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  • [ August 28, 2026 ] Surface Olivier Norek Review Fiction
  • [ August 26, 2026 ] Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month Reading Lists
  • [ August 26, 2026 ] Bridging the Gender Divide: Warwick Prize for Women in Translation Spotlight Spotlight on Publishing
  • [ August 25, 2026 ] Red River Somnath Batabyal Review Fiction
  • [ August 20, 2026 ] Maureen Freely Translator, Novelist & Advocate Interview Interviews
  • [ August 17, 2026 ] The Aquatics Osvalde Lewat Review Fiction
  • [ July 29, 2026 ] The Bureau of Unknown Fates Gaëlle Nohant Review Fiction
  • [ July 26, 2026 ] Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month Reading Lists
  • [ July 12, 2026 ] My Dreadful Body Egana Djabbarova Review Fiction
  • [ July 9, 2026 ] Ever Land by Amy Abdelnoor Review Fiction
Homelucy popescu

lucy popescu

Lucy Popescu is a writer, editor and arts critic with a background in human rights. She worked with the English Centre of PEN, the international association of writers, for over 20 years and was Director of its Writers in Prison Committee from 1991 to 2006. She is currently chair of the Authors’ Club.

bookblast diary lucy popescu at european literature days
Spotlight on Publishing

European Literature Days Lucy Popescu Spotlight

December 18, 2023 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on European Literature Days Lucy Popescu Spotlight
Lucy Popescu heads to European Literature Days in Austria, and writes a special report for BookBlast. Every year I travel to Krems, lower Austria, to attend European Literature Days (ELit), a three-day literary festival. This […]
photo copyright European Literature Days 2022
Spotlight on Publishing

European Literature Days Lucy Popescu Spotlight

December 11, 2022 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on European Literature Days Lucy Popescu Spotlight
Lucy Popescu heads to European Literature Days in Austria, and writes a special report for BookBlast. It was a delight to return, in person, to European Literature Days (ELit) a three-day literary festival, held in […]
bookblast podcast bridging the divide series season 2
BookBlast® Podcast

Bridging the Divide series Season 2 BookBlast Podcast

November 15, 2020 Ben F Comments Off on Bridging the Divide series Season 2 BookBlast Podcast
Tune in to the final eight episodes of the BookBlast Podcast series, Bridging the Divide: Translation and the Art of Empathy for some literary finds. Podcast interview Lars Mytting and his translator Deborah Dawkin discuss […]
Goran Vojnovic the fig tree bookblast review
Fiction

The Fig Tree Goran Vojnović Review

October 16, 2020 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on The Fig Tree Goran Vojnović Review
This review of The Fig Tree by Goran Vojnović accompanies Lucy Popescu’s interview with him and his translator Olivia Hellewell discussing the effects of war on successive generations of a family marked by the disintegration […]
the white dress nathalie leger bookblast review
Fiction

The White Dress Nathalie Léger Review

September 23, 2020 Guest Contributor Comments Off on The White Dress Nathalie Léger Review
The White Dress by Nathalie Léger, translated by Natasha Lehrer, reviewed by Lucy Popescu to accompany the interview for BookBlast® Podcast series, Bridging the Divide. The White Dress is the final part of a trilogy […]
tommy wieringa the blessed rita bookblast review
Fiction

The Blessed Rita Tommy Wieringa Review

September 15, 2020 Guest Contributor Comments Off on The Blessed Rita Tommy Wieringa Review
The Blessed Rita by Tommy Wieringa (longlisted for the International Booker Prize),  translated by Sam Garrett, reviewed by Lucy Popescu to accompany the interview for BookBlast® Podcast series, Bridging the Divide. The Blessed Rita is […]
bookblast podcast series 2020
BookBlast® Podcast

Bridging the Divide series Season 1 BookBlast Podcast

August 31, 2020 Ben F Comments Off on Bridging the Divide series Season 1 BookBlast Podcast
The BookBlast® Podcast series Bridging the Divide: Translation and the Art of Empathy might just fit the bill if you are looking for something a little different. When reading, do you “hear” the book as […]
tazmamart prison haus publishing
Non Fiction

Tazmamart Aziz BineBine Review

August 25, 2020 Guest Contributor Comments Off on Tazmamart Aziz BineBine Review
Tazmamart: 18 Years in Morocco’s Secret Prison by Aziz BineBine, translated by Lulu Norman, reviewed by Lucy Popescu for BookBlast. An engrossing tale of endurance, it offers a precise portrayal of the grim life of […]

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Looking for an unputdownable crime read? Look no f Looking for an unputdownable crime read? Look no further! 
Surface by Olivier Norek translated by Nick Caistor is the ultimate police procedural due out with @openborderspress 
In her review for BookBlast Diary, Emily Unwin breaks down why this thriller delivers on every front:
- Deep suspense & clever twists
- High-stakes crimes & misdemeanours 
- A lead detective you’ll root for
As @emily.unwin puts it, genre writing requires a pact with the reader and @NorekOlivier delivers a perfectly packaged, gripping story from start to finish. One for your TBR pile that's for sure! 
Read her full review via link in bio
Women in Translation Month may be ending, but grea Women in Translation Month may be ending, but great literature is timeless. Whose world will you step into next?
We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Maureen Freely and her team @elifgulez.writer spotlighting @warwickprizewomenintranslation The annual prize celebrates the finest full-length book written by a woman translated into English, published in the UK or Ireland. All literary genres are welcomed: novels, poetry, creative non-fiction, graphic novels, children’s or YA fiction, short story collections, novellas and plays.
Established in 2017, the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation champions and propels international women’s voices from the periphery into mainstream cultural conversations.
‘We’ve come a long way with the championing of world literature over the past decade... In the same period, however, we’ve noticed that it is markedly more difficult for women to make it into English translation. This prize offers us an opportunity to welcome in the voices and perspectives we’ve missed thus far,’ Maureen Freely, BookBlast Diary - read the full feature on our website. 
🔗 Click the link in bio to browse & buy the Women in Translation Prize collection on Bookshop.org
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