Here at Gallic Books, we take great pride in bringing the best French fiction to an English-speaking audience.


Our list includes some fantastic historical fiction (by authors such as Claude Izner, Jean-Francois Parot, Andrea H. Japp and Armand Cabasson), a black comedy (The Suicide Shop), a laugh-out-loud exposé of the supermarket business (Checkout), a modern fable about one man’s struggle for happiness (Hector and the Search for Happiness) and an international bestseller (The Elegance of the Hedgehog).

We’ve even translated into English a novella by one of the continent’s most famous military and political leaders...

But we’re not the only one championing foreign literature. There are dozens of publishers in the UK who are helping to bring international writers to these shores. Some publish, like us, contemporary fiction, while others promote the classics. Some endorse Eastern European languages while others translate from Spanish, Italian and, of course, French.

And we believe this is a fantastic thing. Rather than bemoan the fact that other publishers might be treading on our turf, it is our belief that more of the same can only be a good thing. The more translated fiction there is out there, the more popular it will become.

For that reason, we’ve decided to use the Gallic Books blog to highlight, each month, the fantastic work of a fellow publisher.

First up is Richmond’s Alma Books, owned by husband and wife duo Alessandro Gallenzi and Elisabetta Minervini. Alma is responsible for the Michel Benoît bestseller ‘The Thirteenth Apostle’ and one of their most recent (English language) publications, ‘The Very Thought of You’ by Rosie Alison was shortlisted for the Orange Prize 2010.









Alessandro, can you give us a brief introduction to Alma Books?
Yes, sure. My wife and I launched Alma and Oneworld Classics in 2005, seven years after we came over to the UK from Italy. We saw a gap in the market for translated fiction and, following a few years working in the book trade, set up our own publishers, Hesperus Press, in 2001.

At Alma we publish up to twenty titles a year, mainly contemporary literary fiction. About eight of these are translations from languages such as French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, German and Japanese. We also publish two or three non-fiction titles each year. Oneworld Classics publishes around fifty titles per year, seventy per cent of which are translations.

We are particularly strong in French classics, and are the UK publisher of world-renowned authors such as Celine, Artaud, Ionesco, Duras, Robbe-Grillet, not to mention Flaubert, Stendhal and many others. Significantly, my wife Elisabetta was made Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Embassy in 2009 for her work in promoting French literature in the UK.

What experience did you have of the book trade before launching your own publishing company?
When I came over from Italy I worked for a year at Grant and Cutler (the foreign language bookseller). After that I set up the UK office of an international book distributor based in the Middle East. I was lucky to get such an all-round experience of the book industry. It has proved very valuable.

How does Alma Books decide which (foreign language) book to publish?
We receive a lot of submissions from overseas publishers. My wife and I also travel to countries like France, Spain and Italy and visit publishers there. It isn’t just a question of looking at the bestseller charts in a country and deciding to publish whatever is successful. The book has to be right for Alma and right for the UK market.

For example, Michel Benoît’s ‘The Thirteenth Apostle’ attracted our interest because of its literary qualities and commercial possibilities. It has sold very well for us – more than 75,000 copies so far.

Do you think there is a market for translated fiction?
Absolutely, yes. It is expanding all the time. People are travelling more and more and becoming more interested in foreign cultures. The success of Stieg Larsson and ‘The Elegance of the Hedgehog’ shows that. I think that people’s perceptions are changing and that it no longer matters what the original language of a book is.

There are a great number of success stories out there. A lot of good publishers are introducing translated fiction into their list and that is a good sign.

Even when companies like Amazon, with Amazon Crossing, are starting to get in on the act?
Yes. Competition is always good. It means more investment in foreign fiction and better quality as well. Amazon’s involvement will only serve to improve the perception of translated fiction in the marketplace. In turn, the booksellers will see this trend and give it their support.

Finally Alessandro, could you give us your favourite translated fiction book?
That’s a difficult one! I’ll have to think. In fact, I’ll have to give you two.  My two favourites are ‘Germinal’ by Emile Zola and ’The Devils’ by Dostoyevsky. They are two books of the highest quality.

If there are any publishers you would like to see featured or particular questions you would like us to ask, then please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or e-mail svein@gallicbooks.com.