Women in Translation Month (#WITmonth) is an annual celebration of women writers who write in languages other than English. It’s a great time to diversify your reading and widen your bookish horizons! As a growing fan of translated literature, I’ve gathered up some of my favorite translated book recommendations as well as my exciting WIT month TBR! These picks contain a wide range of books, including impactful memoirs, sci-fi, thrillers, mysteries and totally unhinged fiction (my fav!) Let’s dive into it.

Watch this as a video on my channel here if you want to meet my cute pup!

Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi

Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi is an excellent choice for Women in Translation Month, as it amplifies the voice of an Arab feminist writer and confronts issues of gender oppression, poverty, and systemic violence. The novel, originally published in Arabic in 1975, is based on the real-life testimony of Firdaus, a woman imprisoned in Egypt for killing a man. Through Firdaus’s gripping first-person narrative, the book exposes the brutal realities faced by women in a patriarchal society, from childhood abuse to forced prostitution, ultimately framing her final act of defiance as one of tragic empowerment.

Nawal El Saadawi (1931–2021) was an Egyptian feminist, physician, and activist whose works often challenged political and religious oppression. Persecuted for her writing, she was imprisoned under Anwar Sadat’s regime, yet continued to advocate for women’s rights globally. Translated into English by Sherif Hetata, Woman at Point Zero remains a cornerstone of feminist literature, offering an unflinching critique of power structures. Its inclusion in Women in Translation Month highlights the importance of global feminist discourse and the need to center marginalized women’s stories.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is another compelling choice for Women in Translation Month, offering a haunting exploration of gender, power, and existential survival. Originally published in French as Moi qui n’ai pas connu les hommes (1995), this dystopian novel follows a nameless young girl imprisoned in an underground cage with thirty-nine women, guarded by silent men. When they escape, they find themselves in a barren, uninhabited world, forcing them to grapple with isolation, memory, and the meaning of freedom. Harpman’s sparse yet profound prose—expertly translated by Ros Schwartz—blends psychological depth with speculative fiction, creating a narrative that lingers long after the final page.

Jacqueline Harpman (1929–2012) was a Belgian psychoanalyst and writer whose works often delved into the subconscious and the boundaries of human experience. Though she began writing in the 1950s, I Who Have Never Known Men marked her breakthrough in English translation, earning critical acclaim and a spot as a finalist for the Prix Femina. The novel’s resurgence in recent years—thanks to a revised translation and viral attention on platforms like TikTok—speaks to its timeless, unsettling relevance.

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

Hildur Knútsdóttir’s The Night Guest (translated from Icelandic by Robinette Kowal) is that rare breed of psychological horror that you’ll devour in one breathless sitting. This addictive and fluid 200-page novella follows Iðunn, a woman caught in a waking nightmare – she sleeps through the night yet wakes exhausted, her body aching as if she’s run marathons in her sleep. When she finally gets a smartwatch, it reveals she’s been walking tens of thousands of steps each night, always to the same mysterious location… Iðunn’s search for answers becomes a chilling journey into the unknown and has one of the freakiest endings I’ve ever read. I wish this were a full length novel because I could have kept reading for hundreds of pages. Cat lovers should proceed with caution; don’t tell me I didn’t warn you!

Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin 

Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin is an exquisite choice for Women in Translation Month, offering a haunting exploration of identity and isolation in a frozen coastal town. This atmospheric novella, translated from French by Aneesa Abbas Higgins, follows a young French-Korean woman working at a near-empty guesthouse in Sokcho, near the North Korean border, during the bleak winter season. When a French comic artist arrives as a guest, their tentative connection sparks quiet reflections on cultural duality, belonging, and the unspoken desires that simmer beneath the surface. Dusapin’s spare yet evocative prose—beautifully preserved in Higgins’ translation—paints a mesmerizing portrait of liminal spaces, both geographical and emotional.

Winner of the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature, Winter in Sokcho is perfect for readers who appreciate subtle, character-driven stories with lingering emotional resonance. It features an introspective female protagonist navigating psychological tension, though here the horror is replaced by melancholic yearning. With its frostbitten beauty and themes of cultural displacement, this debut establishes Dusapin as a remarkable voice in international literature.

Vladivostok Circus by Elisa Shua Dusapin

Dusapin returns with another masterful exploration of liminal spaces in Vladivostok Circus, following costume designer Nathalie as she joins a Russian bar troupe during their winter training. Between the decaying circus grounds and the precarious aerial routines, Dusapin crafts a mesmerizing world where trust means survival—for the flyer Anna spinning midair, for the porters Anton and Nino bearing her weight, and for Nathalie, who must confront her own isolation amid this fragile ecosystem. Like Winter in Sokcho, the novel lingers on sensory details—the scent of absent animals, the chill of the off-season—to expose the vulnerabilities of bodies and bonds.

Translated again by Aneesa Abbas Higgins, Dusapin’s prose captures the quiet tension of lives suspended between past and present, danger and transcendence. While lighter on plot, the novel’s power lies in its piercing observations: Nathalie’s fractured self-image contrasts with the performers’ physical devotion, and interludes of a mysterious letter to her father slowly reframe her journey. For readers drawn to Winter in Sokcho’s melancholy intimacy, Vladivostok Circus offers another haunting study of displacement—this time under the big top’s fading lights.

My Husband by Maud Ventura

A razor-sharp psychological debut, My Husband (translated from French by Emma Ramadan) dissects the obsessive inner world of a wife who meticulously tracks her 15-year marriage—counting kisses, analyzing gestures, and convinced her husband is planning to leave. Ventura’s unnamed narrator oscillates between devotion and paranoia, her first-person monologue blending dark humor with unnerving tension as she orchestrates “tests” to prove his love. Ramadan’s translation perfectly captures the protagonist’s manic precision, making this a standout for fans of unreliable narrators and marital suspense.

My Husband exposes the absurdities of romantic idealism and the quiet violence of gendered expectations. Ventura’s background as a marriage counselor lends chilling authenticity to the narrator’s unraveling, while the ambiguous ending lingers like a held breath. This darkly funny psychological thriller is a fantastic pick for Women in Translation Month.

The Tokyo Suite by Giovana Madalosso

Giovana Madalosso’s The Tokyo Suite (translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato) is a razor-sharp psychological thriller that exposes the volatile intersections of motherhood, class, and privilege in modern Brazil. When wealthy executive Fernanda—so consumed by her crumbling marriage and career that she fails to notice her daughter’s disappearance—discovers her live-in nanny Maju has kidnapped young Cora, the novel becomes a gripping chase through Brazil’s social divides. Madalosso masterfully contrasts Fernanda’s oblivious privilege with Maju’s desperate act of rebellion, crafting a story that’s as much about systemic inequality as it is about suspense.

Lobato’s translation (fresh off her National Book Award win for The Words That Remain) preserves the novel’s tense, cinematic pacing while rendering its emotional complexities with nuance. This debut makes a vital addition to Women in Translation Month for its unflinching portrayal of how class and gender collide. The Tokyo Suite uses a tightly wound plot to interrogate deeper societal tensions—here, the exploitative dynamics between domestic workers and employers.

Hard Copy by Fien Veldman

Fien Veldman’s Hard Copy (translated by Hester Velmans) is a darkly comic, unexpectedly poignant exploration of loneliness and the human need for connection—even with office equipment. When a socially isolated customer service assistant forms an obsessive bond with her workplace printer, confessing her deepest fears and dreams to the machine, her bosses see madness where she sees companionship. Veldman’s deadpan humor and surreal premise mask a deeper commentary on modern alienation, burnout culture, and the absurd lengths we go to feel seen.

Perfect for Women in Translation Month, Hard Copy  joins titles like Sky Daddy and Convenience Store Woman in spotlighting women’s inner lives through unconventional narratives. Veldman’s protagonist—a woman so starved for connection she anthropomorphizes a printer. If you’re a fan of weird and unconventional love, check out my review for Sky Daddy by Kate Folk.

Want to hear the rest of the list? Check out my full BookTube video for all the recs!

***The Traveling Reader participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. ***