By Helen Wang, August 31, '12
Thought I'd look around and see what kind of reading guides there are for reading groups and bookclubs who might be interested in Chinese fiction. There's a website called readinggroupguides which has a lot of China-related books (fiction, non-fiction, memoirs) and Harper Collins has a few China-related books in and amongst its Reading Guides. There are probably more, but this is all I could find.
There is a new confidence among China’s public intellectuals. Prominent thinkers Yan Xuetong and Zhang Weiwei write about China’s global rise in terms of a new civilisation that draws on Confucian tradition.
But other Chinese writers see a rather more precarious future for their country. “Behind all the glorious statistics in China today,” warns novelist Yu Hua, “crises tend to lurk.” Yu Hua explores this lurking crisis by taking 10 Chinese words or phrases – “revolution”, “writing”, “grassroots” – and linking them to his own experiences, which span the highs and lows of China’s past four decades.
Through fellowships to published translators, the Arts Endowment supports projects for the translation of specific works of prose, poetry, or drama from other languages into English.
Grants are for $12,500 or $25,000. Award amounts are determined by the NEA. Application deadline 3 January 2013. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the USA. See website for details.
All works must be submitted in English. Translations are eligible. The novella can be about any topic set anywhere in the world.
Northern Girls and China’s Migrant Workers – Sheng Keyi in conversation.
Sheng Keyi talks ‘in conversation’ on her novel Northern Girls which looks at the lives of Chinese women who make their way from small rural villages to China’s ever-expanding metropolises to play their part in the country’s insatiable economic growth.
This event is part of the Penguin Art & Design exhibition at The Temple Hotel, 23 Songzhusi, Shatan Beijie, Dongcheng, Beijing 100009 北京市东城区沙滩北街嵩祝寺23号.100009. Saturday, September 8 2:30pm
Hanging Devils - He Jiahong in conversation
Legal expert and thriller writer He Jiahong talks about his writing, miscarriages of justice, and writing what you know at the official launch event for the English edition of his novel Hanging Devils.
Venue: The Gallery at The Temple Hotel, 23 Songzhusi, Shatan Beijie, Dongcheng, Beijing 100009 北京市东城区沙滩北街嵩祝寺23号.100009
Beijing, Sunday, September 2, 2:30 pm
Q: What does Penguin have in store for the future?
A: We have Eric Abrahamson’s translation of The Civil Servant’s Notebook coming out in September and Hanging Devils, a crime novel, coming out soon. We’re going to do a Penguin Design Exhibition in September in Beijing.
"Han Han will never be as popular outside China as he is inside China, simply because the rest of the world has other things to think about." (Global Times, 21 Feb 2012)
Allan Barr is the translator. For info, see
http://cbi.gov.cn/wisework/content/104240.html
http://www.peonyliteraryagency.com/pc/han_han.html
In October, Simon and Schuster is publishing a collection of his blog posts, fittingly titled This Generation. Will Han Han ever achieve the sort of Western fame held by China's dissidents? Simon and Schuster seems to hope as much, but it's always hard to predict a Chinese writer's impact among English readers. Still, there are reasons to think that Han Han could make a splash. Not for his reputation, obviously, but for the exuberance, wit, and diversity of his essays. So, in a few months I may finally start getting more questions about Han Han. After all, his name's an easy one to pronounce.
By Helen Wang, August 28, '12
Three books...
On sex in China, see Behind the Red Door: Sex in China, by Richard Burger,Earnshaw Books, Sept 2012. For more info, see here
Calling all Road Warriors: Issue nine of Workers Write!, tentatively titled "Tales from the Concrete Highway", will contain stories and poems from the driver's point of view. We're looking for fiction from taxi cab drivers and chauffeurs, truck drivers, delivery drivers and couriers, forklift operators . . . anyone who uses a wheeled vehicle for work (even pit crews and stunt drivers). The deadline for submissions is Dec. 21, 2012. Word count: 500 to 5,000 words Payment: Between $5 and $50 (depending on length and rights requested). We will consider previously published material.
Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention, also known as "Worldcon," is the premier gathering of authors, artists, fans, dealers, and more in the world science fiction community. Worldcon covers all the genres of written speculative fiction including science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream, and alternate history, as well as science, media (movies, television, anime, and online), fanzines, gaming, costuming, filking, and more.
For Chinese panels, see here
Includes fiction:
CHINA from Yu Li: Confessions of an Elevator Operator -- Jimmy Qi
TAIWAN Dance of the Maiden -- Tsao Li-chuan
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.
