Writing by & about non-Han Peoples of China
Bruce Humes worked in China for more than three decades as an export management trainer, launching B2B magazines for Chinese managers, and translating fiction. He left the mainland in 2015 and has since lived in Taiwan, Malaysia, Tanzania, and Turkey, but continues to write about the Sinosphere. The following interview was conducted in English and … Continue reading 「我不是唯一被视为 『他者』 的人」—— 对话 Bruce Humes
Thomas Bird: You translated Chi Zijian’s The Last Quarter of the Moon in 2012. It has now been rebranded and newly launched as part of the Vintage Earth series. How do you feel about it 10 years on? Bruce Humes: I feel the book is more relevant than ever. On the one hand, it highlights the challenges that face … Continue reading Q & A with Bruce Humes, Translator of Eco-fiction Novel “Last Quarter of the Moon”
Chimamanda Adichie is leading the rise of an African literature wave in China (Quartz China) African fiction in Chinese translation * Popularity of diaspora writers A Glimpse into a Different World: The Millions Interviews Bruce Humes Translating Confessions of a Jade Lord, a novel by Uyghur author Alat Asem set in Xinjiang How a writer gives voice … Continue reading Interviews with Chinese-to-English Literary Translator Bruce Humes
Podcaster Angus Stewart interviews Bruce Humes about translating Chi Zijian’s Last Quarter of the Moon Arrival of the Han & their lumberjacks * Female Shamans * Magical realism * Gu Tao’s documentaries * Irony of CCP-driven collectivization * Various titles of the novel in translation Chimamanda Adichie is leading the rise of an African literature wave in China (Quartz China) African fiction in Chinese translation * Popularity … Continue reading Interviews with Chinese-to-English Literary Translator Bruce Humes
My recent work and meanderings in my own words, as presented by travel writer Thomas Bird . . . Click here for the link.
纸托邦网站 （Paper Republic）最近采访了我 (话语权还给少数民族作家 ): 纸托邦：你怎么注意到郭雪波写的小说《蒙古里亚》？ Bruce Humes (徐穆实): 几年以来，为了我的博客 “Ethnic ChinaLit”，我习惯了关注新推出来的 “民族题材”的作品。经常到我所在地的书店（主要是深圳，后来是昆 明）逛一逛，看到少数民族新出的虚构文学作品，就买来看看。有时写书评，有时翻译一章节选，发表在博客上。目的是引起海外采购编辑、文学代理商和出版人的兴趣。 我翻译的迟子建的小说《额尔古纳河右岸》（Last Quarter of the Moon）出版了之后 （2013 年），我开始转型，即不再注意汉族写 “他者” 的故事，而专注少数民族写关于自己民族的作品。2014 年从土耳其回中国，我对北方边界讲阿尔泰语的民族，例如维吾尔族和蒙古人，给予了特别的关注。其实，能用流利的中文写小说的少数民族作家并不太多，所以有关的出版消息比较容易被我发现。 我购买《蒙古里亚》的具体理由我记不清了。可能是我读了冉平的《蒙古往事》 ，得知他 --- 还有不少 “蒙古历史专家” --- 不会蒙古文的时候，我就开始寻找蒙古作家，想聆听他们的心声。当时应该是我听说郭雪波是地地道道的蒙古人，从小说蒙古语，促使我找他的作品。 全采访内容，请点击这里 我翻译《蒙古里亚》的英文节选在这里。
伦敦出版商 Harvill Secker 一月 17 日推出了东北作家迟子建的第一本译成英文的小说，《Last Quarter of the Moon》。为了《中华读书报》，慷慨先生找到我，进行了有关我翻译这本小说的采访： 《读书报》：为什么使用现在这个英译书名，而不是原书名《额尔古纳河右岸》的直译？ 徐穆实 [Bruce Humes]：首先要明白一个事实：书名一般由出版方来定，译者甚至原作家的想法只是建议罢了。要知道，外文版权是外国出版社拥有的，当然是他们说了算。 我的建议本来是直译：The Right Bank of the Argun。这书名不仅忠实原作，也方便引起西方读者的好奇心。因为用“右岸”表达河流的方位有点莫名其妙，西方读者习惯用东南西北来表达。就算西方读者 不知道这条河是几百年以来中俄边境的界线，单凭这种奇特的表达方式，也会引起他们的好奇心。 但英格兰的出版人被早些出版的《额尔古纳河右岸》意大利译文的书名 Ultimo quarto di luna 所吸引，就把它译成英文的 The Last Quarter of the Moon。 全文可以在此下载 PDF 版。
Banned in China, Shanghai Baby (上海宝贝) captured the interest of publishers in the West, and I was commissioned by Simon & Schuster to translate the novel, which was published in 2001. Perhaps because my version became a best-seller in Hong Kong and Singapore, and the Chinese original was later translated into several languages including French, German, Italian and … Continue reading Transparent Translator Series: Bruce Humes and his “Shanghai Baby” (上海宝贝)
Ethnic ChinaLit 