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
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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?
Aug 2015 Update: Strategies for Exporting More of China’s Ethnic Fiction
I was invited to the “2015 Sino-foreign Literature Translation & Publishing Workshop” (2015 中外文学翻译研修班) that just ended in Beijing, but didn’t make it. It looks like it was a major happening with more than 50 translation and publishing professionals attending from 30+ countries. Check out the site here. Most of it is in Chinese, but … Continue reading Aug 2015 Update: Strategies for Exporting More of China’s Ethnic Fiction
Documenting Folk Songs of Yunnan’s Bai People in Multilingual Format
Chinese Ethnic Minority Oral Traditions: A Recovered Text of Bai Folk Songs, a new work in the Cambria Sinophone World Series, was published recently. A brief backgrounder on how it came into being: In 1958 while conducting fieldwork in Yunnan, a professor came across a rice paper booklet with strange script created from Chinese characters. … Continue reading Documenting Folk Songs of Yunnan’s Bai People in Multilingual Format
One-Size-Fits-All Qualification Exam for China Publishing Professionals Militates Against Ethnic Minority Talent
In China, since 2002 all technical staff employed in a publishing enterprise engaged in “editing, publication, proofreading and distribution . . . must obtain a National Publication Professional Qualification Certificate” (国家出版专业职业资格). That sounds fairly reasonable in the China context where media is tightly managed for political correctness. But the reality is that in one sector … Continue reading One-Size-Fits-All Qualification Exam for China Publishing Professionals Militates Against Ethnic Minority Talent
“Customs of Zhuang People”
The book “Customs of Zhuang People” describes a remote village where people feel more comfortable singing to stranger than talking to them. So if you got lost in the mountains, you are better off singing your inquiries if you want to get directions from the locals. 『壯族風情錄』裡說，在壯山裡問路，要用唱的人家才回答你。 這不是為難人嗎？ 我好不容易背了簡單的句子問路。這麼看來，練說的不夠，要練唱！ 所以，我寫了首相見歌，等我壯文再多學點，可以用壯文來唱。 Visit Song of Reunion 相见歌 for full text by Chilin … Continue reading “Customs of Zhuang People”
Quote of the Week: Human Rights Lawyer Pu Zhiqiang Uses Taboo “C” Word about Xinjiang
“If you say Xinjiang belongs to China, then don’t treat it as a colony,” Mr. Pu wrote in May 2014. “Don’t act as conquerors and plunderers, striking out against any and all before and after, turning them into the enemy.” 浦志强在 2014 年 5 月时曾写道，“说新疆是中国的，就别把它当殖民地说新疆是中国的，别当征服者和掠夺者，先发制人后发制人都为制人，都是把对方当敌人。” (Tweet by Pu Zhiqiang (浦志强), a human rights lawyer now facing … Continue reading Quote of the Week: Human Rights Lawyer Pu Zhiqiang Uses Taboo “C” Word about Xinjiang
Covering China Best-seller “Kite Runner”: Taking Translator Invisibility to the Extreme
In How to Top China’s Best-seller List Without Really Trying, Alexa Olesen reports on a recent upsurge in sales of the Chinese edition of Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner (追风筝的人)： Over the last nine years, The Kite Runner has sold more than 3 million copies in China. Nearly a third of that total comes from sales … Continue reading Covering China Best-seller “Kite Runner”: Taking Translator Invisibility to the Extreme
