Elif Şafak: Ballot-box Victory Is Not a License to Criminalize Criticism

Best-selling Turkish novelist Elif Şafak talks to Ceyda Nurtsch at Qantara.de about everything from the ill health of Turkey's democracy to when she prefers writing in Turkish vs. in English (Lack of Democratic Culture in Turkey): Ceyda Nurtsch: You were one of the writers who signed a petition against the recent Twitter ban in Turkey. In … Continue reading Elif Şafak: Ballot-box Victory Is Not a License to Criminalize Criticism →

China’s Tibet™: Brand Management with Chinese Characteristics

A thought-provoking piece over at a web site entitled "Rukor" (Creating China's Tibet): China’s home-grown orientalism, like the historic orientalism of Europe towards west Asia, ascribes fixed roles and identities to its exotic objects. The Tibetans are required to play their part in a Beijing based script. The scripted role for Tibetans is to be forever … Continue reading China’s Tibet™: Brand Management with Chinese Characteristics →

Chinese Authors in Turkish: Obligatory Pretty Face, Nobel Stamp of Approval

Since I arrived in Turkey in mid-June 2013 and resided in Ankara, Antalya and now Istanbul, I’ve seen 3—yes, 3—contemporary novels by Chinese authors in Turkish translation on bookstore shelves. Mind you, 2 of them I saw just a few weeks ago . . . and I go book-shopping at least once a week. They … Continue reading Chinese Authors in Turkish: Obligatory Pretty Face, Nobel Stamp of Approval →

Elif Şafak’s New Novel: A Great Ottoman Architect, An Elephant and His Keeper

Dec 7 2014 update: Review of The Architect's Apprentice The author of eight novels including the best-selling and controversial Bastard of Istanbul, Elif Şafak, has just launched her ninth—Ustam ve Ben—in Turkish. The title literally means “My Master and I.” Curiously, though she wrote it in English, according to Sunday’s Zaman (Homage to Mimar Sinan) … Continue reading Elif Şafak’s New Novel: A Great Ottoman Architect, An Elephant and His Keeper →

Jangar Culture & Arts Palace Opens in Xinjiang

(Posted: April 24, 2014) With the recent opening of the “Jangar Culture & Arts Palace” (江格尔文化艺术宫), China’s campaign to project itself as a nation with a rich multi-ethnic past and present continues apace. According to a report republished on the web site of the China Writers Association (建成投用), the building covers over 6,000 square meters … Continue reading Jangar Culture & Arts Palace Opens in Xinjiang →

Wang Gang’s “Ingilizce” : Intriguing look at the Cultural Revolution for Turkish Readers

As China’s fiction “exports” pick up, it will be interesting to watch which novels and themes win an Exit Permit to foreign lands, and how they are received there. Take Wang Gang’s 《英格力士》, for instance. This semi-autobiographical novel set in Xinjiang during the Cultural Revolution was snapped up by Penguin, and rendered in English by … Continue reading Wang Gang’s “Ingilizce” : Intriguing look at the Cultural Revolution for Turkish Readers →

Author’s Afterword: “Last Quarter of the Moon”

Afterword: From the Mountains to the Sea The birth of a literary work resembles the growth of a tree. It requires favorable circumstances. Firstly, there must be a seed, the Mother of All Things. Secondly, it cannot lack for soil, nor can it make do without the sunlight’s warmth, the rain’s moisture or the … Continue reading Author’s Afterword: “Last Quarter of the Moon” →

Time to Open up the Orhan Pamuk/Mo Yan Monopoly to Competition?

At his press conference yesterday in Istanbul after a five-day stay in the city, Mo Yan called for the governments of China and Turkey to actively promote literary translation. “I could have [the] chance to read only the books of Orhan Pamuk as he was the only Turkish writer whose books have been translated into … Continue reading Time to Open up the Orhan Pamuk/Mo Yan Monopoly to Competition? →

China’s Richest Authors, the “Tibet Craze” and Silenced Immolations

He Ma (何马) author of the wildly best-selling The Tibet Code (藏地密码), ranks 28th among the Top 30 in the just-released (unofficial) list of China’s Richest Authors (2012 年中国作家富豪榜). Back in mid-2011, I wrote about He Ma’s 10-volume series for Paper Republic (The Tibetan Factor, Marketing Smarts and Toilet Humor): It has hit the shelves … Continue reading China’s Richest Authors, the “Tibet Craze” and Silenced Immolations →

Alai’s “The Song of Gesar”: Abridged, Prose-driven Text and Lack of Annotations Disappoint

Here's one of the first reviews that I've seen of Howard Goldblatt's and Sylvia Li-chun Lin's rendering of Alai's The Song of Gesar, and one that I particularly enjoyed because reviewer Jim Murdoch is a Scottish writer who does his research, takes a stand and makes no claim to being a China hand: When this book … Continue reading Alai’s “The Song of Gesar”: Abridged, Prose-driven Text and Lack of Annotations Disappoint →