Pleased to see that Paul French, author and expert on Chinese history, recommends my translation of Wei Hui's "Shanghai Baby" as one of five must-read Shanghai novels -- right up there with Malraux's "Man's Fate!" I translated the former back at the turn of the 21st century: But back in the day, some Chinese were … Continue reading “Shanghai Baby”: A Classic after 25 Years
Category: Shanghai Baby (上海宝贝)
Shanghai Baby — Looking Back
In Never again Crazy like Wei Hui, popular novelist Zhang Yueran interviews the author -- now a therapist -- of that naughty, banned-in-China-at-the-turn-of-the-century novel, Shanghai Baby: Zhang Yueran: Can you talk about your early works? There's a lot in there that's incredibly valuable. Zhou Weihui: They can't be all bad, I suppose, but they aren't … Continue reading Shanghai Baby — Looking Back
Shanghai Baby’s Translator, Author Wei Hui & Abu Ghraib
At the turn of 21st century, three young female Chinese novelists were busy boldly writing about their sexuality, orgasms and all, and being lambasted for it by the critics and Chinese society at large. The trio were Jiu Dan, who chronicled the exploits of China's“Little Dragon Girls” in Singapore in Crows (乌鸦); Mian Mian, author … Continue reading Shanghai Baby’s Translator, Author Wei Hui & Abu Ghraib
Wei Hui’s “Shanghai Baby”: Multilingual Guide to Related Links
Wei Hui’s Shanghai Baby 《上海宝贝》(卫慧著) A Multilingual List of Translations, Book Reviews, Academic Papers & Related Info Translations of the Novel Shanghai Baby (Catalan); Shanghai Baby (English); Shanghai Baby (French); Shanghai Baby (German); Shanghai Baby (Italian); Shanghai Baby (Spanish) Academic Papers Packaging a Chinese “Beauty Writer”: Re-reading Shanghai Baby in a Web Context … Continue reading Wei Hui’s “Shanghai Baby”: Multilingual Guide to Related Links
“Shanghai Baby” and “Candy”: Back When Young Female Chinese Writers “Wrote with their Bodies”
Just finished translating a new semi-autobiographical novella (synopsis), The Embassy's China Bride (大使先生), by Jiu Dan of Crows fame (乌鸦, 九丹著). This reminded me that at the turn of 21st century, three young Chinese female writers were busy boldly writing about their sexuality, orgasms and all, and being lambasted for it by the critics and … Continue reading “Shanghai Baby” and “Candy”: Back When Young Female Chinese Writers “Wrote with their Bodies”
Selling “Shanghai Baby” to the Hungry Masses
Writing in the China Daily (The Slim Years), Chitralekha Basu looks at how translated Chinese fiction has fared since 2000: The last book to have notched up outstanding sales in the English-speaking market is Shanghai Baby [上海宝贝] by Wei Hui (translated by Bruce Humes/Robinson Publishing UK) in 2001. The somewhat morbid tale of a waitress-turned-writer … Continue reading Selling “Shanghai Baby” to the Hungry Masses
Transparent Translator Series: Bruce Humes and his “Shanghai Baby” (上海宝贝)
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)
