The best Chinese fiction in translation of 2023 – so far
Posted: April 13th, 2023 | 2 Comments »My occasional round up of what’s new in Chinese writing in translation for the China-Britain Business Council’s Focus magazine…. click here
From a new Penguin reprint of Lao She’s Mr Ma and Son, to Dorothy Tse’s excellent Owlish, here’s what to read this month to understand China better…
Hi!
Thank you for this article!
I love how you titled the article, “THE BEST CHINESE FICTION IN TRANSLATION OF 2023 – SO FAR” because it leaves room for more discoveries!
I would highly recommend a book called, “Into the Desert” by Xue Mo, translated by Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-chun Lin, and a book coming out soon called “Yuwa” by Chen Yixin, translated by Howard Goldblatt.
“Into the Desert” is a story about two women in Western China in the mid 1990s, on the edge of the Gobi Desert, near the site of the ancient Silk Road. Bound together by poverty and tradition, they embark upon a perilous journey to change their lives. With scorching heat and debilitating their, they face attacks from menacing predators, animal and human.
“Yuwa” is a a novel published in Chinese
in 2019, is set in a dirt-poor area of Gansu
Province in China’s far west. It features a
boy who rises above his marginal existence
in a village bypassed by economic growth.
Yuwa (Rain Child) leads a simple life
surrounded by an extended family, love, and
friendship. He tends sheep with his
granduncle, who teaches him about life; he
goes to school with his best friend, whose
loyalty never wavers; he has an aunt who
dotes on him and a mother who worries
about him. The novel builds in intensity and
emotion after Yuwa experiences heartbreak
after heartbreak. While symbolizing the
challenges facing the villagers, the story
illustrates how a child’s indomitable nature
and inherent decency help him endure
despite the forces of nature, tradition, and
cruelty arrayed against him. It is difficult to
read Yuwa without taking note of its
symbolic resonance and message of hope.
Thank you for your time and the wonderful article!
Great – send me a link and I’ll include in the next round up