PositiveAsymptoteEric M. B. Becker renders Torres’s blurred lines of the protagonist’s fiction and reality (narrated in the first person) in a prose that flows like the action and lines of a play, drawing the reader even further into the scene ... Torres’s experience as an actress takes center stage in her prose as sentences and action flow seamlessly, carrying the reader along on the edge of their seat. Translated skillfully into English, Becker replicates this movement by stringing events together with commas and introducing some Portuguese style into the English ... Eric M. B. Becker’s translation wonderfully represents the Brazilian text, engaging with Brazilian culture, discourse, and history in English. Not only does the flowing prose come to the fore in both the Portuguese and the English, but the translation also forcibly engages with the translation of Shakespeare.
Yassin Adnan
PositiveAsymptote\"The work, as a whole, does a stellar job at showcasing the city’s importance, influence, and cultures. Just like the authors and characters in the work, the translators of the stories... bring different styles and flairs to English ... While the repetition of the words can at times be monotonous, readers are provided with linguistic variations and an insight into Marrakech’s linguistic diversity through the translations, allowing them to add another level of discovery to the Red City ... Marrakech Noir will send its readers to the Red City to not only explore its charms and heritage, but also to acquaint them with the diverse and lively ways of life that dwell within the city limits. Although not every piece of writing exhibits a perfect example of the noir genre or even of prose, each piece promises a different insight and perspective on Marrekechi society, expanding the reader to be included in the city’s culture, even if just for a moment ... Whether you’ve been to Marrakech or not, this anthology promises to take you there.\
Taeko Kōno, Trans. by Lucy North
PositiveAsymptote\"Shifts from exterior persona to interior desire rupture Kono’s cold prose, shocking the reader out of socially normative interactions and thrusting them into the taboos lurking deep inside, followed by a quick return to her straight-faced writing. This keeps readers on their toes, not knowing when the next rupture will occur ... The translations read naturally and instill in the reader the intended confusion, shock, and awe that arises from the contrasting play of interior and exterior in the original ... It’s a shame that more of Kono Taeko’s work has not been translated into English. Upon reading this collection, I was left thirsting for more of the drama, passion, and exploration of taboo that she relates in these stories. There’s a rawness in these stories that leaves the reader feeling bare, visible, and reflective ... Whether you strictly follow societal gender roles or break the mold with taboos like the ones presented in the work, Kono’s prose will leave you feeling exposed.\
