#The Extinction of Irena Rey
Text
From around the world, Irena Rey's translators make their way to Białowieża Forest. They're ready to translate her magnus opus in their carefully practiced pattern: sitting in the midst of that strange forest, the last bit of the primeval forest that once spanned Europe, they will all translate together, under Irena's watchful eye. But shortly after their appearance, Irena disappears. In her absence, they'll be desperate to find meaning (as translators generally do) in all the things she's left behind, and their search blooms into a feverish mess of conflict, confusion, and the slow reveal of secrets the author's been keeping from them this entire time.
The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft starts slowly, but builds steam. It's written by "Eli," the Spanish translator, who is perhaps the most devoted to Irena and her rules, who is horrified when her fellow translators begin to snoop, edit, rebel, and reveal information they'd been holding back. In a swirl of fungi, ethical quandaries, and cult-like worship, Eli writes a novel in Polish that has been translated for us, years later, into English by Alexis, one of her fellow translators.
Because increasingly, we realize: we can't trust Eli, disturbed the others' insistence on breaking her united, clean vision of Irena and of who they are to each other. But if we can't trust her, why would we be able to trust her translator, English herself, the character that Eli hated the most? In this literary entanglement reminiscent of Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, we realize more and more with each chapter that maybe Eli isn't telling us the truth, that maybe Alexis is editing a little too freely.
Once that ambiguity was introduced, I was hooked. The beginning was slow, but I'm okay with that. We have to think we can trust Eli and Alexis for just long enough to begin to doubt. And then you can see the riddles between the lines, the signals Eli's missing, the misinterpretations floating through the group. It's a vivid, fascinating novel and psychological thriller about their slow unspooling.
Content warnings for violence, gaslighting.
#the extinction of irena rey#jennifer croft#new releases#translation#literary fiction#my book reviews#pale fire
12 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Extinction of Irena Rey: A Novel
By Jennifer Croft.
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
lol what the fuck did I just read
#The Extinction of Irena Rey#It was truly fucking spectacular and I can't tell you even a little bit about it#It's like about language and art and reads like listening to bjork completely stoned to the gills#Books and reading
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Jennifer Croft book review for The Big Issue Australia
#Jennifer Croft#The Big Issue Australia#book review#books#reading#novel#The Extinction of Irena Rey#translation
0 notes
Text
9 March 2023 Book Releases That Should be On Your Radar
In a year of many false Springs, it’s hard to believe that it’s only March. Yesterday I was bundled up to brave below freezing temperatures and the day before I sat outside to read my book in a balmy 70 degrees. Nonetheless, it is only the third month of 2024. There’s quite a few incredible books coming out this month that you should most definitely be aware of.
*Bookshop affiliate links allow…
View On WordPress
#anita de monte laughs last#becoming madam secretary#book#book releases#Books#by Jocelyn#can&039;t we be friends#denny s bryce#drag race#eliza knight#ellipses#expiration dates#jennifer croft#lisa unger#new book releases#reading#rebecca serle#sophie wan#stephanie dray#the extinction of irena rey#the house of hidden meanings#the new couple in 5b#vanessa lawrence#women of good fortune#xochitl gonzalez
0 notes
Text
If you wanna have your life changed by a book I recommend The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft
0 notes
Text
0 notes
Text
THE ABSTRACT: Admiration, lust, and language weave together in "The Extinction of Irena Rey"
“The Extinction of Irena Rey” is a whirlwind novel that vividly brings the Polish Białowieża Forest to life, offering readers a peek behind the curtain of the intense world of translation.
Authored by Jennifer Croft, a translator herself, the narrative explores the highs and lows of life as a translator, taking an abstract form in this captivating story. Croft starts the novel with intrigue,…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
For West Coast follower - Tomorrow at 10:00 am on KQED's Forum:
Literary translators are why we can read poems, novels and essays written in languages we don’t speak, exposing us to otherwise inaccessible ideas and worlds. But even though translators wrestle page by page, paragraph by paragraph, line by line, to convey meaning,humor and pathos, their names don’t always appear on book covers. And translators say their industry is mired in problems of inequitable pay, a lack of diversity and an undervaluing of heritage speakers. We’ll talk with a panel of literary translators about the joys and challenges of their work. Tell us: Have you ever attempted to translate a literary text? What did you notice? What’s your favorite work in translation?
Guests:
Bruna Dantas Lobato, translates from Portuguese; advocate for translators not working into their first language; novelist and author of the forthcoming novel, "Blue Light Hours" - she has just been longlisted for the National Book Award;
Jennifer Croft, author, the forthcoming novel "The Extinction of Irena Rey"; translator for Polish Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk; advocate for translators
Soje , translates from Korean; poet; creator of Chogwa - which presents multiple translations of the same poem in each issue
1 note
·
View note
Last Seen Blogs
kittif3r
welcome to kittifer
faerantstory
Immortality, my love.
danganope-blog
Sarah
konteacher
こん先生の寺小屋
v-ldn
V