Bruce Humes

In the end, I didn’t make it to BIBF 2010. I was too busy down south in Shenzhen memorizing my lines for a gig at IIC China, the biggest integrated circuit show of the year. We performed a humorous “tear-down” of Apple’s iPad vs. a China-designed competitor, the Apad, with perhaps 150 (seemingly bemused) electronics engineers avidly watching us reveal the innards of the two new-fangled portables.

I’ve seen precious little reporting so far on Beijing International Book Fair 2010, although it closed shop September 3rd. For the benefit of those who couldn’t go, or don’t read Chinese, here’s an incomplete digest of a Chinese-language report filed by Li Zhou (李舟) for www.chinataiwan.org.  Words with “quote” marks are my translations.

Xi'an's Big Goose Pagoda, where Tripitaka spent two decades translating Buddhist canons he brought from India

Li Zhou confirms that there were indeed 100+ related seminars, forum discussions, author-meets-readers and so forth, as I alerted you in my piece on the run-up to BIBF 2010. Unfortunately, as is often the case in China at such international gatherings, translation/interpreting was an issue.

Indian publishers “handed out all their Chinese-language book flyers on the first day, with only those promoting children’s literature still available thereafter. German, French, Korean, Japanese and Spanish stands mainly exhibited books in their own languages, a major obstacle for Chinese publishers who are not multilingual. ” Perhaps most awkwardly, at one seminar held to celebrate India’s role as Guest of Honor, Nehru and Political Economics in India’s Development, “Three Indian scholars went right ahead and delivered their speeches in Hindi or English, but there was no translation  [into Chinese] whatsoever. Many Chinese readers departed, leaving a handful of Indian spectators.”

Before the events, I recommended checking out 2010 BIBF Literary Night where Chinese, Russian and Indian authors were scheduled to get together. It seems, however, that the actual proceedings left a bit to be desired. “Some 80 Chinese and Russian “post-80 generation” authors took part, including literary critic Bai Hua and author Cao Wenxuan. . .but when discussing the theme,  The Spirit of Post-80 Generation Authors, a cacophony of voices were heard and the simultaneous interpreting was inaccurate. As a result, this seemingly grand event became mired in a swamp of ‘form over content’.”

Some 100 presenters from 30+ countries, including China, will take part in panel sessions on themes such as Cultural Translation, Gender Issues in Translation, Translation of Specific Texts and Forms, Best Practices within Translation, and Freedom of Expression. The congress will be held at Istanbul Bilgi University.

Jiang Zilong (蒋子龙), Vice-President of the Chinese Writers’ Association (at right), will speak on Authors Rights, along with Sandhya Rao of India, editor of Chennai-based Tulika Publishers, and Martin de Haan, a Dutch essayist and literary critic who has translated Michel Houellebecq and Milan Kundera from the French into Dutch.

Will update regularly in the coming weeks. For now:

• China-based exhibitors at Frankfurt: 85 signed up so far for 2010
• E-books, iPad and the Chinese Market: Brief Q&A with Thomas Minkus, VP for Creative Industries at Frankfurt Book Fair
• Shanda Literature (SDL): Fighting Copyright Piracy
• Nature Writing in Taiwan’s Contemporary Literature with author Liu Ka-Hsiang (刘克襄) (10:00-12:00, Friday, Oct 8 at Hall 6.1 E929, the Taiwan Pavilion)

The 2010 show has ended. See BIBF Post-mortem for a review…

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The biggest annual publishing event in China welcoming overseas visitors, the Beijing International Book Fair, opens its doors in the capital’s China International Exhibition Center on August 30. Let’s hope it’s an improvement over 2009, when, as one Australian attendee puts it bluntly, it was just “A Canton Fair with books instead of shoes [hosted by] bored store minders who didn’t know or care what they had on show.” We can expect:

• Over 1,800 exhibitors, reportedly split more or less equally between domestic and foreign firms. But these statistics are somewhat fudged, since Hong Kong and Taiwan—gosh, aren’t they Chinese territory?—are counted as “foreign” in this instance;
• Aggressive foreign publishers hawking their wares, particularly English-language textbooks, to eager locals;
• Chinese publishers touting their tomes, with limited numbers available in non-Chinese versions for “export”;
• 100+ scheduled events—press conferences, seminars, panel discussions, book readings/signings—featuring Chinese and overseas publishers, agents and authors.

As Guest of Honor this year, India will host/co-host several of them. Since 1949, relations between Asia’s biggest nations haven’t always been so cozy, of course, and problematic translations may play a part. Take the English-language description of one of the more interesting events, Publishing for Contemporary Children: A Panel Discussion of Indo-Chinese writers, publishers and illustrators. Surely they meant Indian and Chinese writers?

Nor have contemporary translations of Chinese classics into Hindi been easily achieved. For an item recounting how it took almost 30 years to render Journey to the West (aka Monkey King, 西游记) into India’s national lingo, see Monkey King Shows Off his 72 Transformations—in Hindi.

Traditionally, the schedule for the forums/seminars is posted online in Chinese just 1-2 days beforehand. This time around, it is up online a bit earlier (Aug 20) in English! Here is the book fair’s Chinese web site, and this is the English-language list of events. Warning: Only IBM-compatible PCs running IE should view these sites; if you don’t have IE, or if you are running Firefox on your Macintosh, your computer may be temporarily disabled (my Mac was).

While the events can be very rewarding, two things to be kept in mind: 1) There may—or may not—be simultaneous interpreting services for the event you happen to attend; 2) The descriptions of the events online are sketchy, so choosing the right ones is pretty iffy!

A few that seem promising:

Press conference for Confucius from the Heart (于丹 《论语》心得) by Yu Dan (于丹), where the overseas sales of this Chinese best-seller —reportedly 70,000 in French (Le bonheur selon Confucius: Petit manuel de sagesse universelle)—will be discussed. (Venue/time: 1A.A01 in Activities Zone (展出活动区), 10-11 am, Monday Aug 30).

2010 BIBF Literary Night: Chinese, Russian and Indian authors gather to discuss the mindsets and creative directions of “Post-80 generation” authors (those born during the 1980s). Special guests will include: Bai Ye (白烨), Cao Wenxuan (曹文轩), Di An (笛安), Jiang Nan (江南) and Xiaoshi Binni (消失宾妮), pictured at left. (Venue/time: Beijing Come & Go Center for Arts, Fangjia Hutong Number 46 in Chengdong District (东城区，方家胡同 46 号，北京聚敞现代艺术中心 46 号剧场) 19:00-21:00, Wednesday Sep 1).

The second annual Fu Lei Translation Award (傅雷翻译奖) for the best translation of a French book published in China will be awarded, with the jury members, publisher and translator present. Seventy percent of the 8000 Euro prize goes to the translator. (Venue/time: Hall 8 Activities Zone, 10:30-11:30 am, Wednesday Sep 1).

Publishing for Contemporary Children: A Panel Discussion by Indian and Chinese Writers, Publishers and Illustrators. Six professionals from the two countries converse about how children’s lit can cross one another’s borders today. (Venue/time: Writers’ Corner, 16:00-17:00, Monday Aug 30)

Xi Chuan (西川), a poet who’s fluent in English and has “traveled the world, translated world literature (Borges, Milosz, Norwegian poetry) into Chinese”—according to his translator Lucas Klein—will be starring in a solo session enigmatically entitled Wandering and Chatting.  Here’s a backgrounder on him. (Venue/time: Trainspotting Bar, Beijing Come & Go Center for Arts, Fangjia Hutong Number 46 in Dongcheng District (东城区，方家胡同 46 号，北京聚敞现代艺术中心,  猜火车餐吧), 14:00-15:00, Wednesday Sep 1).

Two popular male novelists, Liu Zhenyun (刘震云) who appears at right, and Li Er (李洱), will be on stage. It’s not clear, however, if they will be reading from their works, interacting with the audience or even accompanied by their translators.  (Venue/time: Trainspotting Bar, Beijing Come & Go Center for Arts, Fangjia Hutong Number 46 in Dongcheng District (东城区，方家胡同 46 号，北京聚敞现代艺术中心,  猜火车餐吧), 15:00-17:00, Wednesday Sep 1).

Venue: Café Amsterdam (Dutch Cultural Centre, 800 Changde Lu, Shanghai)

In the final week of the World Expo in Shanghai, the Dutch Cultural Centre will open its doors to Café Amsterdam, a series of literary events bringing Dutch and Chinese authors together on stage.

Readings and live music to celebrate the start of Café Amsterdam in Shanghai

• With Wang Anyi (王安忆), Margriet de Moor, Chen Cun (陈村) and Anna Enquist (19:30, Aug 24)

Dutch & Chinese authors in conversation

• Wang Anyi (王安忆) and Margriet de Moor, moderated by Chen Sihe (陳思和) (19:30, Aug 25)
• Chen Cun (陈村) and Anna Enquist (19:30, Aug 26)
• Bi Feiyu (毕飞宇) and Cees Nooteboom (19:30, Aug 27)

Venue: Chengdu Bookworm

Time: Thursday, August 19 (7:30 pm)

Speaker: Michel Hockx is Professor of Chinese at SOAS, University of London. He does research on contemporary Chinese literature, paying special attention to literary media, such as magazines and websites, as well as literary institutions.

He has also written on modern Chinese poetry and poetics. Recent publications: Culture in the Contemporary PRC (co-edited with Julia Strauss), and Questions of Style: Literary Societies in Literary Journals in Modern China.

When and where: Saturday May 29, 19:30 at Suzhou Bookworm (map)

An internationally published freelance photographer and travel writer, Tom Carter traveled throughout all 33 Chinese provinces and autonomous regions to shoot China: Portrait of a People, the most comprehensive collection of imagery of contemporary China ever published by a single author. He will share his experiences in the Middle Kingdom and India as he seeks out photo opportunities and human experiences. See the China Daily interview (with pix) here.

Where: Chengdu Bookworm (map)

When: Friday, April 23 (19:30)

Who: Author Han Dong and translator Nicky Harman

Long-listed for the Man Asia Literary Prize, Han Dong’s novel Banished! (扎根) recounts the travails of a Nanjing family ’sent down’ to the countryside in the Cultural Revolution:

In 1977 university entrance examinations were resumed. Young Tao graduated in the arts from Hongze Middle School in that year. He and a girl (also from a banished cadre family) were the only ones who passed the exams.

The “physical” took place in a primary school. Young Tao joined a group of stubble-chinned older men in a classroom set aside for the examination. Apart from being nearsighted, he was perfectly healthy and, with his glasses on, his vision was satisfactory. He passed without any problems.

When they were to be weighed and measured, they were told to remove every stitch of clothing and line up. A white-coated doctor had them march down the room, “One, two, one, two!” They were drilled to halt, stand at ease, turn left, turn right, and about-face, eyes right and number off. Then a doctor came over to each of them and with icy fingers gave their balls a squeeze or two. Then he went behind them, parted their buttocks, and had a good look. As each was examined, the eyes of all the others were drawn to watch. Young Tao was mortified to discover that all the others had a proper “fireman’s helmet,” with an abundance of black hair down there. He felt thoroughly embarrassed by the sparseness of his pubic hair.

Read the excerpt in full, a book review of both Banished and Can Xue’s Five Spice Street by Pakistani short story writer and critic Aamer Hussein, or learn about the UK-based translator Nicky Harman.

This calendar from Chinese Books, English Reviews contains basic info and links to events touching on a wide variety of topics relating to Chinese literature and its translation:

• Literary festivals
• Conferences
• Book launches
• Appearances/readings by authors

Please send suggested additions to xumushi@yahoo.com Read the rest of this entry »