for a more visual guide, visit my new interactive reading map
1. Uganda: Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
2. Japan: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (tr. Megan Backus)
3. Hungary: The Door by Magda Szabó (tr. Len Rix)
4. Iran: Disoriental by Négar Djavadi (tr. Tina Kover)
5. Poland: Flights by Olga Tokarczuk (tr. Jennifer Croft)
6. China: Vertical Motion by Can Xue (tr. Karen Gernant, Chen Zeping)
7. Finland: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (tr. Thomas Teal)
8. Spain (Catalan): Brother in Ice by Alicia Kopf (tr. Mara Faye Letham)
9. Chile: Seeing Red by Lina Meruane (tr. Megan McDowell)
10. Mexico: Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions by Valeria Luiselli; The Iliac Crest by Cristina Rivera Garza (tr. Sarah Booker)
11. Switzerland: Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy (tr. Tim Parks)
12. Denmark: Mirror, Shoulder, Signal by Dorthe Nors (tr. Misha Hoekstra)
13. India: Abandon by Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay (tr. Arunava Sinha)
14. Haiti: Love, Anger, Madness by Marie Vieux-Chauvet (tr. Rose-Myriam Réjouis, Val Vinokur)
15. Belarus: The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich (tr. Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky)
16. Palestine: The Sea Cloak by Nayrouz Qarmout (tr. Charis Bredin) [found in The Book of Gaza (ed. Atef Abu Saif)]
17. Colombia: Fish Soup by Margarita García Robayo (tr. Charlotte Coombe)
18. Brazil: Àgua Viva by Clarice Lispector (tr. Benjamin Moser); Stubborn Archivist by Yara Rodrigues Fowler
19. Antigua: Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
20. Jordan: Willow Trees Don’t Weep by Fadia Faqir
21. Tunisia: Time’s Running Out for Scheherazade by Fawzia Zouari (tr. Judith Landry)
22. Argentina: The German Room by Carla Maliandi (tr. Frances Riddle); The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada (tr. Chris Andrews); Feebleminded by Ariana Harwicz (tr. Annie McDermott & Carolina Orloff) … I couldn’t pick just one!
23. Egypt: The Hidden Face of Eve by Nawal el Saadawi (tr. Dr Sherif Hetata)
24. France: Those Without Shadows by Françoise Sagan (tr. Irene Ash)
25. Nigeria: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
26. Côte d’Ivoire: Aya de Yopougon by Marguerite Abouet & Clément Oubrerie (tr. Helge Dascher)
27. South Africa: Soweto Stories by Miriam Tlali
28. Croatia: The Ministry of Pain by Dubravka Ugrešić (tr. Michael Henry Heim)
29. Portugal: Now and at the Hour of Our Death by Susana Moreira Marques (tr. Julia Sanches)
30. Syria: Farewell, Damascus by Ghada Samman (tr. Nancy Roberts)
31. Germany: Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck (tr. Susan Bernofsky)
32. Zimbabwe: Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
33. Vietnam: Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong (tr. Phan Huy Duong & Nina McPherson)
34. Mozambique: The First Wife by Paulina Chiziane (tr. David Brookshaw)
35. Pakistan: Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa
36. Latvia: Soviet Milk by Nora Ikstena (tr. Margita Gailitis)
37. Sudan: Elsewhere Home by Leila Aboulela
38. United States: Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
39. Singapore: Ponti by Sharlene Teo
40. Australia: Songspirals: Sharing Women’s Wisdom of Country through Songlines by Gay’wu Group of Women
41. Equatorial Guinea: La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono (tr. Lawrence Schimel)
42. Lithuania: Shadows on the Tundra by Dalia Grinkevičiutė (tr. Delija Valiukenas)
43. Peru: Sexographies by Gabriela Wiener (tr. Jennifer Adcock, Lucy Greaves)
44. Oman: Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (tr. Marilyn Booth)
45. Austria: The Empress and the Cake by Linda Stift (tr. Jamie Bulloch) [T/W: eating disorders]
46. Russia: Bride and Groom by Alisa Ganieva (tr. Carol Apollonio)
47. Cambodia: First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
48. Greenland: Crimson by Niviaq Korneliussen (tr. Anna Halager)
49. Sierra Leone: The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
50. Taiwan: Wedding in Autumn And Other Stories by Shih Chiung-Yu (tr. Darryl Sterk)
51. El Salvador: Luisa in Realityland by Claribel Alegría (tr. D J Flakoll)
52. Iraq: The Beekeeper of Sinjar by Dunya Mikhail (tr. Max Weiss & Dunya Mikhail) [T/W: sexual violence]
53. Sweden: No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg
54. South Korea: The Vegetarian by Han Kang (tr. Deborah Smith)
55. Slovenia: Angel of Oblivion by Maja Haderlap (tr. Tess Lewis)
56. Belgium: Thirty Days by Annelies Verbeke (tr. Liz Waters)
57. Ireland: Normal People by Sally Rooney
58. Papua New Guinea: My Walk to Equality: Essays, Stories & Poetry by Papua New Guinean Women – ed. Rashmii Amoah Bell
59. Ukraine: Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex by Oksana Zabuzhko (tr. Halyna Hryn)
60. Senegal: So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ (tr. Modupé Bodé-Thomas)
61. Cameroon: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
62. Thailand: Bright by Duanwad Pimwana (tr. Mui Poopoksakul)
63. Myanmar: Smile as they Bow by Nu Nu Yi (tr. Alfred Birnbaum and Thi Thi Aye)
64. Afghanistan: Raising My Voice by Malalai Joya (co-written with Derrick O’Keefe)
65. Albania: The Country Where No One Ever Dies by Ornela Vorpsi (tr. Robert Elsie & Janice Mathie-Heck)
66. Lebanon: Always Coca-Cola by Alexandra Chreiteh (tr. Michelle Hartman)
67. Slovakia: The Equestrienne by Uršuľa Kovalyk (tr. Julia and Peter Sherwood)
68. Botswana: Maru by Bessie Head
69. Liberia: The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper
70. Venezuela: Southpaw by Lisa St Aubin de Téran
71. Honduras: Nobody Wanted Me by Soledad Castillo
72. Rwanda: Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga (tr. Melanie Mauthner)
73. Romania: The Appointment by Herta Müller (tr. Michael Hulse & Philip Boehm)
74. Israel: Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights Under Siege by Amira Hass (tr. Maxine Nunn)
75. Ghana: Changes: A Love Story by Ama Ata Aidoo
76. Yemen: Our Women on the Ground (ed. Zahra Hankir)
77. Sri Lanka: A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman
78. Canada: Small Beauty by jia qing wilson-yang
79. Fiji: Kaluti by Shazia Usman
80. Italy: Arturo’s Island by Elsa Morante (tr. Ann Goldstein)
81. New Zealand: Collected Stories by Patricia Grace
82. Serbia: Dogs and Others by Biljana Jovanović (tr. John K Cox)
83. Armenia: My Grandmother: A Memoir by Fethiye Çetin (tr. Maureen Freely)
84. United Kingdom: Trans by Juliet Jacques
85. Zambia: The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
86. Morocco: Lullaby by Leïla Slimani (tr. Sam Taylor)
87. Barbados: Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord
88. Netherlands: The Black Lake by Hella Haasse (tr. Ina Rilke)
89. Ethiopia: The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
90. Angola: The Return by Dulce Maria Cardoso (tr. Angel Gurria-Quintana)
91. Bolivia: Our Dead World by Liliana Colanzi (tr. Jessica Sequeira)
92. Dominican Republic: In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
93. Indonesia: Saman by Ayu Utami (tr. Pamela Allen)
94. Marshall Islands: Iep Jāltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
95. Suriname: The Cost of Sugar by Cynthia Mcleod (tr. Gerald Mettam)
96. Kenya: Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
97. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea: The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee (tr. David John)
98. Bangladesh: I Am Yours by Reema Zaman
99. Saudi Arabia: Sarab by Raja Alem (tr. Leri Price)
100. Turkey: Every Fire You Tend by Sema Kaygusuz (tr. Nicholas Glastonbury)
101. Bosnia & Herzegovina: Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic (tr. Christina Pribichevich-Zoric)
102. Cyprus: Death Customs by Constantia Soteriou (tr. Lina Protopapa)
103. Timor-Leste: From Timor Leste to Australia ed. Jan Trezise
104. Norway: Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth (tr. Charlotte Barslund)
105. Greece: Zigzag through the Bitter-Orange Trees by Ersi Sotiropoulos (tr. Peter Green)
106. Luxembourg: Tentative by Anna Leader
107. Philippines: The Farm by Joanne Ramos
108. Nicaragua: The Country Under My Skin by Gioconda Belli (tr. Kristina Cordero)
109. Guatemala: Knitting the Fog by Claudia D. Hernández
110. Trinidad & Tobago: Crick Crack Monkey by Merle Hodge
111. Chad: Passion de La Pensée by Salma Khalil Alio
112. Azerbaijan: Days in the Caucasus by Banine (tr. Anne Thompson-Ahmadova)
113. Burundi: Weep Not, Refugee by Marie-Thérèse Toyi
114. Federated States of Micronesia: My Urohs by Emelihter Kihleng
115. Kazakhstan: The School by Zaure Batayeva (tr. ZB & Shelley Fairweather-Vega)
116. Estonia: At the Manor, or Jump into the Fire by Maarja Kangro (tr. Christopher Moseley)
117. Malta: Running Commentary by Daphne Caruana Galizia
118. Dominica: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
119. Cabo Verde: The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salústio (tr. Jethro Soutar)
120. Mongolia: The Green Eyed Lama by Oyungerel Tsedevdamba and Jeffrey L Falt
121. Mauritania: Poetry and I by Mbarka Mint al-Barra’ (tr. Joel Mitchell & PTC participants)
122. Guyana: Shame on Me: An Anatomy of Race and Belonging by Tessa McWatt
123. Iceland: The Greenhouse by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir (tr. Brian FitzGibbon)
124. Eritrea: My Fathers’ Daughter by Hannah Pool
125. Cuba: Revolution Sunday by Wendy Guerra (tr. Achy Obejas)
126. Somalia: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
127. Kyrgyzstan: An Orange Lemon by Alla Pyatibratova (tr. Rohan Kamicheril)
128. Mauritius: Eve Out of her Ruins by Ananda Devi (tr. Jeffrey Zuckerman)
129. Algeria: The Sexual Life of an Islamist in Paris by Leïla Marouane (tr. Alison Anderson)
130: Malawi: I Still Miss Him by Walije Gondwe
131. Belize: Time and the River by Zee Edgell
132. Nepal: Night by Sulochana Manandhar (tr. Muna Gurung)
133. Gabon: Des Contes pour la Lune by Edna Merey-Apinda
134. Benin: Gen by Agnès Agboton (tr. Lawrence Schimel)
135. Burkina Faso: Droit de Cité: Être Femme au Burkina Faso by Monique Ilboudo
136. Malaysia: The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka
137. Macedonia: A Spare Life by Lidija Dimkovska (tr. Christina E Kramer)
138. Madagascar: One Times Two by Cyprienne Toazara (tr. Allison M Charette)
139. Bulgaria: In the Town of Joy and Peace by Zdravka Evtimova
140. Bhutan: The Circle of Karma by Kunzang Choden
141. Nauru: A Beautiful Prayer by Joanne Ekamdeiya Gobure
142. Panama: The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
143. Paraguay: Our Father Is Tired by Susy Delgado (tr. Susan Smith Nash & SD)
144. Wales: The Welsh Language: A History by Janet Davies – yes I know Wales isn’t a country (yet!) but as it’s my homeland I’ve taken a liberty
145. Tanzania: Things That Were Lost in Our Vaginas by Nyachiro Lydia Kasese
146. South Sudan: Withered Flowers by Stella Gitano (tr. Anthony Calderbank)
147. Namibia: The Purple Violet of Oshaantu by Neshani Andreas
148. Solomon Islands: Flotsam & Jetsam by Jully Makini
149. Grenada: Lady in a Boat by Merle Collins
150. Samoa: Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel
151. Democratic Republic of Congo: How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiyimana with Abigail Pesta
152. Jamaica: The True History of Paradise by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
153. Eswatini: Weeding the Flowerbeds by Sarah Mkhonza
154. Tonga: This Is My Story of Resilience by Uinise Tulikihakau
155. Uruguay: Cantoras by Carolina de Robertis
156. Kuwait: The Ringing Body by Fatima Yousef al-Ali (tr. William Maynard Hutchins)
157. Laos: How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa
158. Andorra: The Gravedigger’s Son by Teresa Colom (tr. Mara Faye Lethem)
159. Qatar: Fiery Curses by Noura Mohammad Faraj (tr. William M Hutchins)
160. The Gambia: Stories from the Gambia by Sally Sadie Singhateh
161. Czechia: A Kingdom of Souls by Daniela Hodrová (tr. Véronique Firkusny, Elena Sokol)
162. Liechenstein: Man Wortet Sich die Orte Selbst by Iren Nigg (tr. Marissa Grünes)
163. Maldives: Perfume by Aminath Neena
164. Guinea: Les Humiliées by Koumanthio Zeinab Diallo
165. Djibouti: Les Enfants du Khat by Mouna-Hodan Ahmed
166. São Tomé and Príncipe: ‘Petty Tyrants’ by Conceição Lima (tr. Amanda Hopkinson)
167. United Arab Emirates: That Other Me by Maha Gargash
168. Palau: The Palauan Perspectives by Hermana Ramarui
169. Kiribati: Teaote and the Wall by Marita Davies, illustrated by Stacey Bennett
170. Moldova: Selected Poems by Paula Erizanu
171. Turkmenistan: ‘I Have Come Through Torments Within These Walls’ by Annasoltan Kekilova (tr. James Womack)
172. Georgia: One More Year by Sana Krasikov
173. Tuvalu: ‘Tusitala’ by Selina Tusitala Marsh
174. Ecuador: Cockfight by María Fernanda Ampuero (tr. Frances Riddle)
175. San Marino: ‘The Tram Journey’ by Milena Ercolani (tr. Pasquale Iannone and Robyn Marsack)
176. Bahrain: Bahrain’s Uprising ed. by Ala’a Shehabi and Marc Owen Jones
177. Bahamas: Back to Life by Wendy Coakley Thompson
178. Costa Rica: ‘From where the voice is born’ by Carmen Naranjo
179. Tibet: Dalai Lama, My Son by Diki Tsering (ed. Khedroob Thondup)
180. Libya: ‘Melting Sun’ by Laila Neihoum (tr. D Mohamed Hassan and Neihoum)
181. Brunei: Moments of Nil by Flora Tavu
182. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Journal of a Superfluous Woman by I. R. King
183. Uzbekistan: The Dancer from Khiva by Bibish (tr. Andrew Bromfield)
184. Saint Lucia: ‘History Shelves’ by Sassy Ross
185. Republic of Congo: Two Poems by Marie-Léontine Tsibinda (tr. Nancy Naomi Carlson)
186. Guinea-Bissau: ‘In Which Language to Write’ by Odete Semedo (tr. Alejandro Aguilar)
187. Central African Republic: The Magic Doll by Adrienne Yabouza, illustrated by Élodie Nouhen (tr. Paul Kelly)
188. Togo: Do They Hear You When You Cry by Fauziya Kassindja and Layli Miller Bashir
189. Montenegro: ‘Time’ by Dragana Tripković (tr. Peter Stonelake)
190. Comoros: Le Journal de Maya by Coralie Frei
191. Monaco: My Book of Flowers by Princess Grace of Monaco with Gwen Robyns
192. Kosovo: Call Me by My Name: Poetry from Kosova in a Bilingual Albanian-English Edition by Flora Brovina (tr. Robert Elsie)
193. Lesotho: Singing Away the Hunger by Mpho ‘M’atsepo Nthunya
194. Vanuatu: Black Stone by Grace Mera Molisa
195. Tajikistan: The City Where Dreams Come True by Gulsifat Shahidi (tr. Altima Group)
196. Seychelles: ‘Labour of Love’ by Marie Flora Ben David Nourrice
197. Saint Kitts and Nevis: As Good as Gold by Kathryn Bertine
198. Mali: Poèmusiques by Fatoumata Keïta
199. Niger: Le Déserteur by Hélène Kaziende
reading women worldwide 