Reading the World 2008

4th Annual
Reading the World
June 2008 (and beyond!)

RTW grew out of a series of informal meetings of booksellers and publishers as a way of introducing American readers to more international authors. As Goethe said back in 1827, “Left to itself every literature will exhaust its vitality if it is not refreshed by the interest and contributions of a foreign one.”

This belief that international literature plays a vital role in book culture is one that is shared by all the publishers and booksellers involved in Reading the World. Twenty-five works of literature have been selected to represent a broad range of cultures, from Portugal to Lebanon, from China to Switzerland, from Chile to Japan.

The publishers include: Archipelago; Dalkey Archive; Eccom; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Knopf; New Directions; New York Review Books; Other Press; Picador; Columbia University; Copper Canyon; Europa; Graywolf; and Grove.

Starting in June, Words Without Borders will be relaunching its Reading the World Book Clubs, featuring reading guides and moderated discussions of several of the RTW titles.

The web site also includes a list of participating bookstores and a bookstore sign-up form.

[Text from the RTW web introduction by: Karl Pohrt, Shaman Drum Bookshop; Chad W. Post, Open Letter/University of Rochester; Jeff Seroy, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.]