First Round Complete! [World Cup of Literature]

The first round of the inaugural World Cup of Literature is complete! Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen sixteen books eliminated from the competition for a variety of reasons. (Click here to read all of the pieces from the first round.)

The second round starts—and finishes—next week, so for those of you following along at home, here’s an updated bracket:

And you can download a PDF version here.

Looking ahead to next week, here are the match-ups (and judges) for Round Two:

Brazil vs. Chile 6/30 – Jeff Waxman

• Budapest by Chico Buarque (Brazil)
• By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño (Chile)

Japan vs. Italy 6/30 – Rhea Lyons

• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Japan)
• The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante (Italy)

Honduras vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina 7/1 – Stephen Sparks

• Senselessness by Horacio Castellanos Moya (Honduras)
• How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Saša Stanišić (Bosnia)

Germany vs. Algeria 7/1 – Florian Duijsens

• Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald (Germany)
• The Sexual Life of an Islamist in Paris by Leila Marouane (Algeria)

Mexico vs. Australia 7/2 – Chad W. Post

• Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli (Mexico)
• Barley Patch by Gerald Murnane (Australia)

Ivory Coast vs. Uruguay 7/2 – Elianna Kan

• Allah Is Not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma (Ivory Coast)
• The Rest Is Jungle by Mario Benedetti (Uruguay)

France vs. Argentina 7/3 – Tom Roberge

• The Map and the Territory by Michel Houellebecq (France)
• An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter by César Aira (Argentina)

USA vs. Belgium 7/3 – Lori Feathers

• The Pale King by David Foster Wallace (USA)
• The Misfortunates by Dimitri Verhulst (Belgium)

And once again, here’s the updated bracket:

Which matches are you most excited about? Bunch of intriguing match-ups this round: Houellebecq vs. Aira is definitely one, but so is Buarque against Bolaño. Ferrante—who has become a Twitter favorite to win it all—is taking on 1Q84. Will upstart Australian entry Barley Patch continue its winning streak? Or will Mexican Valeria Luiselli put a stop to that? No one knows. (Actually, I do, since I’m judging that match.)

Come back on Monday for four days of second round action!