26th June Newsletter
What’s On At Veranda
Welcome, welcome! Stating the obvious, but it’s all ‘a bit much’ out there, isn’t it? But in here, you’ll find an oasis of cool air, cool books, cool chat…time to just chill.
Whether you’re looking for recommendations or respite, come on in, take your time, we’d love to see you soon.
Shop News
This week’s events…
It might be our aircon, but we prefer to think it’s our five-star events programme that consistently attracts ‘standing room only’ crowds. All we know is that the heatwave was no deterrent for our diehard customers who turned out in force for this week’s Nordic-flavoured events.
On Friday evening, we joined forces with MACK publishing and the Norwegian Embassy for the launch of Oslo Arkiv and Mixed by Norwegian artists Ole John Aandal and Dev Dhunsi. An electrifying evening of conversation (led by publisher Bruno Ceschel), midsummer vibes and a lot of cold beer. Skål!
Wednesday evening celebrated the launch in English of Finnish author Riikka Pulkkinen’s novel Enchantment. Who better to interview Riikka than the novel’s translator Tabatha Leggett – a mesmerising conversation about gender politics, adolescence and the Finnish equivalent of Smarties.
Curious? Oslo Arkiv, Mixed and Enchantment (Alison’s Recommended Read this week) are all in stock at the shop and online.
It’s Lit In Translation
If you’re a fan of Translated Fiction, you may want to know more about how your favourite books travelled from their original language to yours. Certainly, when we host events with international writers, there will be questions about translation – but rarely enough time to answer all of them. Exciting news then, for anyone who wants to know more about literary translation, the people who do it, and the books they’ve produced. Earlier this year, the multi-talented Evelyn Heis-Borrell, launched the podcast It’s Lit In Translation, through which she aims to “bridge the gap in publishing and literary circles by shedding light on the work translators do.”
Evelyn hails from Buenos Aires, but grew up in Spain and the UK. Studying Latin American Poetry as part of her English Lit degree at Bristol proved transformative – allowing her to ‘step outside the canon’, and opening up post-uni career paths including translation and working as a bookseller at one of Bristol’s many independent bookshops. In a short time, she’s interviewed an impressive cohort of literary translators – including all those shortlisted for the International Booker Prize this year. Evelyn is a warm, knowledgable and engaging interviewer, and her love of literature absolutely shines through.
Alison’s favourite episode so far is with Jordan Stump, translator from French – notably the works of Marie Ndiaye. A fascinating conversation about Jordan’s love of the French language and an insight into the particular challenges posed by Ndiaye’s singular style of writing.
Leo’s our in-house podcast aficionado – these are the literary pods he’s been enjoying of late:
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Shakespeare & Company: Sit back and listen with a chilled Vermouth and imagine you’re people-watching in Paris
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Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast: Yes, he may be better known for talking about football, but once he was a serious English Literature student with a passion for the most elevated of art forms…and in the case of this podcast, the more obscure, the better!
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Backlisted: So many great contemporary books, but don’t neglect all those forgotten classics.
Now Booking
Next week’s events
After a busy few months of in-store events, we’ll be taking a break over the summer. But there are still a few places left at next week’s events if you’d like to join us:
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1st July: Andrea Bajani, author of The Anniversary, will be in conversation with Veranda’s very own Leo Lucas. A razor-sharp depiction of family dysfunction and estrangement, L’Anniversario won the Strega in 2025, and appears now in translation by Geoffrey Brock.
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2nd July: we’re thrilled to be hosting the launch of Guardian journalist Charlotte Edwardes’ debut novel Trouble Was, which opens with a harassed mother driving her carload of feral children to Devon during the heatwave of 1976 – relatable?! Charlotte will be in conversation with Juliet Rosenfeld, psychoanalyst, author and first-class interviewer
We hope to see you there – book online or call in at the shop to reserve your spot. Great company, invigorating conversation and chilled wine/beer – doors open at 6.30, conversation from 7.
Our Recommended Reads
Enchantment by Riikka Pulkkinen (tr. Tabatha Leggett)
In all honesty, Alison isn’t naturally drawn to novels that start with the death of a teenage girl. But this metafictional novel is less about Phillipa Laakso’s death, or the police investigation that ensues, and more about her life, particularly the last few years – as told by multiple narrators, an ensemble cast of people who knew her. More significantly, we hear from those who thought they knew her – and only now realise how much they projected onto her. Pulkkinnen’s writing (along with Leggett’s superb translation) is excellent: she has produced a thoughtful, psychological novel which investigates girlhood, power and friendship – a compelling read for the beach or the commute.
Éric Cantona’s 82 Goals by Valentin Deudon (tr. Ian Monk)
As World Cup fever builds, Leo recommends ‘the best football book he’s read since Full Time: The Secret Life of Tony Cascarino (pub. 2013)’
Éric Cantona’s 82 Goals explores football’s most legendary anti-hero, Éric Cantona, through the lens of each goal scored for Manchester United in those halcyon days, for any Man Utd fan, of the early 1990s. As you would expect from a poet, French writer Valentin Deudon breaks down the alchemy of each goal in precise, lyrical detail, but it is the true storytelling aspect of each segment that elevates this perfectly-formed book way beyond a mere book about sport.
Passion, ambition and sheer determination, this is a compelling psychological analysis of this ultimately unknowable sporting enigma.
What we’re loving this week…
Emily está de vacaciones 
Back next week!
Back next week!Leo has been watching Two Weeks In August on BBC One. For fans of The White Lotus, this is a distinctly British take on the complex terrain of adult friendships.
Alison spent a dreamy Friday evening at the Southbank Centre listening to the Devonté Hynes Ensemble premiering their new contemporary classical compositions. Dev Hynes is otherwise known as Blood Orange, polymath musician, composer, singer, producer – and all-round inspiration tbh, and this feels like a really special evolution in his career.
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