Saturday, December 25, 2010

The 2011 Eastern European Reading Challenge

After last year's successful Scandinavian Reading Challenge, The Black Sheep Dances is excited to begin a new challenge.  The 2011 Eastern European Reading Challenge starts January 1, 2011.



Please consider choosing unfamiliar titles, especially those that are translated works, to help support those organizations that are working to unearth the 'buried' treasure of Eastern European and Russian literature.

Regions:  Choose titles about or by an author from any of the following regions:  Croatia, Ukraine, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary, Belarus, Estonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Czech Rep., Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Romania, Moldova, and Kosovo.

TitlesCan be any genre:  crime, poetry, literary fiction, history, historical fiction, memoirs, etc.

Levels
tourist:  4 books over the 12 months
ambassador:  8 books over 12 months
scholar:  12 books over 12 months

To enter:  indicate by comment below of your intention to enter, with email contact (or email me directly) and your country of residence (important!).  I'll compose a upper TAB on the top of TBSD's home page to keep track of entrants.  SHARE your favorite titles in a comment, or email me. 

I'll attempt to create a badge for the Challenge to post on your blog (or you can right-click the photo below), and hopefully you can help publicize the event via FB or Twitter if you wish.  The titles below are just a variety of suggested titles depending on what regions you are interested in, and I will update it soon.  Additionally, I have the titles below on hand for reviewing, so you'll see reviews of these popping up during the year. 

Titles below are ideas only....the choices are yours:
Nonfiction:
Zlata's Diary (Sarajevo), Zlata Filipovic, Penguin
The Ice Road (Poland and Siberia), Stefan Waydenfeld, Aquila Polonica
Lost and Found in Russia, Susan Richards, Other Press
Tales of Priut Almus (Russia), Robert Belenky, IUniverse
The Angel of Grozny (Chechnya), Asne Seierstad, Basic Books
Let Our Fame Be Great (Chechnya, Georgia), Oliver Bullough, Basic Books
Prodigal Daughter (Ukraine), Myrna Kostash, U of Alberta Press
Stalin's Genocides (Siberia), Norman Naimark, Princeton U P
Greengrocer and His TV (Prague), Paulina Bren, Cornell U P
Prague Panoramas (Czech), Cynthia Paces, U of Pittsburgh P
Travels in Siberia, Ian Frazier, Farrar Straus Giroux
1989: Struggle to Create Post-Cold War Europe, Sarotte, Princeton U P
The Eitingons (Russia), Mary Kay Wilmers, Verso Press
Yugoslavia: Oblique Insights, Dennison Rusinow, U of Pittsburgh P
Tashkent: Forging a Soviet City, Paul Stronski, U of Pittsburgh P



Fiction:
Moscow Noir (short stories), Akashic Books                      
Seven Years (Poland), Peter Stamm, Other Press (3/11 release)
Stalin's Ghost (Russia), Martin Cruz Smith (one of the Arkady Renko series)                                      
Death of the Little Match Girl (Croatia), Zoran Feric, Autumn Hill Books
The Anonymous Novel: Sensing the Future Torments (Russia)
A Castle in Romagna (Croatia), Igor Stiks, Autumn Hill Books                      
Maps and Shadows (Siberia, Poland), Krysia Jopek, Aquila Polonica
Wave of Terror (Belarus), Theodore Odrach,                              
The Final Year (Czech), Ilse Tielsch, Ariadne Press
The Siege (Albania), Ismail Kadare, Grove Press              
Frozen Time, Anna Kim (Kosovo) Ariadne Press
Travels in Siberia, Ian Frazier, Farrar Straus Giroux
Everything Flows (Siberia), Vasily Grossman

Poetry:
Factory of Tears (Belarus), Valzhyna Mort, Copper Canyon Press
The Russian Version, Elena Fanailova, Ugly Duckling Press

Classics:
War and Peace, Anna Karenina, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Dracula, Crime and Punishment, The Overcoat, Doctor Zhivago

94 comments:

  1. Very exciting! I love Eastern Europe and look forward to reading books by authors from this area. I live in the United States.
    dfluharty at uwf dot edu

    Thanks Amy for taking the time to create these challenges.

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  2. How thrilling. I've read a lot of this, my favorite region, but I'm eager to read and discover new titles. Thank you Amy for this.

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  3. This sounds like a great challenge, Amy! Will there be special prizes for hitting every country on the list? (I'm just kidding... I wonder about finding Moldovan fiction in English or Russian... you've given me a real challenge there!)

    I'll be sure to let you know when I post about newish Russian-English translations -- maybe the list will help inspire someone!

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  4. OK I'm in at the tourist level, gonna be hard to find crime fiction so I'm taking it easy :)

    bsquaredinoz at gmail dot com - Australia

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  5. I can't miss this challenge Amy. I'm in at tourist level. http://ignacioescribano.blogspot.com/2010/12/2011-eastern-european-reading-challenge.html

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  6. Please count me in. I live in Belgium, my intro post is here:

    http://lostinagoodstory.blogspot.com/2010/12/eastern-european-reading-challenge.html

    joanna dot rydzkowska at gmail dot com

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  7. I write from Spain.

    For various reasons, including professional interests, I love the countries of Eastern Europe and its recent history.

    I joined the challenge, initially at tourist level, but as my English is not enough, I will read only books translated into Spanish, if possible with English version.

    My Blog is http://golem-librosycomentarios.blogspot.com/

    Greetings

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  8. Sounds like great fun. Would love to join.

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  9. I'm in! I need to expand my horizons....I'm from Australia...1xanidaw@tpg.com.au

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  10. Sorry I forgot to mention: jiescribano at hotmail dot com - Spain.

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  11. Dont think I have ever read anything in these countries, a great time to start

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  12. I forgot to add I am usa, but then isnt' everyone?

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  13. Welcome to all, especially all the familiar faces! Grilsgood, welcome. You'll be surprised, the last challenge (Scandinavia) had more non-US participants than US ones....

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  14. I'd like to give this one a try. One of my favorite books ever is The Master and Margarita and I already have a couple sci-fi works by eastern European authors on my TBR list.

    nocturnalblue(at)ymail.com (USA)

    Blog Link

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  15. Whoops, typo in the email address.

    Nocturnal (dot) blue (at) ymail (dot) com

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  16. Here are some of my recommendations:
    The Swimmer by Zsuzsa Bank (Hungary)
    Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugresic (mixture)
    The Visible World by Mark Slouka (Czech)
    The Quest for Christa T. by Christa Wolf (East Germany)
    The White King by György Dragoman (Hungary)
    The Bridge of Sighs by Olen Steinhauer (a fictional amalgamation)
    Moonlight in Odessa by Janet Charles (Ukraine)
    A Foreign Woman by Sergei Dovlatov (USSR)
    S by Slavenka Drakulic (ex-Yugoslavia)
    A Russian Journal by Andrea Lee
    Dreams of My Russian Summers by Andrei Makine
    Stasiland by Anna Funder (East Germany-nonfiction)
    Medea and Her Children by Lyudmila Ulitskaya
    The Dreamlife of Sukhanov by Olga Grushin (Russia)
    The Women's Decameron by Julia Voznesenskaya (USSR)
    Extraordinary Renditions by Andrew Ervin (Hungary)
    The Question of Bruno by Aleksandar Hemon (former Yugoslavia)
    The Door by Magda Szabo (HUngary)
    Valeria's Last Stand by Marc Fitten (Hungary)
    Little Miss Nobody by Tomek Tryzna (Poland)
    The Appointment by Herta Müller (Romania)
    The Sky Unwashed by Irene Zabytko (Ukraine)

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  17. Two more recommendations:
    The Siege by Helen Dunmore
    Sofia Petrovna by Lydia Chukovskaya

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  18. I think I'm going to try this out on a tourist level. I am hoping that with my schooling finishing up this coming summer I'll have a chance to stretch my reading areas.

    I'm in the US and you can e-mail me through the link with my name. I've also posted about the challenge on my blog for my 2011 challenges.

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  19. This sounds fabulous. I am definitely going to join in on this challenge (see my challenge post)
    I am a Canadian but with some Ukrainian background so this area of reading is quite appealing!

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  20. I'm intrigued! And I'm in :-)

    I'm a British woman living in Kosovo and interested in travel around the region (this year I have visited Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Poland and Russia) and in reading, so I would love to be in at Tourist level.

    In my opinion the best read for understanding Kosovo - told in a style which makes it a page-turner even though it's not a thriller novel but true - is 'Be Not Afraid for you have Sons in America' by Stacy Sullivan.

    I would also recommend 'High Albania' by doughty British traveller and anthropologist, Edith Durham - spirited writing of adventures a century ago in Albania and what is now Kosovo and Montenegro.

    And @Daisy, I agree that Helen Dunmore's 'The Siege' is fantastically evocative of St Petersburg - brilliant.

    Now looking forward to (tracking down and) reading 'Frozen Time' - thanks for the recommendation.

    elizabethgowing (at) hotmail (dot) com

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  21. Are you locked into whatever level you choose, or can you adjust if need be? i.e. if something major happens, and you can't read as much, can you drop a level? Or if you just bust it out, and read 2x what you thought you could, can you go up?

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  22. Consider me on board; I'll likely stab away at Polish Literature.
    I am in the US with marital ties to the Balkans.
    ciao - jon

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  23. @Daisy...thanks so much, especially for dividing titles into countries! Remember, you have to read 24 minimum to even participate!

    @Elizabeth...welcome and thanks for the titles you mentioned...adding those to my list now.

    @JonFaith-have you read any from Aquila Polonica? They specialize in Polish history/novels. I just finished Maps and Shadows by Jopek...

    @SpitFire-this is a 'no rules' reading challenge...do whatever you want...you aren't locked in and no black Volgas will cart you off if you don't finish.

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  24. Thank you for hosting this! I love reading everyone's recommendations, and will save them into a list to be consulted as I make my choices. Some of the authors I am currently considering are Ivo Andrić, Aleko Konstantinov, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Antal Szerb.

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  25. Loved the Scandinavian challenge (even though it was very easy for me, living in Norway), and I'd like to sign up for this one as well. You have my email address. -Sølvi

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  26. Count me in (http://publicsphere.typepad.com/toberead/2010/12/challenging-resolutions-for-the-new-year.html.html).

    Anyone looking to Croatia should consider The Ministry of Pain by Dubravka Ugresic.

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  27. I am in too! So happy to get all these titles that are new to me.

    Coffutt5@aol.com

    USA

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  28. I enjoyed the Scandinavian Challenge—
    Count me in for this challenge— I love the area you chose.

    http://potpourri-of-books.blogspot.com/

    Linda

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  29. I forgot to say that I'm from the USA.

    Linda
    http://potpourri-of-books.blogspot.com/

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  30. Hi Amy,

    A wonderful idea. I completed the Scandinavian challenge, but this will be much more challenging! Looking forward to expanding my horizons immensely. I will include this in my blog:
    http://alister-rutherford.blogspot.com/

    Best wishes from a very cold Scotland

    Alister

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  31. Hi, Amy. I've been offline for about a week of family frivolity, but I'm definitely in for the Challenge! I'm from the USA, and Eastern Europe is pretty much undiscovered territory for me, so I'm looking forward to the recommendations.

    Col
    http://colreads.blogspot.com

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  32. Today's New York Times has a review of Dalkey Archive Press's Best European Fiction 2010. The book includes stories from lots of (or maybe most of?) the countries on the challenge list.
    Times review
    Dalkey page"

    Also, at the risk of sounding immodest, I wanted to add that my blog, Lizok's Bookshelf, which is on Amy's blogroll, focuses on Russian literature. I use an "available in translation" tag that might be helpful, and the sidebar lists posts about classics, "Greatest Hits," personal favorites, and new translations. I'll be writing a post soon about newish translations.

    Happy 2011 to everyone! Happy reading!

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  33. I am kim in ohio. I live in the USA. I am in at the tourist level.
    thanks for doing this
    Ok, once again my URL is not accepted so I will post under annoyous(sp)

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  34. Count me in! I'm in the United States.

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  35. Hi Amy, this sounds great. Yo can count me in for the challenge. Saw it on Goodreads. I am from Canada. Friederike

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  36. Excellent - have created a post and are ready to go here is the URL - http://www.layersofthought.net/2010/12/challenges-lgbt-haruki-murakami-eastern.html

    We are in the US.
    Shellie & John
    layersofthought(@)gmail(dot)com

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  37. So happy to have found this challenge!

    I'm at: http://tropical-dreaming.blogspot.com/2010/12/eastern-european-reading-challenge-2011.html

    I'm from the US.

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  38. I am very excited about this challenge. I have read many of these books and look forward to joining at the Scholar level. (USA)

    http://www.rundpinne.com

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  39. I'm in for Scholar, and I'm from the US. :)

    http://www.spitfiresworld.com/reviewingmyworld/reading-challenges/

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  40. I'm joining on as Scholar...I'm looking forward to explore a whole new set of books. I'm from the US.

    http://www.spitfiresworld.com/reviewingmyworld/reading-challenges/

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  41. Okay friend, I'm going to try your challenge! I'm scared but think I can do it:-) You know my e-mail address!!!! So I won't enter it here. Amanda

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  42. Hi Amy,

    Though ended, still working on the "Scandinavian Challenge," but am eager to start the New Year with the "Eastern Europe Challenge"...scholar!!

    cyeates AT nycap DOT rr DOT com

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  43. Oops... I live in the US. Born in Coburg, Germany.


    cyeates AT nycap DOT rr DOT com

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  44. What a wonderful theme for a challenge (even though my Czech half is screaming out that it's not in eastern but central Europe)! I'm in for the Scholar level and I'm a resident of Canada.

    Email is thecaptivereader at hotmail dot com

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  45. I'm in! Email is bensmomma at gmail
    dotcom

    I think I'll start with Travels in Siberia. Also in the pile is Elif Batumen's Possessed.

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  46. A great unusual challenge. Still undecided about my level of commitment (trying to be realistic), between Tourist and Ambassador.
    Nadine, France.

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  47. Striving to achieve Scholar status, I begin with Cold Snap: Bulgarian Stories by Cynthia Morrison Phoel.

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  48. Hi, Amy. I'd like to join this. I'll try the "tourist" level.

    Email: bolanoread AT gmail DOT com

    Country: The Philippines

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  49. I'm interested in sci-fi recommendations, especially stuff that's available through Audible.com. -Sølvi

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  50. Very exciting indeed! I'd already planned to travel through Europe by books this year, so I'm joining in. I'm starting in Western Europe, so I'm not sure when I'll get to Eastern Europe. As such, I'm only going for 4 books.

    Mail: Samanthakathy AT gmail DOT com
    Blog: http://bookwormsandtea.blogspot.com
    Challenge page: http://bookwormsandtea.blogspot.com/p/2011-general-challenges.html
    Country of residence: The Netherland

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  51. I'd love to sign up for "tourist" status. I'm living in Germany, but am a US national.

    Email:
    marianryan118@gmail.com

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  52. I agree, great challenge! I wrote a little while ago about aiming for "Tourist" level, but I want to up that to "Ambassador"!

    I might have a mini-concentration on Hungarian work.

    Country of residence: Germany

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  53. Cold Snap: Bulgaria Stories by Cynthia Morrison Phoel

    It's so good. So good.

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  54. Cool, please count me in! Some of my favorite works of fiction that would qualify for this, that I can heartily recommend, are....

    Street of crocodiles, by bruno schulz
    Life of insects, by victor pelevin
    A Tomb for Boris Davidovich, danilo kis
    Life of sebastian knight, vladimir nabokov
    Dictionary of the Khazars, Milorad Pavic
    Love and Obstacles, Aleksandar Hemon
    The Funeral Party, Ludmila Ulitskaya
    Death and the Penguin, Andrey Kurkov
    The Winter Queen, Boris Akunin

    boknutson@hotmail.com usa til june/russia to january 2012

    -Bo

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  55. I'm joining up! I love some of these authors.

    http://yearofreadng.blogspot.com/

    jennifer.d.powers@gmail.com

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  56. I'm down too - I'm in the United States.

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  57. I'm definitely in--

    Greg in the U.S.

    e-mail: gsdgsd@gmail.com

    blog: postpessimist.blogspot.com

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  58. I am in

    Alpa in UK

    e-mail: alpadedhia00@gmail.com
    blog: http://1morepageplease.wordpress.com/

    Will update my blog with this challenge.I choose Ambassador level.

    Good luck :)

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  59. I'd like to join too!

    Ksenia in the USA
    blog: http://polishoutlander.com
    e-mail: polishoutlander@gmail.com

    I was hoping to make some title recommendations too, some of which I hope to read myself in this challenge. Thanks for hosting this!

    With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkiewicz (Poland)
    The Deluge by Henryk Sienkiewicz (Poland)
    Fire in the Steppe by Henryk Sienkiewicz (Poland)

    In Desert and Wilderness by Henryk Sienkiewicz (Poland)

    Ashes and Diamonds by Jerzy Andrzejewski (Poland)

    Snow White and Russian Red by Dorota Maslowska (Poland)

    Poland by James A. Michener

    Madame by Antoni Libera (Poland)

    Push Not the River by James Conroyd Martin (Poland)
    Against a Crimson Sky by James Conroyd Martin (Poland)

    Eva Underground by Dandi Daley Mackall (Poland)

    The Loves of Faustyna by Nina Fitzpatrick (Poland)

    The Good Soldier Svejk: and His Fortunes in the World War by Jaroslav Hasek (Czech)

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  60. Great idea.

    I'll probably do it accidentally, but looking around, I think I'll get to:

    A Castle in Romagna (Already done)
    A bunch of short stories from Absinthe Magazine
    Europeana and Case Closed by Patrik Ouředník
    A couple of Kadare (I think I have five lying around?)
    Celestial Harmonies by Péter Esterházy
    A few books by Arthur Koestler
    A good chunk of Twisted Spoon Press books (I have roughly three quarters of their output)
    Dumitru Tsepeneag's Hotel Europa

    That's all I can think of right now. Either way, great project!

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  61. I want to take this challange as a scholar, but many books from Russia, Bulgaria, Romania translated into Polish and published in Poland didn't go further west. Can I read them and published my reviews on my blog? I don't know many titles from post or comments.

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  62. Hi, I wanto to join too.
    I'm from Poland, and my blog is unfortunately in Polish too, but for the purpose of the challenge I can write in English.
    The email: izabella_g@gazeta.pl
    I am interested in the Eastern Europe literature (which is not common in Poland now, apparently other directions are in fashion).
    I will supply my list later, however, I would like to recommend two Hungarian writers-
    Sandor Marai
    & Magda Szabo.
    I would like to read the books of the 2 autors, which I have not read so far.

    As for Poland- I will try to recommend something after I make some research on availability of the authors in English.
    For now- I would like to recommend Marek Krajewski- the author of vintage crime fiction (based in 20s & 30s of 20th century)- Breslau cycle. this should have been translated as far as I know.
    I also love the books recommended by Polish Outlander

    With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkiewicz (Poland)
    The Deluge by Henryk Sienkiewicz (Poland)
    Fire in the Steppe by Henryk Sienkiewicz (Poland)

    I used to read them numerous times as a kid (they're late 19th century classics, quite lengthy and full of action).

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  63. I want to join the challange.
    Anna
    e-mail: skywalker18@o2.pl

    http://polishbookworm.wordpress.com or
    http://lisksiazkowy.wordpress.com

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  64. Hi Amy, looks like a good challenge. Sign me up, I'm in China!
    Pete

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  65. I'm in. I live in the northern United States. lorenemc@comcast.net

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  66. Amy,
    When we finish a book and write a review where should we post our URL .

    Linda

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  67. Linda,
    I have to new spots on under the E E Challenge tab on the home page, one for titles to recommend, one for links to your reviews.

    Here's the link one:
    http://www.theblacksheepdances.com/2011/01/links-to-your-reviews-of-eastern.html

    Looking forward to your review, thanks!

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  68. Daisy invited me and I'm so in -- tourist level, please! I live in the US.

    audra
    unabridgedchick at gmail.com

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  69. great found you via jen and books will sign up read 11 books last year from eastern europe from 7 countries so will add one more this and go for top level got good few on shelves ,all the best stu

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  70. I'm going to try (and probably fail at this miserably): http://readingchallenged.blogspot.com/2011/01/eastern-europe-reading-challenge.html
    rickimc[at]aol[dot]com
    USA

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  71. Thanks so much for arranging this! I am writing from Sofia, Bulgaria, but I am a US citizen. I'm going to try the "Scholar" level, and my book-list (subject to change) is as follows:

    Kosovo Crossing—David Fromkin (1999)
    The Balkans: A Short History—Mark Mazower (2000)
    Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey—Isabel Fonseca (1995)
    A Short History of Byzantium—John Julius Norwich (1997)
    McMafia—Misha Glenny (2008)
    Selling Olga: Stories of Human Trafficking & Resistance—Louisa Waugh (2006)
    Balkan Ghosts: A Journey through History—Robert Kaplan (2005)
    Under the Yoke—Ivan Vazov (1888)
    Bulgariana—Randal Baker (2009)

    I will be living in Bulgaria for the next year and am very interested in reading more about it. Suggestions are very welcome :)

    Thank you!
    Kristin

    kristinsilver@yahoo.com

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  72. Thanks so much, Amy! I am a US citizen writing from Sofia, Bulgaria. I am going to attempt the "Scholar" level. My reading list is as follows:

    Kosovo Crossing—David Fromkin (1999)
    The Balkans: A Short History—Mark Mazower (2000)
    Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey—Isabel Fonseca (1995)
    A Short History of Byzantium—John Julius Norwich (1997)
    McMafia—Misha Glenny (2008)
    Selling Olga: Stories of Human Trafficking & Resistance—Louisa Waugh (2006)
    Balkan Ghosts: A Journey through History—Robert Kaplan (2005)
    Under the Yoke—Ivan Vazov (1888)
    Bulgariana—Randal Baker (2009)

    I am very interested in learning more about Bulgaria, so suggestions (in all fields) would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you!
    Kristin

    kristinsilver@yahoo.com

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  73. Aleksandar Hemon is a spectacularly good contemporary writer, from Bosnia-Herzegovina but writes in fluent, gorgeous English. Some great recent anthologies include: "Rasskazy: New Fiction from a New Russia" and "Wild East." And as far as classics go, Gogol's "Dead Souls" (Russia) is excellent, Gombrowicz's "Ferdydurke" (Poland) is hilarious and strange, and Kundera's (Czech) "Unbearable Lightness of Being" or "The Joke" are wonderful (probably too recent to be classics yet, but still). Other Czech choices that *are* more classic include Hašek's "Good Soldier Svejk"' (very funny) and anything by Hrabal. Kafka counts, too, right? Jonathan Safran Foer's "Everything is Illuminated" is about Ukraine... There's so much great Eastern European literature out there. Excellent challenge!

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  74. Kirsten Lodge, USA, klb57@columbia.edu, scholar level

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  75. Amy, you forgot to list Macedonia on the regions! There are great writers there, as well, Blaze Koneski, Petre M. Andreevski, Goran Stefanovski, etc.!

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  76. I'm in! I'm from the US.
    You can find my book list under 2011 Challenges page at www.horriblybookish.blogspot.com.

    And I'd like to suggest A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka. It's set in Poland.

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  77. I'm in too!
    Haven't read any of the titles and it's good to discover new books.
    Rollie from Philippines!

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  78. I'd love to join this challenge. I'm starting at the tourist level since I'm not sure how many translated books I can get ahold of.

    Vivian Q (USA) Email:fleamom@yahoo.com

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  79. I'm in! I'm from the United States. Here's my email:

    Michelle8731@hotmail.com

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  80. Daisy of "This is my Snack" brought me here, and I am so grateful!
    What a wonderful way to broaden my horizon, thank you for organizing this event. I will be back with my book suggestions.

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  81. I'm in. Ambassador level. Been to Russian three times and love reading the literature.

    sheilad1965@yahoo.com

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  82. Hi Amy, I just couldn't resist, I have to do it.
    I'll go with the tourist level (I know, shameful, considering I'm a native of Poland). Thanks so much for hosting this challenge.

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  83. Hi, just found out about this challenge. I'm going for tourist (4 books). I'm hoping to get at least to 8, but I'm so bad at keeping my own resolutions, I'll aim low.

    From the USA

    email: sandybritchesomine@gmail.com

    blog: http://litendeavors.blogspot.com

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  84. I got wind of this through Goodreads. Tourist is most realistic and Ambassador a stretch. I cannot decide between "setting smaller goals" or "flopping, and learning from the experience". I'd go for the mid-size challenge of Ambassador. But, if I'm going to go down with the belly flop trying to do the Scholar, then I'll learn to handle the next challenge with greater self-defenses.
    SCHOLAR, j2759@hotmail.com, USA

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  85. I'd love to join this challenge please. I'm in Canada and I love reading lit in translation when I can get it. I'll do a post and come back with my reading list. I've recently finished Purge by Sofi Oksanen, set in Estonia, and The Siege by Helen Dunmore, set in Leningrad, and I enjoyed them very much. Thank you.

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  86. Hi Amy. This sounds like a great idea. Sign me up!!! I was worried about finding selections but you have made it even easier for me by posting a few "ideas". Though am a bit late, I'll go for the tourist level and see how it goes from there.

    http://bookventuresbookclub.blogspot.com/

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  87. Opps i almost forgot. I live in the Caribbean : )

    Here's my email as well:

    bookventuresbookclub@gmail.com

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  88. Count me in! From Estonia :)
    I'm from the region itself and could add a whole list for you to read of translated literature from Estonia! You can find it in English, German, all Scandinavian languages.. you name it!

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  89. I forgot to add my email for the participation:

    inga.kupp@gmail.com

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  90. I'm in from the US! My email is leia1912@gmail.com for contact info. (My first name is Krista.)

    I'm a historian, so I will use this as a goad to read some books I really needed to read. :)

    Here are my books. This list will grow over time!

    1. Children's World: Growing Up in Russia, 1890-1991 by Catriona Kelly

    2. The Empire's New Clothes: A History of the Russian Fashion Industry, 1700-1917 by Christine Ruane

    3. The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague by Timothy Garton Ash

    4. Russia on the Eve of Modernity: Popular Religion and Traditional Culture under the Last Tsars (New Studies in European History) by Leonid Heretz

    5. Russian Orientalism by David Shimmelpenninck van der Oye

    6. Holy Fathers, Secular Sons: Clergy, Intelligentsia, and the Modern Self in Revolutionary Russia (Studies of the Harriman Institute) (Studies of the Harriman ... (Studies of the Harriman Institute) by Laurie Manchester

    7. Ghostly Paradoxes: Modern Spiritualism and Russian Culture in the Age of Realism
    by Ilya Vinitsky

    8. Romanov Riches: Russian Writers and Artists Under the Tsars
    by Solomon Volkov

    9. Creating the Nation: Identity and Aesthetics in Early Nineteenth-Century Russia and Bohemia. David L. Cooper

    10. Visualizing Russia: Fedor Solntsev and Crafting a National Past. C.H. Whittaker

    11. History's Greatest Heist: The Looting of Russia by the Bolsheviks. Sean McMeekin

    12. To the Tashkent Station: Evacuation and Survival in the Soviet Union at War
    by Rebecca Manley

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  91. I would like to join, at least to tourist leve, hopefully more. I'm in the Los Angeles area.
    Lois Christianson

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  92. This is great! Thanks for posting about it on the Linkedin Book Reviewers' group.

    This challenges dovetails nicely with the European Reading Challenge I'm hosting on Rose City Reader. I will add a link to your challenge on my main challenge page because others may want to participate in both.

    I like your emphasis on translated works. I read a couple of books last year that would have qualified. Hopefully I will find some more in 2012. Although there are a couple of classics I've been meaning to get to for a long, long time, so I will probably start with those: Anna Karenina and Doctor Zhivago.

    I'll come back after I put up an official post.

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  93. Oh, I also signed up as a follower and am following you on twitter now too.

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