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.

Guo Xuebo’s “Moŋgoliya”: Guide to Related Links

February 18, 2019 By Bruce Humes Guo Xuebo’s “Moŋgoliya” 《蒙古里亚》(郭雪波著) A tale of ruthless ecological exploitation, a 20th-century European explorer’s fascination with Altaic culture & epiphany in today’s Inner Mongolia Backgrounder Author’s Bio + Major Works + Foreign Editions Présentation: Guo Xuebo (in French) Writer of the Month: Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing China's "Steppe Literature" Synopsis … Continue reading Guo Xuebo’s “Moŋgoliya”: Guide to Related Links →

Swedish Readers to Get First Glance into World of China’s Marginalized Reindeer Herders

With the upcoming launch of Ett brokigt band om renens horn, we have a rare instance of a member of China’s dwindling reindeer-herding Evenki telling her people’s story in a European language. Given the historic marginalization of Scandinavia’s own semi-nomadic reindeer-herders, the Sami, it is particularly significant to see that the first translation of the … Continue reading Swedish Readers to Get First Glance into World of China’s Marginalized Reindeer Herders →

Altaic Storytelling: What We’re Reading Now (2017.5)

A few years back I read a longish, semi-autobiographical novel by Guo Xuebo (郭雪波), who was raised in the Horchin Grasslands of Inner Mongolia (科尔沁草原) and is a native speaker of Mongolian. Entitled 《蒙古里亚》— an attempt to replicate the sound of “Mongolia” in Chinese, I assume — it comprises three distinct narratives that are intricately … Continue reading Altaic Storytelling: What We’re Reading Now (2017.5) →

Hundreds of Turkish Journalists in Jail or on the Run

The Hürriyet Daily News English edition reports: Some 123 Turkish journalists are fugitives abroad, while 159 of them were in jail as of the end of April, according to a report by the Turkish Journalists Association (TGC).  The Freedom of Expression and Press report, which was made possible by the European Union, said 46 new investigations were … Continue reading Hundreds of Turkish Journalists in Jail or on the Run →

Uyghur Author Alat Asem: Backgrounder in French

Brigitte Duzan at chinese-shortstories.com has just posted a detailed introduction to Alat Asem (阿拉提·阿斯木), a bilingual Uyghur writer based in Xinjiang. Here is her translation of the editor's Afterword to his collection of short stories, 蝴蝶时代 (The Butterfly Era): Dans le paysage éditorial de la littérature contemporaine chinoise, la littérature du Xinjiang dégage un charme … Continue reading Uyghur Author Alat Asem: Backgrounder in French →

Quote of the Week: Qui a peur du wolof?

Si tout écrivain entretient des rapports orageux avec les mots, dans le cas de l'auteur africain, c'est sa langue d'écriture qui est tout entière problématique. On m'a ainsi demandé d'abord: 《Pourquoi ecrivez-vous en français?》, puis après la parution de mon roman Doomi Golo: 《Pourquoi écrivez-vous en wolof?》   (Senegalese author Boubacar Boris Diop in Le dilemme … Continue reading Quote of the Week: Qui a peur du wolof? →

Ahmet Ümit Translation Forum: No Chinese Presence?

A one-day symposium titled “Translating Ahmet Ümit into Foreign Languages” will be held on April 7 in Istanbul at Okan University’s Beyoğlu campus. The symposium will be attended by 11 translators from various countries, according to a report in Hurriyet Daily News. For a Turkish writer of fiction, Ümit (阿赫梅特·乌米特) has been fairly widely translated … Continue reading Ahmet Ümit Translation Forum: No Chinese Presence? →

Boubacar Boris Diop and His Wolof Publication Initiative

Boubacar Boris Diop, Senegalese author of Doomi Golo which he wrote in Wolof (and later translated into French), has launched the “Céytu” initiative to publish major works of francophone literature in Wolof. The language is spoken by about 11m people in Sénégal, Mauritania and the Gambia. In this interview with Anne Bocandé of africultures.com, he explains the … Continue reading Boubacar Boris Diop and His Wolof Publication Initiative →