Celebrating International Fiction with The New York Public Library's World Literature & Arts Festival

In this episode of All of It, host Alison Stewart explores the New York Public Library's annual World Literature and Arts Festival, highlighting its mission to celebrate global storytelling and immigrant voices through a diverse lineup of events and accessible e-books. Erica Parker, Associate Director of Adult Cultural Programming at NYPL, previews the festival’s key components, including author talks, panel discussions on migrant and Chinese American stories, a translation workshop led by celebrated translator Dani, and poetry and music events such as an evening of Indian classical music and dance. A major focus is the festival’s offering of 12 translated books with unlimited e-copies available to anyone with a library card, including standout titles like the Danish time-loop series 'On the Calculation of Volume,' the Nobel Prize-winning Korean novel 'The Vegetarian,' and the cult Japanese thriller 'Butter.' Listeners share personal favorites, from Kiyoshi Higashino’s Hitchcockian mysteries to Laura Esquivel’s magical realist classic 'Like Water for Chocolate,' underscoring the emotional and cultural resonance of translated literature. The episode emphasizes how books in translation serve as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors into other lives and worlds.