Boubacar Boris Diop, Senegalese author of Doomi Golo which he wrote in Wolof (and later translated into French), has launched the “Céytu” initiative to publish major works of francophone literature in Wolof. The language is spoken by about 11m people in Sénégal, Mauritania and the Gambia. In this interview with Anne Bocandé of africultures.com, he explains the … Continue reading Boubacar Boris Diop and His Wolof Publication Initiative
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Quote of the Week: On Swahili Literature Denigrating Slaves
Much of Swahili literature, including proverbs and canonical works like Utendi wa Mwana Kupona, denigrate watumwa (slaves) as if blacks were not forcibly captured, raped, castrated, and uprooted from their cultures. The casualness with which slavery is treated, even by progressive poets like Muyaka, is the biggest scandal in Swahili letters. (Evan Mwangi, in his … Continue reading Quote of the Week: On Swahili Literature Denigrating Slaves
“Hiraeth,” Speaking in Tongues, and Penang’s Georgetown Literary Festival (Nov 25-27)
I will be one of four translators taking part in Speaking in Tongues: The Art and Craft of Translation on Saturday November 26 at the “Georgetown Literary Festival” in Penang. Our panel will be moderated by Gareth Richards, and fellow translators will be Pauline Fan, Jérome Bouchard and Muhammad Haji Salleh. You can check out the … Continue reading “Hiraeth,” Speaking in Tongues, and Penang’s Georgetown Literary Festival (Nov 25-27)
September 2016: Altaic Storytelling Newsbriefs
Can Dündar, former editor-in-chief of Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper, was arrested in late 2015 for publicizing the discovery of a covert arms shipment by the Turkish secret service to radical Islamist organisations fighting government forces in Syria. He was charged with espionage, aiding a terrorist organization, trying to topple the government and revealing state secrets. The newly … Continue reading September 2016: Altaic Storytelling Newsbriefs
Altaic Storytelling Quote of the Week: Let’s simply say I’m ‘from Turkey’
In a polished English accent, she began, “In my country,” but she paused, trying to reframe her sentence more academically. “You’re right,” she said instead. After giving this sign of acquiescence, sacred to all sane Oxfordites, she continued, “In my country, they grant the highest importance to the law that the height of minarets can’t … Continue reading Altaic Storytelling Quote of the Week: Let’s simply say I’m ‘from Turkey’
Altaic Storytelling: What We’re Reading Now (2016.4.12)
Just started 冬牧场 (lit, winter pasture) by Li Juan. In 2010, she was commissioned to live with a Kazakh family as they herded their camels, sheep and horses deep into the desert of southern Altay where they traditionally graze during the bitterly cold winter. Her job: To document the little known, semi-nomadic lifestyle of Xinjiang's Kazakh … Continue reading Altaic Storytelling: What We’re Reading Now (2016.4.12)
Ethnic ChinaLit: February 2016 Newsbriefs
Richard Bernstein reviews Perry Link's translation of physicist Fang Lizhi's autobiography, Most Wanted Man in China, and Ji Xianlin's The Cowshed. (Enemy of the State) International publishers, booksellers and free speech advocates have penned an open letter to HK head honcho Leung Chun-ying calling for him to defend HK's interests in the face of China's … Continue reading Ethnic ChinaLit: February 2016 Newsbriefs
Frankfurt Book Fair 2015: China’s Culture of Censorship in the Limelight
Oct 17 Update 纽约时报中文网：美国 12 家出版商集体对中国审查说不 ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ Oct 16 2015 In Phil Collins and Ai Weiwei Make Waves at Frankfurt Book Fair, we learn that China’s repugnant censorship practices are generating some real pushback: The fair also saw China accepted as the newest member of the International Publishers Association – a … Continue reading Frankfurt Book Fair 2015: China’s Culture of Censorship in the Limelight
Svetlana Alexievich, Nobel Laureate: China Media’s Initial Reactions
Oct 20 Update Booming Sales of Alexievich's Works: State Media Attributes them to China's "Nobel Complex" Oct 12 Update Man Asian Literary Prize winner Bi Feiyu praises Alexievich and her brand of non-fiction in an interview with Yangzi Evening News: 毕飞宇：今年的诺奖不是一个冷门 . But he does not cite any current practitioners of oral history or investigative journalism … Continue reading Svetlana Alexievich, Nobel Laureate: China Media’s Initial Reactions
1982-2015 Mao Dun Prize: 43 Winners — But which Ones Truly Benefited Sales-wise?
Over the last few years, the veil has been partially lifted on what has been China’s most coveted literary prize for the novel, the Mao Dun Literature Prize, which is awarded just once every four years. You can bone up on the scandals behind this and other awards here if you like. The Beijing Daily … Continue reading 1982-2015 Mao Dun Prize: 43 Winners — But which Ones Truly Benefited Sales-wise?
Ethnic ChinaLit 