Meshrep Under the Moon has Morphed into Variety Shows under the Klieg Lights

In Historic Uyghur Culture is under Existential Threat, co-authored by Rian Thum and Musapir, we learn how the traditional meshrep has been transmogrified into a large-scale tourist spectacle rather than a community event: In Emet’s village of Tashmiliq, a typical meshrep began under the guidance of a local notable. Guests danced to an orchestra of two-stringed lutes, the banjo-like rabap, … Continue reading Meshrep Under the Moon has Morphed into Variety Shows under the Klieg Lights →

Multilingual Links: Turkic Oral Epics, Hikâye and Folk Songs

Turkish Hikâye & Aşık Hikâye: Turkish Folk Romance as Performance Art A list of 20th-century Aşık Based in Turkey The Epic of Manas (玛纳斯史诗) 《玛纳斯》史诗歌手研究 A Telling Tradition: Preliminary Comments on the Epic of Manas (1856-2018) Manas recitations (video) & transcripts in Kyrgyz Talantaaly Bakchiev Doolot Sydykov Legend of Manas (prose translation) Manasqi Jusup Mamay … Continue reading Multilingual Links: Turkic Oral Epics, Hikâye and Folk Songs →

Confessions of a Jade Lord (excerpt): ‘Marry your mother to the villain who killed your father’

(Posted: Feb 2, 2022) This short excerpt from Alat Asem's Confessions of a Jade Lord (时间悄悄的嘴脸, 阿拉提·阿斯木著) intriguingly captures several key aspects of Uyghur culture, modern and ancient. To get his greedy hands on nine hefty chunks of priceless creamy-white, "mutton-fat" jade, Eysa and his gang administer a deadly beating to Xali, a fellow trader. Fearing arrest, Eysa flees … Continue reading Confessions of a Jade Lord (excerpt): ‘Marry your mother to the villain who killed your father’ →

A list of 20th-century Aşık Based in Turkey

Below is a list of 20th-century Aşık cited by Ilhan Basgöz in his seminal work, Hikâye: Turkish Folk Romance as Performance Art. Aşık Aziz Aydın Ilhami Demir (1932-87) Adem Efkari (1898-1980) Ishak Kemali (1913-77) Behçet Mahir Sabit Müdami (1918-68) Ali Izzet Özkan Üzeyir Pünhani (1917-98) Yaşar Reyhani (1930-) Mevlüt Ihsani Şafak (1928-) Davut Sutlari Aşık Sümmani Şerif Taşlıova … Continue reading A list of 20th-century Aşık Based in Turkey →

Growing up Uyghur in Xinjiang: “Setting Sail in a Chinese-language World”

(Posted Dec 22, 2021) In China's Minority Fiction, Sabina Knight notes how China is pushing its ethnic minorities --- particularly the Uyghur in Xinjiang --- to master Mandarin: "The question of cultural survival haunts Patigül’s Bloodline《百年血脉》(2015). The novel situates the narrator—who, like the author, is half-Uyghur and half-Hui—within the matrix of the Han majority’s aggressive promotion … Continue reading Growing up Uyghur in Xinjiang: “Setting Sail in a Chinese-language World” →

Book Review of “The War on the Uyghurs”: How a People Became “Terrified”

An excerpt from Darren Byler’s review of Sean Roberts’ The War on the Uyghurs: Prior to the US declaration of the Global War on Terror, Uyghurs were described occasionally as “counterrevolutionaries” or as “separatists”, but never as terrorists. Working in concert with Chinese state security in a Beijing-based investigation, in the early 2000s US intelligence officials took up … Continue reading Book Review of “The War on the Uyghurs”: How a People Became “Terrified” →

“Sidik Golden MobOff”: Li Bai was Uyghur

An Excerpt from Sidik Golden MobOff by Alat Asem 斯迪克金子关机阿拉提·阿斯木著 First published in Peregrine, Issue 14, June 2013 Translated by Bruce Humes In our community, the only person who excelled at translating Uyghur into Chinese was Big Brother Sidik, and this was the inexhaustible source of his arrogance and aloofness. His colleagues and fellow students … Continue reading “Sidik Golden MobOff”: Li Bai was Uyghur →

Synopsis: Moŋgoliya by Guo Xuebo

《蒙古里亚》郭雪波著 Original novel in Chinese by Guo Xuebo Synopsis by Bruce Humes A tale of ruthless ecological exploitation, a 20th-century European explorer’s fascination with Altaic culture & epiphany in today’s Inner Mongolia This semi-autobiographical novel comprises three parallel narratives that eventually intersect in 21st-century Inner Mongolia: A spiritual journey, in which the author — ostensibly … Continue reading Synopsis: Moŋgoliya by Guo Xuebo →

Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast: Q & A with Translator of “Last Quarter of the Moon”

Angus Stewart recently interviewed me about translating Chi Zijian's novel that chronicles the tragic twilight of the reindeer-herding, Tungusic-speaking Evenki of northeastern China. The tale has since been translated into several languages, including French, Japanese and Swedish. You can find the podcast here: Episode 42 of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast https://trchfic.podbean.com/e/ep-42-chi-zijian-and-last-quarter-of-the-moon-with-bruce-humes/ 如果你正在中国，这链接可能更合适: Episode 42 … Continue reading Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast: Q & A with Translator of “Last Quarter of the Moon” →

Guide to Related Links: Chi Zijian’s “Last Quarter of the Moon” (额尔古纳河右岸)

Chi Zijian's Last Quarter of the Moon 《额尔古纳河右岸》(迟子建著) A Multilingual List of Translations, Book Reviews, Interviews, Academic Papers & Related Info 《额尔古纳河右岸》: Translations of the Novel Arabic (الربع الأخير من القمر); Dutch (Het laatste kwartier van de maan, translated direct from my English version); English (LastQuarter of the Moon); Finnish (Poulikku); French (Le dernier quartier … Continue reading Guide to Related Links: Chi Zijian’s “Last Quarter of the Moon” (额尔古纳河右岸) →