book of the month” – chosen by her six-year-old daughter.
Fiction and crime novel variations
So what were the book-selection criteria for the “year of reading” that started it all? “There weren’t defined criteria or genre directions, but you could say my choices were largely fiction-led,” says Morgan, adding that she devoured everything from novels and short story collections to memoirs. “Also, what’s classified as fiction varies from country to country, so I try not to be too precise when describing the type of literature I opted for.” A bit of crime fiction found its way in and Morgan has discovered that the genre is far from formulaic.
“When reading crime novels from Latin America, I didn’t recognise the style of its counterparts in the UK, North America and the Nordic region,” she observes. “While we’re used to a certain storyline-momentum and build-up, replete with a dramatic ending where the baddie is always caught, this structure is rarely applied by Latin American writers. This may reflect the level of corruption and the problems around justice in some nations – triumphant endings would simply seem unrealistic to local readers.”
"Storytelling transcends divides and brings hope, particularly in a world that is getting increasingly divided."
The Nordic noir boom also intrigues Morgan, particularly since the crime rate is relatively low in this part of the world. “Amusingly, I heard that the only forensic pathologist working in a small Icelandic town keeps getting phone calls from crime writers wanting to gather information about the investigative crime-solving process.”
The future of the book
Just like Ann Morgan’s journey, the book will continue to evolve. “I think there’s room for a medley of book varieties. Audio books and e-books both have their place and purpose, just like the hardback and paperback,” she says. “The guise of the book will continue to develop the way it always has – Shakespeare, for one, wouldn’t have recognised a paperback in his day but I’m certain this variant will live on for a very long time, provided it adheres to sustainable principles.”
Regardless of format, the power of stories is undeniable. “Storytelling transcends divides and brings hope, particularly in a world that is getting increasingly divided. Culturally, people tell stories differently, and what is considered funny varies from country to country, but the desire to tell stories is shared universally and I find this incredibly inspiring.”