Problems of Translation: Charlie's Comic Terrifying Romantic Loopy Round-the-World Journey in Search of Linguistic Happiness

...A MERRY YEARLONG CHASE AROUND THE GLOBE....--Kirkus Reviews Exceptional original deftly crafted from beginning to end ... an inherently fascinating unique funny and compelling read ...very highly recommended....--Midwest Book ReviewA comic masterpiece Poignant Pretty much perfectly done and A Shelf Unbound 2015 Notable BookCharles Abel Baker--short story writer and a most unlikely middle-aged hero--sets off around the world on a quest to see one of his short stories translated into ten different languages and back again into English a sort of literary version of the old party game telephone. In Moscow St. Petersburg Siberia China India Iceland Japan Mexico and more Charlies round-the-world peregrinations are comical romantic and at times hair-raising.Problems of Translation is a cloak-and-dagger adventure a love story and a bracing ride for the language buff. Its naïve heros quixotic mission will ultimately transform Charlie and those around him. And along the way Charlie--lonely divorced--comes to love and be loved by a generous complicated woman and at last to understand what drove him to undertake this journey.Who knew that literary translation could be so perilous? So romantic? So downright funny? A rousing hybrid and a great read Problems of Translation is as stimulating as it is entertaining.An insanely amusing adventure that has a deep love of language at its belly-shaking core.-Gary Shteyngart author of Little Failure and A Super Sad True Love StoryJim Storys name says it all: he was meant to be a writer...I hope everyone reads this book!-Hannah Tinti author of The Good Thief; editor-in-chief of One StoryIn this comic masterpiece...we take a wild ride...through the underside of the literary world...as [Charlie] stumbles and careens into all kinds of trouble in and obsessive pursuit of hid Dream.-Robert Roth author of Health Proxy; editor co-creator of And ThenA fascinating look at the issues of translation publishing and an unglamorous middle-age.-Edith Grossman author of Why Translation Matters; award-winning translator of Cervantes Gabriel Garcia Marquez and others...Marvelous touches of...poignancy that dont...delay the progress of the story toward its delectable conclusion...pretty much perfectly done.-Ron Story (no relation) Emeritus Professor UMass Amherst; author of Jonathan Edwards and the Gospel of Love