Maaza Mengiste

This is a slender novel, but I have always felt that it holds the depth and complexity of an epic. Written in 1927 in Tigrinya, and published only in 1950, it tells the story of an ascaro, an Eritrean fighting for Italy during the campaign to colonize Libya. It is a poignant and intimate examination of war, dignity, and justice, all of it wonderfully translated by Ghirmai Negash.