World Cup of Books

[Bern]

This weekend the 19th FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa. Three years ago, 204 nations entered the competition. 32 have reached the finals.

If you were to recommend one book (fiction) that best represented each country - which would you choose? Can we come up with a list of 32 books?

Here are the nations involved:

Asia & Oceania

* Australia

* Japan

* Korea DPR

* Korea Republic

* New Zealand

Africa

* Algeria

* Cameroon

* Côte d'Ivoire

* Ghana

* Nigeria

* South Africa

North, Central America and Caribbean

* Honduras

* Mexico

* United States

South America

* Argentina

* Brazil

* Chile

* Paraguay

* Uruguay

Europe

* Denmark

* England

* France

* Germany

* Greece

* Italy

* Netherlands

* Portugal

* Serbia

* Slovakia

* Slovenia

* Spain

* Switzerland

[Bern]

England - the Jeeves and Wooster stories by P.G. Wodehouse
England will wish (again) they had a Jeeves to rescue them. They'll have to glory in the past instead.

Australia - This is the south coast news and I'm Paul Murphy, Roy Slaven & H.G. Nelson, illustrated by Bill Leak, 1990
Could have picked any of their books - Pants off, this sporting life, It's yours for a sawn-off! : Sameranch's Sydney or Sprays for example - but this one is a favourite. The Citizenship Test could only benefit by requiring familiarity their argot.

Brazil - Peter Robb, A Death in Brazil
Kings Cross writer "brilliantly entwines Southern American food and politics in his er...

Italy - Peter Robb, Midnight in Sicily
Art, literature, history, travel, politics, food and the Mafia. Features a cameo by Maradona in a spa bath.

Chile - Roberto Bolaño, Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives)
The only book I've read by a Chilean author. But it was great.

[Lindach]

Her are some of my recommendations;
Australia- Cloudstreet by Tim Winton- THE Australian family story.
Spain- Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon- Barcelona!
England- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
USA- Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice- just love New Orleans in any of her Vampire and Mayfair Witch series.

[Artemis]

Brazil - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Spain - Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
USA - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut,Jnr.

[Jane R]

Here are my suggestions-
New Zealand - Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff
USA - Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
Greece - The Potter's House by Rosie Thomas
South Africa - The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay