By Helen Wang, August 27, '12
This is really good...
The New York Review of Books China Archive is a collaborative project of ChinaFile and The New York Review of Books. The archive is currently under construction. When complete, it will contain a full and easily searchable collection of China-related essays and reviews that The New York Review of Books has published since its founding in 1963.
”DJS Poetry Translation Prize” is administered by Poetry East West magazine, to promote literary exchange in poetry between China and other countries and to encourage quality translation of poetry. Starting from 2011, one prize each year, USD 1000, recipient to be announced on December 30. During the first three years, DJS Translation Prize will be awarded to a translator or a team of translators who has/have demonstrated exceptional skills in translating a book of contemporary poetry (50 poems or more) from Chinese into English or another non-Chinese language.
Earlier this summer, Dung Kai-cheung, author of Atlas: The Archaeology of an Imaginary City was interviewed by Christopher Mattison in a wide-ranging discussion. Among the issues discussed were translation, the impact of English on Dung’s writing, Hong Kong as a “fiction,” and Hong Kong literature. The interview begins with a conversation about the translation of Atlas, which was both self-translated and done in collaboration with Bonnie McDougall and Anders Hanson. Dung mentions how his knowledge of English shapes and benefits how his Chinese writing is translated.
Chen Kaige's new movie Sousuo 《搜索》 is based on the online novel by Wen Yu 文雨 and explores the infamous “human flesh search” phenomenon in China — the conduct of massive researching using Internet media such as blogs and forums to expose individuals to public humiliation. It was the only online novel among the 130 works longlisted by the China’s most prestigious Lu Xun Literature Prize in 2010.
In Poetry International, 1 August 2012:
At that point, my Chinese wasn’t good enough to read anything but the simplest of texts. But when I got back to the States and started to read as part of my efforts not to forget Chinese, I encountered some wonderful books of poetry. I had brought back a children’s addition of the famous compilation, Three Hundred Tang Poems 唐诗三百首, and I started to go through it systematically. I understood a tiny percentage of the allusions, but I basked in the richness of the imagery and related to the cleverness of language and emotional depth of these little lyrics. I memorized dozens of them and would recite them to myself while taking walks.
Entry is open to New Zealand permanent residents who are Asian or of Asian ethnicity. Short stories will be in English, and the theme is open. Stories will ideally contain some Asian content, though not necessarily be set in Asia. The minimum length of entries is 2,500 words, and the maximum length of entries is 3,500 words. There is a total of $4,500 in cash prizes. First prize: $3,000. Second: $1,000. Third: $500. The competition deadline is 30 August 2012.
The UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press is proud to announce the release of Amerasia Journal Issue 38:2
“Towards a Third Literature: Chinese Writing in the Americas”. The latest issue of Amerasia Journal is an unprecedented international collaboration for Amerasia Journal, bringing together authors and intellectuals from China, Taiwan, Latin America, and the United States to consider the impact of national and cultural identities on literary practice.
By Helen Wang, August 26, '12
Ever had the feeling that there's a toilet scene in every Chinese story you read? Maram Epstein (Princeton) explains why...
By Helen Wang, August 25, '12
Yiyun Li, translator of the letters of Chinese writer Shen Congwen, tells the story of his extremely persistent courtship of his wife, a student of his at a University, and the concerned chancellor who was caught in between. To hear more about Congwen's writing, letters, and life (and more of Li's delightful commentary) listen to the full audio of her TWO LINES reading at http://catranslation.org/blogpost/two-voices-with-author-yiyun-shen-congwen
The Silent War is an adaptation of An Suan (Secret Plot), written by Mai Jia, pen name for war-themed writer Jiang Benhu. In Chinese cinemas this summer.
The novel was adapted into a TV drama in 2005. Like Mai's previous works, it depicts the battles between agents from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Kuomintang during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Zhang Xuening (Zhou Xun) is a CPC agent in the 701 Unit, which monitors Kuomintang's communication channels. One day, all signals go out. To track them, Zhang brings He Bing (Tony Leung), a blind man with a superior sense of hearing.
Ladbrokes's top three with the odds:
Haruki Murakami 10/1 Mo Yan 12/1 Cees Nooteboom 12/1
By Helen Wang, August 23, '12
I couldn't find any of Xu's work translated into English, so I've made a quick attempt at translating one of the last pieces he wrote, published in Beijing Qingnian Bao in June.
徐怀谦：想象力和比想象力更重要的 北京青年报, 2012年06月23日 09:37 http://news.ifeng.com/opinion/society/detail_2012_06/23/15506341_0.shtml?_from_ralated
徐怀谦 (1968-2012): Xu graduated from the Chinese department of the prestigious Peking University in 1989, going on to gain a master's degree in literature at the equally prestigious Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, before starting work at the People's Daily. He also wrote a number of articles in his spare time, which were published on the China Writer website, including "Testifying Through Death" and an essay collection, "Walking and Thinking."
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) announced the winner of “The 4th Dream of the Red Chamber Award: The World’s Distinguished Novel in Chinese” today (26 July). The prize was awarded to Scent of Heaven《天香》by Ms. Wang Anyi (王安憶) from Shanghai, who will meet members of the public in Hong Kong at the prize presentation ceremony to be held in October this year. Ms. Wang wins HK$300,000 for her work, which was chosen following a rigorous selection process.
Never before translated into English, DECODED tells the tragic story of a math genius who becomes China's greatest code-breaker, only to be driven mad by the unfathomable darkness in the world of cryptology. With the pacing and plot twists of a crime thriller, it combines elements of magical realism with historical fiction and state espionage. The fact that it takes place in a fully characterised shadowy world of the Chinese secret security, where Mai Jia worked for decades, makes it all the more unfamiliar, intriguing and authentic. The protagonist, Rong Jinzhen, is a classic Mai Jia character, possessing exceptional intelligence, yet also deeply flawed and fragile as a person. DECODED was published in 2002 and became an immediate success. There are over 300,000 copies in print and it has won several awards.
Penguin has acquired the rights to publish Decoded in 2013.
Told through five linked stories and spanning thirty years, it is a stunning epic of radio surveillance, code breaking and secret missions in which psychics, revolutionaries and math geniuses fight for survival. The novel was an instant bestseller, and Mai Jia was hired to adapt the book for TV. The 30-episode TV series went on air in 2005 and became a national sensation. IN THE DARK won the Mao Dun Literary Award in 2008. It is also widely considered the pioneer of a new wave of espionage writing in China.
Penguin has acquired the rights to publish In the Dark in 2014.
Pai Hua Zi and the Clever Girl, part 2 is now available.
A mixture of fiction and non-fiction, including:
The Uninvited, by Geling Yan
Rickshaw Boy, by Lao She
Please Don't Call Me Human, by Wang Shuo
The Crazed, by Ha Jin
I Love Dollars, by Zhu Wen
Beijing Doll, by Chun Xue
Serve the People, by Yan Lianke
Mad Dinner, by Ma Yansong
Thus far, the book has released 500,000 copies, higher than the initial release copies of 400,000 of Liu's One Sentence Worth Thousands, which up to now has sold nearly 1 million copies.
British Council UK Now Literature events in China this month:
David Mitchell in Beijing, meeting with Xu Zechen and Li Er
David Mitchell and Joe Dunthorne in Shanghai, meeting with Su Tong
A.S. Byatt in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai, meeting with Liu Jiande and Wang Anyi
Sounds interesting! Has anyone been to any of the events?
By Helen Wang, August 18, '12
Tibetan Soul Stories by Alai, translated by Karen Gernant and Chen Zeping.
Alai has said that he seeks to demystify Tibet and to depict the Tibetan reality—the “noun” rather than the “adjectivized” Tibet offered by some outsiders. The stories collected here present various Tibetan realities, some drawn from legends, others inspired by daily life, by his home village, and by his extensive travels through the region.
Merwin Asia, February 2012, distributed by University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-1-937385-09-5 // ISBN 978-1-937385-08-8
By Helen Wang, August 18, '12
Ripple on Stagnant Water, A Novel of Sichuan in the Age of Treaty Ports, by Li Jieren, translated by Bret Sparling and Yin Chi.
In the small market town of Heaven’s Turn on the Chengdu Plain, a simple-minded shopkeeper has married a beautiful village girl who is determined to rise above her station. Li Jieren’s novel is populated with gangsters, prostitutes, farmers, dilettantes, bureaucrats and Christian converts, all drawn from the author’s familiar acquaintance.
Merwin Asia, due Sept 2012, distributed by University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-1-937385-25-5 // ISBN 978-1-937385-24-8
By Helen Wang, August 18, '12
Endless War Fiction and Essays by Wang Wen-Hsing, edited by Shu-ning Sciban and Fred Edwards.
This volume consists of translations of twenty-four fictional works and five essays by one of the most celebrated modernist writers in Taiwan and the recipient of Taiwan’s most prestigious National Culture and Arts Award (Literature Category).
Cornell University East Asia Program, 2011 : Cornell East Asia Series 158 Distributed by University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-1-933947-28-0 // ISBN 978-1-933497-58-7
By Helen Wang, August 18, '12
How Long Is Forever? Two Novellas, by Tie Ning.
Shanghai Press & Publishing Development Company, 2011, ISBN 978-1-60652-152-6
Distributed by University of Hawaii Press.
The novellas are How Long Is Forever? and The Woman Opposite.
An Anthology of New Short Stories from China (2006–2009), edited by Josh Stenberg.
This anthology gathers stories from established and emerging writers in China and is projected to be the first in a series. It includes writing by Bi Feiyu, Chen Jie, Fan Xiaoqing, Han Shaogong, He Yuru, Huang Fan, Li Han, Su Tong, Tie Ning, Tsering Norbu, Aang Baozhong, Wang Shou, Xiao Su, Xu Yigua, and Zhu Shanpo.
Merwin Asia, distributed by University of Hawaii Press, June 2012 978-1-937385-23-1 CL $55.00S 978-1-937385-22-4 PA $25.00S Published in cooperation with the Chinese Writers' Association
Several Chinese news reporters have interviewed Berring about the course, which centers on Romance of the Three Kingdoms and its huge impact on China’s culture. Considered one of the great works of Chinese literature, the 14th-century tome inspired the creation of a modern card game, Sanguosha.
The course, officially titled “Exploring the Three Kingdoms: The Classic Chinese Novel and Sanguosha the Card Game,” has drawn intense interest. Although the class can only enroll 30 students, its web page has been viewed more than 12,000 times.
Discussion questions suggested by Penguin Books in China.
Article by Lu Jiande, 'Self' in F.R. Leavis and its significance for Chinese Literature, in Cambridge English and China: A Conversation, a special issue of the Cambridge Quarterly (2012) 41 (1).
The moral concern of F. R. Leavis involves a subtle scrutiny of the representation of the self in its various (often unconscious) forms. The Cambridge critic is particularly harsh when the (implied) authorial self is not vigilant against itself. This sensitiveness to the fallibility of the self is both the result and strength of a Christian and self-introspective culture that Leavis shares with his contemporaries, believers and non-believers alike. This paper argues that though a prudent and conscientious self-restraint is a basic Confucian criterion for a gentleman, the self of Chinese poets, however, is entitled to greater licence and wilder self-representation, and as a consequence literary scholars in China are much more tolerant of egotism in different disguises. Perhaps idioms typical of Leavis's ethical sensibility might be tentatively used in analysing and evaluating certain features of Chinese literature.
Article by Rachel Gilmour, 'Living between languages: The politics of translation in Leila Aboulela’s Minaret and Xiaolu Guo’s A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers', The Journal of Commonwealth Literature, June 2012, 47: 207-227.
(There's a free abstact, but subscription required to access the full article)
By Helen Wang, August 16, '12
Pai Hua Zi and the Clever Girl: A Graphic Novel by Zhang Xinxin.
Published digitally, 20 pages of this book are available as a sample. This is Part 1 of the English edition. Part 2 and Chinese edition to follow soon.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pai-hua-zi-clever-girl-vol./id553372788?mt=11&ls=1
Yao Haijun, deputy director of Science Fiction World (SFW), the world's most popular science fiction periodical in terms of circulation, signed a contract to make award-winning author Liu Cixin's "Three Body" trilogy the first full-length sci-fi work to be translated for an overseas audience, marking a giant leap for the Chinese sci-fi industry.
After selling 400,000 Chinese-language copies, the three-part saga will be translated into English within six months and jointly published in both print and digital forms by China Educational Publications Import & Export Corporation Ltd. and SFW.
Excerpted from "Another Swimmer" by Xujun Eberlein. From Chinese Characters: Profiles of Fast-Changing Lives in a Fast-Changing Land, edited by Angilee Shah and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, published by the University of California Press, 2012.
A short piece by A Yi, trans. by Alice Xin Liu, on the Granta website.
Guo Jingming, once cited as "the most successful Chinese writer" in an article by Aventurina King published in the New York Times, will now see his best-selling novel Tiny Times adapted into a TV series.
Tiny Times 1.0, Guo's fifth full-length novel, is the first part of a trilogy. It was first published in Zuibook, a magazine founded by Guo. The story chronicles four women from university to post-graduation, touching upon friendships, love and career.
"Shu Ke climbed out of bed and drank some water. She lit a cigarette before burrowing back under the blanket, bringing the ashtray with her, pressing close to the man's body. They were silent for a while, slowly coming back to themselves. They had gone further than ever before while making love, two bodies in the grip of obsession, endlessly trying to find ways to get closer– so close that their faces and voices vanished. Frightening. When she made love to him, Shu Ke could see her past lives, one after another. Each time she went through the pain of reincarnation, it seemed to be for this:
I was re-born for only one thing, waiting for you to come and fuck me, Shu Ke said."
Translated by Jeremy Tiang
Conference: China’s Ongoing Quest for Cultural Modernity into the 21st Century: Lu Xun and his Legacy at the India International Centre, New Delhi, 15-18 November 2012.
Asking such questions as:
(3) why is The True Story of AhQ being removed from school text books in China?
(5) why has China’s ‘reform regime’ consistently distanced itself from Lu Xun or the ‘spirit of Lu Xun’?
(6) contrast and compare the increasing worldwide popularity and reception of Lu Xun’s works, especially the new research in Japan and Korea with the intriguing debates in China ... namely ‘who is Lu Xun’ (Lu Xun shi shei)?
Our Summer 2013 issue will showcase literary translation of new and contemporary prose fiction from around the world. In conjunction with Dublin-based literary translation agency, Parkbench Publishing Services, we are now calling for submissions.
We are particularly interested in finding/translating short stories, though excerpts from novels and novellas will also be considered. We hope to include work by new and emerging writers and translators, alongside the work of more established practitioners. Translators should contact us as soon as possible – and certainly before September 30th 2012.
By Eric Abrahamsen, August 13, '12
The Man Asian Literary Prize, is now accepting submissions for its 2012 prize round, deadline August 31, 2012. the MALP is awarded to a novel by an Asian writer, either written in English or translated into English, and already published: submission should be done by the publisher, up to three titles per imprint. The author of the winning novel receives a prize of 30,000 USD and the translator, if any, gets 5,000 USD.
The longlist will be announced December 4th, the shortlist January 9th, and the winner March 14th, 2013. See the MALP press release for more information.
