Author: xumushi

Chinese-to-English literary translator. Interested in topics such as fiction by the non-Han peoples of China, storytelling by Altaic peoples, and Silk Road cultures.

Extract: Alat Asem’s Novel “Confessions of a Jade Lord” (时间悄悄的嘴脸)

An excerpt from the newly published novel by Uyghur author Alat Asem, Confessions of a Jade Lord 《时间悄悄的嘴脸》 Chapter 19 Rechristening a High-rise In the midst of his hectic days as minor-character-cum-stagehand, Exet the Mouse’s magnificent new sobriquet — “Suet Exet” — fails to resonate. Those two sheep were indeed sacrificed in vain. Afterwards, he … Continue reading Extract: Alat Asem’s Novel “Confessions of a Jade Lord” (时间悄悄的嘴脸) →

Altaic Storytelling Quote of the Week: Translation and the Looking Glass

It [translating] teaches the writer how to write in a way that nothing else can because you are inside of something. You’re not outside of it anymore. One can read something so closely that it’s only by translating it that you really do feel you’ve gone through the looking glass, that you are on the … Continue reading Altaic Storytelling Quote of the Week: Translation and the Looking Glass →

非漂 [Fēi Piāo] Quote of the Week: Patrice Nganang on African Writers’ Focus on Life Overseas

Ngum Ngafor: As an artist, you follow in the footsteps of writers like Bate Besong and Mongo Beti to critique political and social issues. How urgent is it for today’s Cameroonian creative to be society’s conscience? Patrice Nganang: It is more than urgent, particularly because Africa has had a very long disconnect between its younger writers … Continue reading 非漂 [Fēi Piāo] Quote of the Week: Patrice Nganang on African Writers’ Focus on Life Overseas →

Xinjiang: Big Data, Wifi Sniffers & Big Brother

In China: Big Data Fuels Crackdown in Minority Region, Human Rights Watch reports on how hi-tech is being used to systematically monitor citizens' behavior in Xinjiang, one of the PRC's most multiethnic regions: Since August 2016, the Xinjiang Bureau of Public Security has posted procurement notices confirming the establishment of the “Integrated Joint Operations Platform” (IJOP, … Continue reading Xinjiang: Big Data, Wifi Sniffers & Big Brother →

“Old Demons, New Deities”: Review of Collection of 21 Contemporary Tibetan Short Stories

In Off the Plateau, Lowell Cook reviews a new collection of 21 short stories penned in Tibetan, Chinese and English by Tibetan writers inside and outside the inauspiciously dubbed "TAR" --- the Tibetan Administrative Region in the PRC. Some of the stories "evoke how Tibet is not bound by a single language or region, and also … Continue reading “Old Demons, New Deities”: Review of Collection of 21 Contemporary Tibetan Short Stories →

Borderland Fiction: “The Mongol Would-be Self-Immolator,” Excerpted from Guo Xuebo’s “Moŋgoliya”

Asia-Pacific Journal has published an excerpt I selected and translated from Guo Xuebo's contemporary work, Moŋgoliya《蒙古里亚》: Set in China’s 21st-century Inner Mongolia, the novel is a semi-autobiographical tale by Guo Xuebo, a Mongol who grew up speaking the language of his people. It comprises three distinct but intertwined narratives: a spiritual journey, in which the author — … Continue reading Borderland Fiction: “The Mongol Would-be Self-Immolator,” Excerpted from Guo Xuebo’s “Moŋgoliya” →

Synopsis: “The Embassy’s China Bride”

The Embassy’s China Bride Synopsis (By Bruce Humes & Christopher Cottrell) She’s an aging Chinese female novelist of cult fame banned for her intimate portrayal of women and their men. Her lover De Niro is a wild Italian hell-bent on motorcycles. Her other lover is the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to China. This … Continue reading Synopsis: “The Embassy’s China Bride” →

非漂出版专讯: 2018.1 AfroLit4China Newsbriefs

Q & A with Alain Mabanckou and why he said “Non” to Macron’s francophone project: The French language is varied, plural, diverse, and we don’t need France’s permission to create with it. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s fifth work to appear in Chinese, has been launched as 美国佬. See updated bilingual list of African Fiction in … Continue reading 非漂出版专讯: 2018.1 AfroLit4China Newsbriefs →

Baidu Baike: Bizarre Wikipediaesque Site with Beijing’s Big Brother Seal of Approval

In Fake Food, Fake News: On China’s For-Profit Version of Wikipedia, Chenxin Jiang introduces us to the wacky world of Baidu Baike (百度百科), Baidu search engine's politically correct, Chinese-language version of Wikipedia for the masses: But in many cases the misinformation on Baidu Baike cannot be attributed to commercial interests; much of it is bizarre or … Continue reading Baidu Baike: Bizarre Wikipediaesque Site with Beijing’s Big Brother Seal of Approval →

《Seher》：来自土耳其牢房畅销书的消息

来自土耳其牢房畅销短篇的物语： 在野党政客施展笔杆子的魅力 如今，Selahattin Demirtas (萨拉丁• 德米尔塔什) 已被囚禁在牢房约一年时间，在此等待与恐怖主义有关联的审判。监禁期间，他创作的短篇故事集在土耳其大为畅销，书中有两篇还是以监狱为背景。自 2017 年九月份开售至该年底，此书已在土耳其卖出十四万本。 据伊斯坦布尔的文学代理 AnatoliaLit Agency，英国、德国、意大利和希腊四国的出版社已购买了这本书的外文版权。 这本名为《Seher》的集子由十二个短篇构成，作者将其献给 “所有被杀害的女性与暴力受害者”。定居伊斯坦布尔的 William Armstrong 在《Hürriyet Daily News》报纸的书评中写，这些故事多“围绕奋斗中女性的苦难”。例如：《纳赞，女清洁工》，讲述了一位兼职女佣偶遇一次街头游行却因误被捕，最终由于含冤蒙受牢狱之灾而产生了政治觉醒；《小美人鱼》是关于一名五岁叙利亚难民儿童，在逃离自己因战争而满目疮痍的国家时溺海而亡的悲伤故事；《致监狱信件阅读委员会的一封信》则是稍带讽刺幽默的一篇。 被土耳其政府以帮助恐怖组织搞宣传等诸多罪名起诉的德米尔塔什，并未获准参加近日展开的对自己的审判。海外分析家普遍认为，他的主要罪行是其人民民主党 (HDP) 领导人的身份。该党在土耳其 2014 年的国会选举中，赢得了 550 个席位中的 80 个。面对这支亲库尔德民族在野党的优异表现，埃尔多安总统与他所领导的正义与发展党 (AKP) 迫切想要挫伤对手形象，尤其是在库尔德和年轻选民 中。但这并非易事。德米尔塔什曾怡然自得地在电视节目中弹奏7弦巴拉玛琴和演唱土耳其民谣，是位充满魅力、广受欢迎的政客。 毫无疑问，这本书中最感人的故事是《Seher》。 到最后，遵照在场父亲与叔父的要求，弟弟处死了他的姐姐。在与同事的第一次约会中，年少天真的 Seher 被那工友的朋友们压在地上，然后约她出来的同事就强奸了她。如果此事被公之于众，她的整个家族都会因此蒙羞。据传统，近亲会认为有义务对被玷污的女方实施 “名誉杀人”。如今，这一行为虽法律上被视为谋杀，但在土耳其仍时有发生，尤其在乡下。中国读者可能读过李凡纳的《伊斯坦布尔的幸福》。在小说中，一位男青年被命令处决村子里被奸污的女性，但最终他奋起反抗，取而代之对强奸犯进行报复。遗憾的是，Seher 没有如此幸运。德米尔塔什用两句诗来结束这个故事： 林中一夜，三个男人偷走了Seher 的梦想， 旷野一夜，三个男人夺走了Seher 的生命。 (*** To leave a comment or read earlier comments, pls scroll to bottom of this … Continue reading 《Seher》：来自土耳其牢房畅销书的消息 →