Tupelo Quarterly has just published an excerpt from Sheng Keyi's dystopian novel, The Metaphor Detox Center (锦灰, 盛可以 著), entitled The Love Experiment: She became acquainted with a few fellow patients at the centre. Like them, she’d heard of shelters, treatment centres for drug addiction, mental health clinics and so on, but only once she … Continue reading The Metaphor Detox Center: Excerpt from Sheng Keyi’s 锦灰
Category: My Literary Translations （本人的译著）
Morocco: Setting Foot in Tangier, the First Shiite Kingdom and Echoes of Du Fu
Morocco: Where the Sun Truly Sets (Excerpted from H.K. Chang's The Greater Middle East: Travelogue & Reflections) Translated by Bruce Humes in Collaboration with the Author (Map source: Nations Online Project) In the early 8th century, the commander of an Arab expeditionary force spurred his horse toward Tangier on the southern bank of the Strait of … Continue reading Morocco: Setting Foot in Tangier, the First Shiite Kingdom and Echoes of Du Fu
Sangpuy (桑布伊): Profile of Taiwan’s Aboriginal Musician
My latest translation for Taiwan Panorama (台灣光華), a bilingual monthly: A member of Taitung’s Pinuyumayan (台東卑南族) community, Sangpuy Katatepan (桑布伊) has been deeply attracted to the ancient melodies of his tribe since childhood. He composes the lyrics for each song on his albums in the Aboriginal language of his people. This love for the land … Continue reading Sangpuy (桑布伊): Profile of Taiwan’s Aboriginal Musician
“Funeral of a Muslim” (穆斯林的葬礼): Tale of Three Generations of a 20th Century Hui Family
With sales of several million copies, Funeral of a Muslim, Huo Da’s tale about three generations of a Hui family in Beijing, is quite possibly the most popular ethnic-themed novel ever published in China. It spans the turbulent years of the Japanese invasion, World War II and part of the Cultural Revolution. If the novel is … Continue reading “Funeral of a Muslim” (穆斯林的葬礼): Tale of Three Generations of a 20th Century Hui Family
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)
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”
Extract from Chi Zijian’s New Novel, “Peak among the Mountains” (群山之巅)
The Saber When livestock catch sight of Xin Qiza, the Butcher of Longzhan Town, they realize that this is their doomsday sun. They take fright, even though that isn’t a butcher knife strapped at his waist — it’s just his beloved pipe. Winter or summer, as long as it’s sunny, Xin Qiza needn’t light his … Continue reading Extract from Chi Zijian’s New Novel, “Peak among the Mountains” (群山之巅)
“Last Quarter of the Moon”: Readers Speak Out
An admittedly quirky collection — selected by me — of unedited online reviews of my translation of Chi Zijian's 额尔古纳河右岸 (Last Quarter of the Moon). Not to worry. They aren't all glowing recommendations. . . * * * Beautifully written, but depressing as fuck. (full text) * * * It is an atmospheric modern folk-tale, … Continue reading “Last Quarter of the Moon”: Readers Speak Out
Excerpt: Hong Ke’s Xinjiang novel, “Urho”
Hong Ke's novel, Urho (乌尔禾, 红柯著), is set during the 1960s in the Zungharian Basin at the edge of the Gurbantünggüt Desert. This remote and rugged area of Xinjiang was once a favored hunting ground for the Mongol Khans when they ruled Cathay. A Han soldier back from the Korean front --- dubbed “Hailibu” by … Continue reading Excerpt: Hong Ke’s Xinjiang novel, “Urho”
Bruce Humes 