The new issue of Pathlight (Spring 2015) Chinese literature in translation is out. Its theme is Nature, and you can download the PDF for free here.A quick look at the contents reveals four pieces that fall at least loosely into the "ethnic-themed" fiction category:Two pieces by Mongolian writers:Wolves Walk Atwain (p 18) Deng Yiguang (邓一光) … Continue reading Pathlight Spring 2015: A Handful of Pieces by Mongolian and Xinjiang-based Writers
Category: Uyghurdom (维吾尔话题)
Baidu Encyclopedia First? Uyghur Author’s Name Noted in Uyghur Script
An entry I read today in Baidu Encyclopedia (百度百科), a domestic site which serves as a (politically correct) Wikipedia for mainland Chinese — the latter is often firewalled — may signal a change in the policy of referring to members of minority ethnicities by Chinese name only. Qurbanjan Semet, author/photographer of the recently launched I … Continue reading Baidu Encyclopedia First? Uyghur Author’s Name Noted in Uyghur Script
Interrupted Traditions of “Altishahr,” Oasis Towns Ringing the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang
In Wall Street Journal’s interview with Rian Thum, author of The Sacred Routes of Uyghur History, we learn that a century ago Uyghur in the Altishahr region (lit. “six cities”) traditionally visited shrines where the history of a local Islamic saint was read out loud to visitors. Question posed by Wall Street Journal is bolded, … Continue reading Interrupted Traditions of “Altishahr,” Oasis Towns Ringing the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang
Note to “The Diplomat” and Shannon Tiezzi: Uyghur is Not a Dialect of Chinese
In her Dec 24 analysis of a document designed to guide China’s future ethnic policies, China’s Prescription for ‘Improving Ethnic Work’, Shannon Tiezzi makes a reference to “local dialects”: The document attempts to address governance and policy issues as well, starting with the sensitive topic of language. Beijing reiterates that all officials, including those from … Continue reading Note to “The Diplomat” and Shannon Tiezzi: Uyghur is Not a Dialect of Chinese
“Life of a Mimic”: Xinjiang Writer Addresses Sensitive Question of Self-identity
The latest session of the Lu Xun Literary Institute’s training in creative writing for minority writers recently convened (第15 期少数民族创作培训), and I found myself sifting through the names of the trainees. That’s because participation is a milestone of sorts that presages future stardom: You join the state-run China Writers Association, get published in a prestigious … Continue reading “Life of a Mimic”: Xinjiang Writer Addresses Sensitive Question of Self-identity
Cultivating Uyghur Writers and Translators
As I’ve reported before (Sessions), the editors at China’s very official Nationalities Literature Magazine (民族文学), which appears in 5 languages plus Mandarin, are heading up a nationwide series of “rewriting/editing training courses” (改稿班). The latest took place in Urumqi in late September, and brought together more than 30 Uyghur writers and their translators, along with editors … Continue reading Cultivating Uyghur Writers and Translators
July 2014: Update on Uyghur Writers and Writing as Crackdown Gains Momentum
In the wake of two high-profile and deadly attacks reportedly carried out by Uyghurs outside of their traditional homeland, the Chinese authorities have launched a multi-faceted campaign to crush what they see as a terrorist movement that aims at founding an independent state in the Xinjiang autonomous region covering one-sixth of Chinese territory. I am … Continue reading July 2014: Update on Uyghur Writers and Writing as Crackdown Gains Momentum
Book Review: Wang Lixiong’s “My Western Realm, Your Eastern Homeland” (我的西域，你的东土)
Book Review: 我的西域，你的东土 (1) 王力雄著 My Western Realm, Your Eastern Homeland By Wang Lixiong Reviewed by Bruce Humes (2014) The 2009 Ürümqi riots damaged the reputation of Xinjiang’s Uyghur in the eyes of many Chinese, but the “2014 Kunming Attack” in March this year has surely left a more blood-curdling and indelible image of the “Uyghur-as-Terrorist” … Continue reading Book Review: Wang Lixiong’s “My Western Realm, Your Eastern Homeland” (我的西域，你的东土)
Excerpt: Uyghur Writer Alat Asem’s “Sidik Golden MobOff”
Here's an excerpt from my translation of Sidik Golden MobOff (《斯迪克金子关机》) by the bilingual Uyghur author, Alat Asem (阿拉提 · 阿斯木), that is published in full in Issue 14 of Chutzpah!: IN A WORLD of snow and ice, buses began to budge and Muslims began to discuss Sidik Golden MobOff in hushed tones. One comment reached … Continue reading Excerpt: Uyghur Writer Alat Asem’s “Sidik Golden MobOff”
Uyghur Authors in China
2023 4Q note Apologies for the links below, several of which are now "dead." Not sure how many died a natural death versus those that were pro-actively "disappeared" by the authorities in the wake of the large-scale incarceration of Uyghurs, including writers such as Perhat Tursun, implemented since 2017. In 2013, it’s not easy to … Continue reading Uyghur Authors in China
Ethnic ChinaLit 