Another novel by Enard that creates a world that you don’t want to leave. A thoughtful interrogation of modern academic Orientalism, with a wealth of delightful historical facts about its past.
Recommended by Jennifer Sarha
COMPASS
Written by Mathias Enard
Translated from the French by Charlotte Mandell
Published by Fitzcarraldo Editions (2017)
Jennifer Sarha leads an exciting double life: she’s a researcher of obscure European history by night, a wrangler of research funding applications by day. In her remaining free time she is attempting to learn all the languages in the world. Her Twitter handle is @necverbum and she blogs on https://necverbumverbo.blogspot.co.uk/