‘The Voice Over’ by Maria Stepanova (Review)

Whenever I start thinking about Women in Translation Month, I take myself off to the study and rummage through my shelves to see what’s lurking at the back, forgotten and waiting to be rediscovered (it can be rather eerie back there…). I quite often come across books I’d completely forgotten about, and that’s certainly the case with today’s choice. It’s a work that’s had to wait a long time for its moment in the sun, but was it the right book for the right occasion? Let’s find out… ***** Back when I was shadowing the 2021 International Booker Prize, I read (and reread) Russian writer Maria Stepanova’s In Memory of Memory (translated by Sasha Dugdale), an intriguing work that mixed family memories with literary essays. While I did enjoy it, I wasn’t quite as blown away by it as some of my fellow shadow jurors seemed to be, which explains why when I was sent another of Stepanova’s books for review shortly afterwards, it never made it off the shelf. Still, better late than never The book…