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Other Voices, Other Vistas: Short Stories from Africa, China, India, Japan and Latin America
A literary excursion that travels around the world, using as its vehicle a fascinating collection of 25 short stories from writers overlooked and often ignored by American readers. Authors include Chinua Achebe, Nadine Gordimer, Yukio Mishima, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende, and others.
478 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 3, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 17, 2010
One of the best short story collections I have ever read. Especially the Chinese stories, all of which are so layered they defy description. Chinese authors back then had to be very careful not to criticize the authorities, and the work they came up with is so well scripted it is agonized over, refined and filled with double entendres. I cannot recommend this collection enough. It has introduced me to over a dozen authors that I would definitely like to read more of.
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June 8, 2023Short story collections are hard for me to rate. I enjoyed some of the stories in here, but disliked other ones. I don’t have too much to say, but this did provide some interesting cultural perspectives on issues I wouldn’t have considered. I’d like to read more multicultural short stories, but I’d like to find a collection with a different focus than this one.
January 8, 2008
This book introduced me to some great authors...
February 25, 2018
The book is a one-way ticket to five destinations: Africa, China, India, Japan, and Latin America. And by Africa and Latin America, I mean to say different countries in the specified regions.
Barbara H. Solomon, editor of the book, mentioned in the introduction that "As always, fiction provides a window through which we can view the inner lives of others. It can clarify issues, dramatize themes, and reveal insights about an individual or a group." Although the emphasis for every published work should be on the work itself and not on the author, I can't help but give the spotlight to the latter because it is with the latter's experiences that I get to understand how the events depicted (history), despite being works of fiction, have imparted a piece of the hearts, minds, sufferings, and joys of these writers, which makes the experiences of reading these tales raw and real.
Even if the set-up of the book can be compared to that of textbooks for those majoring in world literature, the introduction and the short biographical information on the authors mentioned in the book allow the reader to understand the context with which the stories were written in. If you're looking forward to exploring works from other authors in these geographical locations which you have not heard of until reading the book (like me), the book is an essential read.
I have not read the stories in the book in order. I started with the Latin American stories followed by the Indian tales. The African, Chinese, and Japanese narratives came afterwards. Solomon did a superb job of selecting the said authors with works translated in English, suggesting anthologies for further reading per geographical category, and giving the reader a sense of what people in the different facets of time and place have experienced that shaped their own perspective of life and the world.
Most memorable stories for me would be the following:
1) All the Latin American stories - Clarisa by Isabel Allende, The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges, The Cost of Living by Carlos Fuentes, Death Constant Beyond Love by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Papito's Story by Luisa Valenzuela;
2) Indian stories - Dhowli by Mahasweta Devi, The Interview by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, A Horse and Two Goats by R.K. Narayan, and The Wog by Khushwant Singh;
3) African stories - The Collector of Treasures by Bessie Head and A Meeting in the Dark by Ngugi Wa Thiong'O;
4) Chinese stories - The Man from a Peddler's Family by Lu Wenfu (*this made me cry); and
5) Japanese stories - The Moon on the Water by Yasunari Kawabata.
Barbara H. Solomon, editor of the book, mentioned in the introduction that "As always, fiction provides a window through which we can view the inner lives of others. It can clarify issues, dramatize themes, and reveal insights about an individual or a group." Although the emphasis for every published work should be on the work itself and not on the author, I can't help but give the spotlight to the latter because it is with the latter's experiences that I get to understand how the events depicted (history), despite being works of fiction, have imparted a piece of the hearts, minds, sufferings, and joys of these writers, which makes the experiences of reading these tales raw and real.
Even if the set-up of the book can be compared to that of textbooks for those majoring in world literature, the introduction and the short biographical information on the authors mentioned in the book allow the reader to understand the context with which the stories were written in. If you're looking forward to exploring works from other authors in these geographical locations which you have not heard of until reading the book (like me), the book is an essential read.
I have not read the stories in the book in order. I started with the Latin American stories followed by the Indian tales. The African, Chinese, and Japanese narratives came afterwards. Solomon did a superb job of selecting the said authors with works translated in English, suggesting anthologies for further reading per geographical category, and giving the reader a sense of what people in the different facets of time and place have experienced that shaped their own perspective of life and the world.
Most memorable stories for me would be the following:
1) All the Latin American stories - Clarisa by Isabel Allende, The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges, The Cost of Living by Carlos Fuentes, Death Constant Beyond Love by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Papito's Story by Luisa Valenzuela;
2) Indian stories - Dhowli by Mahasweta Devi, The Interview by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, A Horse and Two Goats by R.K. Narayan, and The Wog by Khushwant Singh;
3) African stories - The Collector of Treasures by Bessie Head and A Meeting in the Dark by Ngugi Wa Thiong'O;
4) Chinese stories - The Man from a Peddler's Family by Lu Wenfu (*this made me cry); and
5) Japanese stories - The Moon on the Water by Yasunari Kawabata.
January 15, 2009
This is a great collection of short stories from around the world organized geographically. I can't remember the time frame, however, I believe most of the stories date from the second half od the 20th Century.
Of particular interest to me were the stories from India and China. Though a woman I work with from India assured me that the caste system no longer existed in her country, the stories from India left me with a feeling of injustice toward certain lower castes and towards women in general within the traditional society. This is my Western bias and is not meant to suggest that colonialism was a "good thing". The stories allowed me to see traditional Indian life from the point of view of actual Indian writers. There was nothing "European" about the judgement of the writers upon the injustice and hypocrisy of the traditional ways of Indian society.
Similarly, the stories from China dating from after the Maoist revolution gave me an insight I had not had before into the ridiculous and brutal consequences of revolution and counter revolution. Specifically the injustices of the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's when the party apparatus at the top threw some of the old radicals and fervent leftist/nationalists to the lions (aka the younger generation of revolutionaries). How shameful! Some of the writers featured had to endure the tortures both physical and mental of re-education. Re-education, a sophisticated word for essentially sending intellectuals out into the country to work on collective farms and either die of starvation or exposure while being harrassed by ideological goons.
Amazing how similar the two systems are in some ways, ideological capitalism and revolutionary communism, both mask cruelty and brutality in the guise of the natural order of things and a sort of pseudo-intellectual "progressivism".
Of particular interest to me were the stories from India and China. Though a woman I work with from India assured me that the caste system no longer existed in her country, the stories from India left me with a feeling of injustice toward certain lower castes and towards women in general within the traditional society. This is my Western bias and is not meant to suggest that colonialism was a "good thing". The stories allowed me to see traditional Indian life from the point of view of actual Indian writers. There was nothing "European" about the judgement of the writers upon the injustice and hypocrisy of the traditional ways of Indian society.
Similarly, the stories from China dating from after the Maoist revolution gave me an insight I had not had before into the ridiculous and brutal consequences of revolution and counter revolution. Specifically the injustices of the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's when the party apparatus at the top threw some of the old radicals and fervent leftist/nationalists to the lions (aka the younger generation of revolutionaries). How shameful! Some of the writers featured had to endure the tortures both physical and mental of re-education. Re-education, a sophisticated word for essentially sending intellectuals out into the country to work on collective farms and either die of starvation or exposure while being harrassed by ideological goons.
Amazing how similar the two systems are in some ways, ideological capitalism and revolutionary communism, both mask cruelty and brutality in the guise of the natural order of things and a sort of pseudo-intellectual "progressivism".
July 12, 2012
"Other Voices, Other Vistas", an anthology of short stories edited by Barbara Solomon, is a pretty decent collection of stories. The selections are classified by geographic region into 5 sections, each containing 5 stories. The regions represented are Africa, China, India, Japan, and Latin America. In her introduction, Solomon notes that all of the stories are written by major authors who had published fiction after World War II.
The group of 25 authors is full of noteworthy names: Chinua Achebe, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Jorge Luis Borges, and more. The themes in the anthology include love, marriage, parenthood, oppressive governments, art, religion, economic struggle, ideological conflict, and cultural dislocation. The modes range from fantasy to stark reality--there is violence and serenity, beauty and grotesqueness, sorrow and humor.
I will be frank about the fact that I really did not like the collection or choice of stories too much. This could also be because in general, my mind wraps around strong themes and stories, and the short story format does not necessarily work for me unless it is an extraordinarily powerful storyline. This book could work as textbook in some International Literature class but in general I would not recommend it to someone like myself who is looking for a more consistent, elongated format of fiction
The group of 25 authors is full of noteworthy names: Chinua Achebe, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Jorge Luis Borges, and more. The themes in the anthology include love, marriage, parenthood, oppressive governments, art, religion, economic struggle, ideological conflict, and cultural dislocation. The modes range from fantasy to stark reality--there is violence and serenity, beauty and grotesqueness, sorrow and humor.
I will be frank about the fact that I really did not like the collection or choice of stories too much. This could also be because in general, my mind wraps around strong themes and stories, and the short story format does not necessarily work for me unless it is an extraordinarily powerful storyline. This book could work as textbook in some International Literature class but in general I would not recommend it to someone like myself who is looking for a more consistent, elongated format of fiction
July 1, 2016
This is a collection of short stories collected from recognized authors from five world areas: Japan, China, Latin America, India and Africa. Naturally they all are permeated with cultural elements as their personal dramas unfold.
Rather than rate this collection as a whole, let's just say the three stars represent an average. Some of the stories are very good, many rather forgettable, and one or two pretty much just rotten.
For showing how awful people can be to one another, it's hard to beat 'Dhowli'- even though there are several other contenders for that honor in this volume.
Bessie Head's 'The Collector of Treasures' is alikewise a hardship story, but quite good.
My least favorite turned out to be the longest. Sigh. 'Act of Worship' may have displayed great artistry, but I despised the subtle nuances of the two main characters so much that I could not appreciate the worksmanship. What thoroughly deceived and selfish people the author created.
On the plus side, we also have 'The Magic Chalk' and 'Clarisa' by Kobo Abe and Isabel Allende respectively.
I am surprised at how many of these authors' names I have come to recognize. This, I think, is a good and broadening thing.
Rather than rate this collection as a whole, let's just say the three stars represent an average. Some of the stories are very good, many rather forgettable, and one or two pretty much just rotten.
For showing how awful people can be to one another, it's hard to beat 'Dhowli'- even though there are several other contenders for that honor in this volume.
Bessie Head's 'The Collector of Treasures' is alikewise a hardship story, but quite good.
My least favorite turned out to be the longest. Sigh. 'Act of Worship' may have displayed great artistry, but I despised the subtle nuances of the two main characters so much that I could not appreciate the worksmanship. What thoroughly deceived and selfish people the author created.
On the plus side, we also have 'The Magic Chalk' and 'Clarisa' by Kobo Abe and Isabel Allende respectively.
I am surprised at how many of these authors' names I have come to recognize. This, I think, is a good and broadening thing.
September 12, 2018
An excellent read following a Euro-centric text, this anthology of short stories showcases a variety of literary talents that a Western reader may not immediately recognize. Borges's "Book of Sand" and Abe's "The Magic Chalk" are amongst my favorite in this collection, but each entry has its own merits, ranging from topics such as apartheid, India's caste system, the Cultural Revolution, and tradition. As an anthology, this is best suited for either someone interested in Postcolonialism or international literature. Having some cultural literacy for each section is helpful and will better ensure that the reader is able to understand what kind of contexts a given story is written in response to. Authorial primers are given, but Barbara H. Solomon does not include any cultural primers to aid readers encountering a specific group of writers for the first time.
June 11, 2015
As I expected of an anthology composed of the work of many different writers from many different countries, I enjoyed some of the stories and disliked others, and I assume that almost all other readers will, as well. Despite this, the anthology is definitely worth reading for anyone - particularly those interested in expanding their knowledge of other cultures. Though this book has no pretenses of being a textbook on foreign countries (far from it) it provides revealing insight into the perspectives and worldviews of other cultures. If you're going to pick up any single work of foreign literature, read this book.
July 27, 2016
It's a collection of short stories from around the world, grouped by region.
The African ones are surprisingly good, although they only serve to reinforce my lack of desire to come visit.
The Chinese ones are much more stilted (with the exception of Lu Wenfu's work), but these are all translations, so it is likely the translator's, rather than the author's, fault.
Stuff from India ranges far and wide in quality.
The Japanese ones are... very Japanese.
Latin America has some curious moments.
Hard to give it a consistent score, but I guess "not terrible" will have to do.
The African ones are surprisingly good, although they only serve to reinforce my lack of desire to come visit.
The Chinese ones are much more stilted (with the exception of Lu Wenfu's work), but these are all translations, so it is likely the translator's, rather than the author's, fault.
Stuff from India ranges far and wide in quality.
The Japanese ones are... very Japanese.
Latin America has some curious moments.
Hard to give it a consistent score, but I guess "not terrible" will have to do.
July 25, 2015
I didn't read all of the stories, I admit. I read all of the African, Japanese, and Latin American stories. The Japanese stories were somewhat abstract and hard to follow (or hard to maintain attention because they moved slowly). And why did all the Japanese authors commit suicide? It was worth picking up now and again, but I was ready to move on to other, more gripping fiction.
February 17, 2009
This is a collection of short stories from different countries. Some of the stories I would rate higher than 3 stars. This book is at times a very hard read, the short stories frequently involve difficult situations.
January 16, 2011
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"Act of Worship," by Yukio Mishima, is a really low point in the book. The introverted protagonist never experiences anything without filtering it through her convoluted expectations, and she is disappointed dozens of times.
"Act of Worship," by Yukio Mishima, is a really low point in the book. The introverted protagonist never experiences anything without filtering it through her convoluted expectations, and she is disappointed dozens of times.
February 16, 2017
Some of these stories were really entertaining, while others had me a bit confused as to what was going on. I know cultures around the world are different, but I thought I would learn and understand what was happening.
July 11, 2017
Note: required reading
At this point I'm a bit too lazy to give my thoughts on all the stories individually; overall the stories were short but sweet. My favorites were
- The Collector of Treasures
- The Meeting in the Dark
- Dhowli
- The Book of Sand
- Paptio's Story
October 8, 2008
This is a great collection of short stories. It exposes the variation of writing styles in many different cultures.
October 24, 2008
Short stories from other cultures.
December 7, 2012
enjoyed, but not sure I remember a lot. It is a book that I would read again.
Read
February 21, 2012Other Voices, Other Vistas:: China, India, Japan, and Latin America by Various (2002)
June 25, 2012
Collection of short stories. Some were great, but most left too many unanswered questions for my liking.
July 13, 2021
Some great short stories of varying topics from the early-to-mid 20th century. One commonality that the stories share is that they are mostly grounded in reality (with the exception of a few) and that the emotions throughout are generally mature and powerfully subtle. The book takes a very critical look at the main issues of the countries listed, be it the authoritarian/totalitarian version of communism that took hold in China, or the colonialism that devastated Africa. As a whole, the stories selected tend to demonstrate great restraint and the editor, great objectivity. The stories aren't there to say "hey, [insert ideology] is bad" as much as says "look at the way that this affected real, everyday people. I think that's where this collection shines brightest. It's not over the top, loud, and screaming its ideas at you, as most modern ideologies, religions and philosophies tend to do. It's gentle, subtle, and powerful. Overall, this is a tasteful selection of short stories that I think is well worth reading by anyone interested in the world struggles that impacted the people living in the 20th century.
January 30, 2023
While there are some good stories and authors that I'd be interested in checking out in more detail, overall not entirely impressed with some of the selection choices. Favorite ones from each region are the following: The Collector of Treasures by Bessie Head, The Destination by Wang Anyi, Pigeons at Daybreak by Anita Desai, The Tomoshibi by Sawako Ariyoshi (though The Magic Chalk by Kobo Abe gets a shoutout), and finally The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges. Wasn't really too happy about the Act of Worship story by Yukio Mishima, a known right-winger nationalist.
November 8, 2022
Once you realize that you have to research the subject matter before reading a story in this book, it is such a good book! But you have to research first because if you do not, then the culture, traditions and myths of the various countries will elude you. As you go through the stories, your understanding of the country becomes clearer and clearer. My favs were the Japanese and Chinese stories.
March 10, 2021
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Being from very different places, the stories address a wide range of issues and approach these issues in very different styles. If we want to create more empathy with other people, we need to read stories like.
October 8, 2020
it didn’t give....it didn’t serve....
March 15, 2022
An interesting collection of short stories from around the world. Worth checking out if you want to broaden your reading life.
July 6, 2015
Rating : 2 stars
July 6, 2015
Rating : 3 stars
June 13, 2023
Wow! Talk about a selection!
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April 2, 2018Read it for school. I was pretty impressed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews