Shi Tiesheng dies at 59
By Nicky Harman, January 4, '11
Shi Tiesheng dies of a brain hemorrage at 59. Wikipedia entry here
Our News, Your News
Jan 7, 2011: Symposium with Taiwanese author Zhang Dachun (Chang Ta-ch'un)
By Cindy M. Carter, January 4, '11
Here's the latest update on the symposium about Zhang Dachun's new book Chengbang Baolituan at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in 798 Art District, Beijing:
1月7日 (周五), 10:15-12:15, UCCA报告厅
January 7 (FRI), 10:15-12:15, UCCA Auditorium
【文化项目 Culture Program】
UCCA新书发布系列8： 张大春新书《城邦暴力团》首发暨作品研讨会
UCCA Book Release Series 8: Chengbang Baolituan by Zhang Dachun
Address: UCCA, 798 Art District, No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China 100015 Tel: +86 10 8459 9269 / 8459 9387
嘉宾 Guests: 张大春：作家，《城邦暴力团》作者 / Zhang Dachun (novelist) ; 黄集伟：专栏作家、出版人、书评家、作家、语词收藏人 Huang Jiwei (author, publisher, reviewer, columnist)
李敬泽：文学评论家，《人民文学》主编 Li Jingze (literary critic, editor-in-chief of Renmin Wenxue [People’s Literature]) , 止庵：学者，文学评论家 Zhi An (scholar, literary critic)
合作方 Partner: 世纪文景 Wenjing (Horizon Media)
语言 Language: 中文 In Chinese only
票务 Ticketing
活动免费，UCCA会员可预留座位，请于1月6日前发送电子邮件(注明会员编号)至frontdesk@ucca.org.cn
非UCCA会员请预约参加，将姓名、电话发送到frontdesk@ucca.org.cn。邮件标题：预约参加张大春新书《城邦暴力团》首发研讨会；我们会于1月6日前发送邮件确认。
This event is free, but requires a reservation.
UCCA members: To make reservations for this event, please send an e-mail with your membership number to frontdesk@ucca.org.cn by Jan 6.
Non-UCCA members: Please send an e-mail with your name and phone number to frontdesk@ucca.org.cn. You will receive a confirmation e-mail by Jan 6.
"Choir of Soloists" Ceases Publication
By Eric Abrahamsen, December 27, '10
Han Han just posted to his blog, confirming rumors that his magazine Choir of Soloists (独唱团) will be shutting down after the first issue.
As you might imagine, Han Han can't get terribly specific about the exact causes of the shutdown—he appears not to be sure of the details himself—but it's pretty obvious that by the time every official body who could possibly have an opinion about the magazine had gotten through expressing that opinion, publication was impossible.
"…perhaps there are just too many 'relevant departments' and 'relevant people' in China, too many people determined to see cultural reading materials become cultural relics…"
China's Book Publishing Industry "Liberalizes": But where are Pederasty, Passion and the Dalai Lama? www.bruce-humes.com
NY Times: Foreign Fiction Publishing in China www.nytimes.com
Although certain subjects like the Dalai Lama, Taiwan independence, dark episodes in Communist history and overtly religious themes remain verboten — and are deleted from translated editions of foreign titles — the hunger for literature, business advice and self-help books has fueled a scramble among Chinese publishers and their international counterparts to translate classics and the latest best sellers into Chinese, creating new opportunities for book agents and translators to help bridge the gap between East and West.
The Unsavory Side of Translated Fiction Publishing in China www.bruce-humes.com
Invisible Translators: Bi Fei Yu's "Three Sisters" Longlisted for Man Booker www.manasianliteraryprize.org
Note that nowhere in the copy will one find a reference to the translators who made it possible for the judges to read the novel: Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-Chun Lin.
Excerpt from "Canticle to the Land": The Creation Story www.bruce-humes.com
An English-language excerpt from Canticle to the Land (大地雅歌), the last novel in the Yunnan-Tibetan trilogy by Fan Wen (范稳).
Tashi Gyatso, a Tibetan bab sgrung (traditional errant songster) and his zither work their magic on the nobly born Yangjenma whose hand has already been promised to a tusi. . .
I Read Han Han's "Party (独唱团)": Part II
By Canaan Morse, December 9, '10
Of the Fiction:
I have to give Bei Shan’s “When You Go to Sa City” (北山，你们去卅城) one thumbs-up for being pretty 给力. From a writer’s point of view, I find that while it is easy to write about vice, it requires much better insight and more courage to appreciate the artistry of vice well done. His description of the brothels’ glittery guest-end exterior and cold, professional human resources system is so in sync with my understanding of China that I am ready to believe such a place exists. I would also be interested in knowing what else Bei Shan has written.
I Read Han Han's "Party (独唱团)": Part I
By Canaan Morse, December 8, '10
Fourteen pieces of visual art, nine brief essays, a poem and nine stories.
The longest written piece is eleven pages long.
The most commonly used phrase is 耿耿于怀, which means “to take (sth.) to heart,” usually connoting resentment, the memory of a past injustice.
There are four pieces I would look at again, four that I would recommend.
Wu Ming, the Italian translation collective, on translating Stephen King wordswithoutborders.org
King's style looks simple, but it is actually very difficult to translate. As an author, he's very fond of puns, neologisms, idioms, local slang and so on. He plays with all the singularities of the English language, precisely the stuff that can't be translated in any way! This is typical of, er, “monoglot” writers, by which I mean those writers who don't care about what happens to their works when they're translated into other languages.
There are basically two kinds of novelists: those who care about translations, like Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco, because they're used to exploring foreign languages, and those who don't care, like Elmore Leonard or Uncle Stevie, because they're perfectly happy with inhabiting their native language...
Flash the Global Times
By Eric Abrahamsen, November 20, '10
This is a bit beyond our bailiwick, but it sounds like fun: The English version of the Global Times is running a flash-fiction competition, with fabulous prizes etc. Apparently you need to be an English-language writer, in Beijing. Deadline is late December, here's the blurb:
Writers of Beijing, lend us your biros. The Global Times Beijing Metro wants your smoking nuggets of flash fiction (1,000 words MAX). If you're one of our winners, you'll find yourself published in an anthology of Beijing fiction, and could win books or even a 5,000 yuan cash prize.
http://beijing.globaltimes.cn/community/2010-11/591698.html
(also find us on Google Buzz for updates)
best,
Flash Fried Fiction team
Foreign Languages Press Looking for Authors
By Canaan Morse, November 18, '10
China Foreign Languages Press is currently looking to hire qualified, preferably bilingual English-speaking authors to participate in its landmark book series "Cities of China (中国城记)." Dedicated to presenting fresh, in-depth illustrations of rising Chinese cities to readers across the globe, the books in this series are written exclusively by foreign professional authors. Below is a translated sample from the "Cities of China" official introduction:
Xu Zechen Sample
By Eric Abrahamsen, November 13, '10
I've been blowing on about Xu Zechen for ages, but only just got around to finishing a sample of his Running Through Zhongguancun, which you can read here.
Qarrtsiluni: Call for Submissions
By Canaan Morse, November 12, '10
From Qarrtsiluni editor and Paper Republic friend Nick Admussen:
Qarrtsiluni is an online literary and artistic journal active since 2005 that features collaborative theme issues, posted in the form of a daily weblog. Learn more about it at our About page. This call for submissions, plus introductions to the issue's editors, is available here.
Translator interview: Stéphane Lévêque, Chinese-to-French translator of Fan Wen's "Harmonious Land" www.bruce-humes.com
As those knowledgeable about Chinese literature in translation may have noted, one occasionally finds European publishers—particularly in France—are willing to translate and publish Chinese fiction long before these “unknown” authors are “discovered” by the English-speaking world. Chinese Books, English Reviews spoke recently with Stéphane Lévêque, who is busy translating Harmonious Land (水乳大地) into French, the first novel—not yet available in English—in a now-complete trilogy by author Fan Wen (范稳) set along the borders of Yunnan and Tibet...
Manchester LitFest invites Ding Liying
By Nicky Harman, October 28, '10
Manchester (UK) Literary Festival 2010 invited Shanghai short story writer and poet Ding Liying to their Translation Evening last week.