Qiu Miaojin, in Taiwan,her university years, her loves and the “Crocodiles”.

“Notes of a crocodile” (1) is a short novel, published in Taiwan in 1994, translated two years ago by Bonnie Huie for the prestigious New York Review Books collection, which had already published Qiu Miaojin’s best-known book “Last Words from Montmartre” (2).

It took more than twenty years for “Notes…”, which is a famous book in Taiwan, to be translated, a reference, a kind of lesbian code at the time. Qiu Miaojin, a writer of … Lire la suite

Anwar Ridhwan, a Malaysian novelist, questions traditional values and globalization.

Anwar Ridhwan is one of Malaysia’s best-known novelists and has benefited from numerous translations of his works written in Malay. He is a pure product of the system that governs literature in Malaysia both in his academic career and in his professional life as a civil servant. He is one of the thirteen writers declared National Laureate, but he has an international openness that others do not have. Two of his novels and some of … Lire la suite

Xi Xi, a famous writer from Hong Kong, finally praised in the West.

Xi Xi, the pseudonym of Zhang Yan, is probably the most famous writer in Hong Kong. Important and very varied works, with a limited number of translations in the West. She has just won the Newman Prize, awarded every two years by an international jury around the University of Oklahoma; only one condition, to write in Chinese. She is in good company with Mo Yan, Han Shaogong and the Taiwanese poet Yang Mu; two … Lire la suite

De nouvelles traductions rendent justice à la qualité de la littérature de Taiwan.

Quand on recense les recueils de nouvelles et de courts romans de la littérature de Taiwan, on est étonné de constater que, après plusieurs publications au cours des années 2000 et notamment deux recueils dirigés par Isabelle Rabut et Angel Pino (1), aucun nouveau livre jusqu’en 2016. Trois ouvrages sont alors publiés sur lesquels on reviendra : un hors-série sur Taiwan de l’excellente revue Jentayu (3), un bon recueil « Taipei, histoire au coin de … Lire la suite

Xi Xi, a famous writer from Hong Kong, finally praised in the West.

Xi Xi, the pseudonym of Zhang Yan, is probably the most famous writer in Hong Kong. Important and very varied works, with a limited number of translations in the West. She has just won the Newman Prize, awarded every two years by an international jury around the University of Oklahoma; only one condition, to write in Chinese. She is in good company with Mo Yan, Han Shaogong and the Taiwanese poet Yang Mu; two … Lire la suite

XI Xi, une célèbre écrivaine de Hong Kong, enfin reconnue en Occident.

Xi Xi, le pseudonyme de Zhang Yan, est probablement l’écrivaine la plus reconnue à Hong Kong. Une œuvre importante et très variée, peu traduite en Occident. Elle vient d’obtenir le prix Newman , attribué tous les deux ans par un jury international autour de l’université d’Oklahoma ; une seule condition, écrire en chinois. Elle se retrouve en bonne compagnie avec Mo Yan , Han Shaogong et le poète taiwanais Yang Mu ; deux autres femmes, … Lire la suite

En Malaisie, plantations et constructions, un bon roman de Chuah Guat Eng.

Un roman « Echoes of Silence » (A) et sa suite « Days of Change » (B), sont une bonne vision des années coloniales d’après-guerre en Malaisie jusqu’à la fin du siècle. Chuah Guat Eng qui a écrit ce roman à cinquante ans, après une vie professionnelle dans le secteur du marketing et de la communication, a choisi une narratrice chinoise Lim Ai Lian puis son personnage préféré, Hafiz, un Malais.

–        Une vie littéraire Lire la suite

Ed Lin avec ses romans policiers nous aide à comprendre les dernières élections à Taiwan.

Les résultats des dernières élections à Taiwan ont beaucoup surpris. En relisant certains commentaires, on se dit que les fondamentaux ont peut-être été parfois oubliés au profit de préférences personnelles. L’écrivain américain d’origine taiwanaise, Ed Lin, dans une série de trois romans policiers, « A Taipei night market novel » (1), nous vante les charmes de Taipei et nous rappelle les traits essentiels de l’histoire et de la société taiwanaise.

–        Ed Lin, un écrivain Lire la suite

Almost thirty years after his suicide, the poet Hai Zi remains celebrated in China.

Hai Zi 3Hai Zi, who committed suicide at age 25, remains one of the most celebrated poets in China especially with the younger generations. Some very creative years, 250 short poems, 400 pages of long poems, short stories, plays. His complete works were published in 1997 by his friend, the poet Xi Chuan.

Two important collections of English translations (1.2). In France, Hai Zi is known only through three pages of poems published by the “Anthology of … Lire la suite

The story of Singapore revisited (2) with talent as a graphic novel by Sonny Liew.

Charlie ChanGraphic novels are a very important activity for the publishing industry in France, more than in other countries. I’m not a great reader, but I was stunned by the 320 pages of ” The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye ” (1) by Sonny Liew from Singapore, published by Epigram in 2015 and by Pantheon Books (1) in the United States in 2016. This book won three Eisner Awards in 2017, the “Nobel” prizes for … Lire la suite

Feng Tang, “sexuality is almost my trademark”.

 

Feng Tang 5Feng Tang is a writer famous in China but controversial as a result of certain publications considered by censorship as pornographic. It is not a camouflage; nothing political in his books, no direct social criticism. The behavior of his heroes, however, shows a failure to adapt and sometimes a reject of excessive consumption..

 

– Literature, “a very serious hobby”:

 

Feng Tang is a surprising cocktail: gynecologist, consultant, entrepreneur and investor; author of stories … Lire la suite

Yang Mu and Taiwan, a love story…

Yang MuYang Mu is undoubtedly one of the major writers among those who write in Chinese; he is best known as a poet particularly in Taiwan where he was born and the United States where he has spent most of his academic career.

He has won in 2013 the Newman Prize, awarded by the University of Oklahoma and an international jury to an author writing in Chinese (of any nationality). He is in good company with… Lire la suite

A seminar in Paris, the 15th of December on Mao and popular memory.

Mao ZedongThe policy of the Communist Party to impose its vision of history has contributed to a form of amnesia and multiple restrictions on the evocation of the Maoist period, but also gave rise to many reactions: the actors of this period getting older wanted to testify; economic liberalization and especially the development of the internet could allow this to happen.

Newspapers, photographs, documentaries, personal and family autobiographies, a significant amount of information was published. Major … Lire la suite