{"id":638,"date":"2018-05-03T14:57:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-03T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2018\/05\/03\/read-around-the-world\/"},"modified":"2018-05-03T14:57:00","modified_gmt":"2018-05-03T14:57:00","slug":"read-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2018\/05\/03\/read-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Read Around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

You wouldn’t think that an online travel company could pitch me something I would absolutely want to share with you, however TravelBird<\/a> pulled it off. They reached out to ambassadors around the world asking which book they believe best represents their country. Clever, right? The answers are part of a larger study. The larger project began by contacting embassies in over 50 countries around the world, asking ambassadors several simple yet revealing questions about their homeland. Their answers offer cultural insights and unique insider tips on how to experience their country how locals do. The questions were as follows:<\/p>\n

If a person is visiting your country for 48 hours, where should they go? What should they see? What should they eat?<\/p>\n

Is there a common cliche about people in your country which you believe is misrepresentative or untrue? <\/p>\n

Which book, fiction or non-fiction, best represents your country? <\/em><\/p>\n

You can check out the full results here<\/a>. But I’m here to talk about the books. The results were interesting, but a lot of them are not in English. This just reminds me that I wish I was fluent in other languages. Sigh.<\/p>\n

Facundo Vila, Argentina’s ambassador to Finland:<\/strong> Mart\u00c3\u00adn Fierro by Jos\u00c3\u00a9 Hern\u00c3\u00a1ndez, 1872<\/p>\n

\"\"Betina Pasquali Fonseca, Argentina’s ambassador to Norway:<\/strong> El Aleph by Lu\u00c3\u00ads Borges, 1945<\/p>\n

N\u00c3\u00a9lida Mar\u00c3\u00ada Cintreras de Ecke, Argentina’s ambassador to Sweden:<\/strong> El Aleph by Lu\u00c3\u00ads Borges, 1945<\/p>\n

Dr. Peter Huber, Austria’s ambassador to Germany:<\/strong> Der Trafikant (English title, ‘The Tobacconist’) by Robert Seethaler, 2012<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Ellison-Kramer, Austria’s ambassador to Hungary:<\/strong> Das Buch \u00c3\u2013sterreich: Texte, die man kennen muss (translates in English to ‘The Book of Austria. The text you have to know’) by Hans Rauscher, 2005 and The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig, 1942<\/p>\n

Dr. Phil. Heidemaria G\u00c3\u00bcrer, Austria’s ambassador to Netherlands:<\/strong> Die gute K\u00c3\u00bcche: Das \u00c3\u00b6sterreichische Standardkochbuch (translates in English to ‘The good kitchen’: The Austrian Standard Cookbook) by Ewald Plachutta & Christoph Wagner, 1993<\/p>\n

Thomas Stelzer, Austria’s ambassador to Portugal:<\/strong> Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften (English title, ‘The Man without Qualities’) by Robert Musil, 1930-1943<\/p>\n

Matthias Radosztics, Austria’s ambassador to South Africa:<\/strong> Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften (English title, ‘The Man without Qualities’) by Robert Musil, 1930-1943, Das Augenspiel (English title, ‘The Play of the Eyes’) by Elias Canetti, 1985, Die D\u00c3\u00a4monen (translates in English as ‘The Demons’) by Heimito von Doderer, 1956, Die Tante Jolesch: oder Der Untergang des Abendlandes in Anekdoten (English title, ‘Tante Jolesch: Or, The Decline of the West in Anecdotes’) by Friedrich Torberg, 1975<\/p>\n

Susan Bincoletto, Canada’s ambassador to Switzerland:<\/strong> The Promise of Canade by Charlotte Gray, 2016<\/p>\n

Juan Jos\u00c3\u00a9 Quintana, Colombia’s ambassador to Netherlands:<\/strong> Cien A\u00c3\u00b1os de Soledad (English title, ‘One hundred Years of Solitude’) by Gabriel Garcia M\u00c3\u00a1rquez, 1967<\/p>\n

Jorge Leyva, Colombia’s ambassador to Norway:<\/strong> El amor en tiempos de guerra (English title, ‘Love in Times of War’) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1985<\/p>\n

Rom\u00c3\u00a1n Macaya, Costa Rica’s ambassador to the United States:<\/strong> Cuentos de mi t\u00c3\u00ada Panchita (translates in English to ‘Stories of my Aunt Panchita’) by Carmen Lyra, 1920<\/p>\n

\"\"Tomislav Bo\u00c5\u00a1njak, Croatia’s ambassador to Egypt:<\/strong> Gricka vjestica (English title, ‘The Witch of Gri\u00c4\u008d’) by Marija Zagorka, 1913<\/p>\n

Jetter Nordam, Denmark’s ambassador to Finland:<\/strong> Den afrikanske farm (English title, ‘Out of Africa’) by Karen Blixen, 1937 or Andersen’s Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen, 1835<\/p>\n

An\u00c3\u00adbal de Castro, Dominican Republic ambassador to Belgium:<\/strong> Cuentos escritos en el Exilio (translates in English as ‘Tales written in exile’) by Juan Bosch, 1964 or M\u00c3\u00a1s cuentos escritos en el Exilio (translates in English as ‘More tales in exile’) by Juan Bosch, 1964<\/p>\n

Julio Simon Casta\u00c3\u00b1os Z., Dominica Republic ambassador to Switzerland:<\/strong> La Ma\u00c3\u00b1osa (no English translation) by Juan Bosch, 1935<\/p>\n

Fernando Bucheli, Ecuador’s ambassador to Netherlands:<\/strong> Memorias de Andr\u00c3\u00a9s Chiliquinga (translates in English to ‘Memoir of Andr\u00c3\u00a9s Chiliquinga’) by Carlos Arcos Cabrera, 2013<\/p>\n

Hannu Kyr\u00c3\u00b6l\u00c3\u00a4inen, Finland’s ambassador to Austria:<\/strong> Putkinotko (no English translation) by Joel Lehtonen, 1919<\/p>\n

Timo Ranta, Finland’s ambassador to Belgium:<\/strong> Kalevala, Elias L\u00c3\u00b6nnrot, 1849<\/p>\n

Vesa Vasara, Finland’s ambassador to Denmark:<\/strong> Tuntematon sotilas (English title, ‘The Unknown Soldier’) by V\u00c3\u00a4in\u00c3\u00b6 Linna, 1954<\/p>\n

Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Finland’s ambassador to Germany:<\/strong> A History of Finland by Henrik Meinander, 2011<\/p>\n

Erik Lundberg, Finland’s ambassador to Norway:<\/strong> Trollvinter (English title, ‘Moominland Midwinter’) by Tove Jansson, 1957<\/p>\n

Nicolas Protonotarios, Greece’s ambassador to Slovenia:<\/strong> Odyssey by Homer, approx. 8th century BC<\/p>\n

Luis F. Carranza, Guatemala’s ambassador to Switzerland:<\/strong> Hombres de Ma\u00c3\u00adz (English title, ‘Men of Maize’) by Miguel \u00c3\u0081ngel Asturias, 1949<\/p>\n

Nagy Zolt\u00c3\u00a1n, Hungary’s ambassador to Belgium:<\/strong> A P\u00c3\u00a1l utcai fi\u00c3\u00bak (English title, ‘The Paul Street Boys’) by Ferenc Molnar, 1906<\/p>\n

Dr L\u00c3\u00a1szl\u00c3\u00b3 Zsolt Szab\u00c3\u00b3, Hungary’s ambassador to New Zealand:<\/strong> A gyerty\u00c3\u00a1k csonkig \u00c3\u00a9gnek (English title, ‘Embers’) by S\u00c3\u00a1ndor M\u00c3\u00a1rai, 1942<\/p>\n

Tom Hanney, Ireland’s ambassador to Austria:<\/strong> Solar Bones by Mike McCormack, 2016<\/p>\n

Jacob Keidar, Israel’s ambassador to Switzerland:<\/strong> The Bible, The Old Testament<\/p>\n

Giorgio Novello, Italy’s ambassador to Norway:<\/strong> Il nome della Rosa (English title, ‘The name of the Rose’), Umberto Eco, 1980<\/p>\n

\"\"Keith Azzopardi, Malta’s ambassador to Italy:<\/strong> The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat, 1973<\/p>\n

Dr. Albert Friggieri, Malta’s ambassador to Germany:<\/strong> The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat, 1973<\/p>\n

Joseph Cole, Malta’s ambassador to Netherlands:<\/strong> The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat, 1973<\/p>\n

Y. Ramjanally, Mauritius ambassador to Belgium:<\/strong> Paul et Virginie by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, 1788<\/p>\n

Eloy Cant\u00c3\u00ba Segovia, Mexico’s ambassador to Belgium:<\/strong> Pedro P\u00c3\u00a1ramo (no English translation) by Juan Rulfo, 1955<\/p>\n

Carlos Pujante, Mexico’s ambassador to Denmark:<\/strong> Pedro P\u00c3\u00a1ramo (no English translation) by Juan Rulfo, 1955<\/p>\n

Jorge-Castro Valle, Mexico’s ambassador to Norway:<\/strong> El Laberinto de la soledad (English title, ‘The Labyrinth of Solitude’) by Octavio Paz, 1950 or La Regi\u00c3\u00b3n m\u00c3\u00a1s Transparente (English title, ‘Where the Air is Clear’) by Carlos Fuentes, 1958<\/p>\n

Agust\u00c3\u00adn Gasca Pliego, Mexico’s ambassador to Sweden:<\/strong> Como Agua para Chocolate (English title, ‘Like Water for Chocolate’) by Laura Esquivel, 1989<\/p>\n

Lamia Radi, Morocco’s ambassador to Norway:<\/strong> Le Petit Prince (English title, ‘The Little Prince’) by Antoina de Saint Exupery, 1943<\/p>\n

Matthijs van Bonzel, Netherlands’ ambassador to Spain:<\/strong> Nijntje (English title, ‘Miffy’) by Dick Bruna, 1955<\/p>\n

Nicole Roberton, New Zealand’s ambassador to Austria:<\/strong> M\u00c4\u0081ori Myths and Legends by Alexander Wyclif Reed, 1964<\/p>\n

J\u00c3\u00b8rn Eugene Gjelstad, Norway’s ambassador to Greece:<\/strong> Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way by Lars Mytting, 2015<\/p>\n

Manuel Lobo Antunes, Portugal’s ambassador to the United Kingdom:<\/strong> Mensagem (translates in English to ‘Message’) by Fernando Pessoa, 1934<\/p>\n

Manuel de la C\u00c3\u00a1mara Hermoso, Spain’s ambassador to Finland:<\/strong> Don Quijote de la Mancha (English title, ‘Don Quixote’) by Miguel de Cervantes, 1615<\/p>\n

Fredrik J\u00c3\u00b6rgensen, Sweden’s ambassador to Denmark:<\/strong> Ett dr\u00c3\u00b6mspel (English title, ‘A Dream Play’) by August Strindberg, 1902, Nils Holgerssons (English title, ‘The Wonderful Adventures of Nils’) by Selma Lagerl\u00c3\u00b6f, 1907, Pippi L\u00c3\u00a5ngstrump (English title, ‘Pippi Longstocking’) by Astrid Lindgren, 1945, Rid i Natt (English title, ‘Ride this Night’) by Vilhelm Moberg, 1941 or I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 2011<\/p>\n

Walter Haffner, Switzerland’s ambassador to Austria:<\/strong> Das Kalb vor der Gotthardpost (translates in English to ‘The calf in front of the Gotthardpost’) by Peter von Matt, 2012<\/p>\n

Andrej Motyl, Switzerland’s ambassador to Poland:<\/strong> Die Physiker (English title, ‘The Physicists’) by Friedrich D\u00c3\u00bcrrenmatt, 1961 or Homo Faber (no English translation) by Max Frisch, 1957<\/p>\n

C\u00c3\u00a8sar M\u00c3\u00a8ndez Gonz\u00c3\u00a0lez, Venezuela’s ambassador to Switzerland:<\/strong> Do\u00c3\u00b1a Barbara (translates in English to ‘Ms Barbara’) by R\u00c3\u00b2mulo Gallegos, 1929<\/p>\n

Ngo Thi Hoa, Vietnam’s ambassador to Netherlands:<\/strong> Truy\u00e1\u00bb\u2021n Ki\u00e1\u00bb\u0081u (English title ‘The Tale of Kieu’) by Nguyen Du, 1820<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What books do ambassadors think best represents their country?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}