Shows
The Angus TableA generational Angus story with Peter CollinsIn this episode of Behind the Beef, we are joined by Peter Collins, who hails from central Victoria. Peter has connection with the Angus breed that spans his entire lifetime. Peter is principal of the Merridale Angus Stud, which alongside the seedstock operation also includes a commercial cattle enterprise and a 350-cow dairy. Peter is a current Angus Australia board member and is a member of Angus Victoria. He has had a long affiliation with the Angus Youth program, continuing to support the Roundup annual through his Merridale Aspiring Breeder Award. He was awarded the Ste...
2024-02-2743 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 97 - Lin Yi-han and Fang Si-Chi's First Love Paradise with Jenna Tang‘Starting to write a suicide note would be too melodramatic. If she wrote it, it would only contain one line: This love makes me so uncomfortable.’In the ninety seventh episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are passing the gates of Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise (房思琪的初戀樂園- fáng sī qí de chūliàn lèyuán), an all-too-real #MeToo novel by the late Lin Yi-han, centred around the titular girl and the cram school teacher who abused her all through her teens. Reflecting with me on the troubling nature of the text and the dark realities it hol...
2023-10-131h 55The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 94 - Li Er and Cherries on a Pomegranate Tree with Dave HaysomIn the space marked ‘pregnant’, the machine had quite clearly printed the word ‘no’In the ninety fourth episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are entering election season. The heroine of Li Er novel Cherries on a Pomegranate Tree (石榴树上结樱桃 - shíliú shù shàng jié yīngtáo) is defending her seat, and that will mean enforcing various policies (including a certain one child policy) while keeping the people sweet. Canvassing with me on this one is the translator, spitting dog himself Dave Haysom.-// NEWS ITEMS //LISTICLE: Paul French’s TrChFic beach r...
2023-08-101h 21The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 90 - The Dream of the Red Chamber with Annie Qu‘I felt that in action and in lore, one and all were far above me; that in spite of the majesty of my manliness, I could not, in point of fact, compare with these characters of the gentle sex’Share your feedback by email: thetranslatedchinesefictionpodcast@outlookAs this show draws only ten episodes short of its ascent to heavenly hiatus, let us call down from those lofty vapours a sad and beautiful tale, a story of a stone, The Dream of the Red Chamber. Musing with me in the aristocratic compound is another host: Annie Qu...
2023-05-282h 01The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 88 - Dorothy Tse and Quarantine with Natascha BruceHow would I explain to my friend that my creations belonged to a totally different woman?In episode eighty eight of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are isolated in Hong Kong, experiencing Quarantine and all of the strange dreams that come with it. Are you me? Am I you? Do I wish I were you? Do you wish you were me, talking to Natascha Bruce, the razor-sharp translator of Dorothy Tse, about time, desire, and bottomless holes – is that your magic wish?-// NEWS ITEMS //Wang Xiaobo’s Golden Age fina...
2023-04-281h 34The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 87 - Li Peifu and Graft with James Trapp‘This kind of “respect” can be a slow-acting poison. When a person gets used to being “respected”, that’s when she is in danger’In the eighty seventh episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are undertaking hard Graft. Betraying little more than a glance askance, Li Peifu shows us how corporate, state, and personal interests fuse all too comfortably. Guanxi-grinding with me is humble translator and noted Sweeney-enjoyer, James Trapp.-// NEWS ITEMS //READ: Massachusetts Review publishes Chiou Charng-Ting’s Raining Zebra FinchesWATCH: Book club discussion of Jia Pingwa’s...
2023-04-061h 36The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 86 - Chen Qiufan and Quantum GenocideThe U.S. fleet stationed in the Persian Gulf hadn’t had time to react. Now it, too, was in flames.In the eighty sixth episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are committing Quantum Genocide. Granting our 2019 chat a sequel, Chen Qiufan & I discuss the demonic wildcard of his 10 stories in AI 2041 (an idiosyncratic blend of fictional and non-fictional speculation co-authored alongside tech god Kai-fu Lee). California burns, the 1% are slaughtered like dogs, and a new dark age commences. Boot up, log in, and accelerate.-// NEWS ITEMS //Read: Ho...
2023-03-191h 39The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 84 - Han Song and Hospital with Michael Berry and Mingwei Song‘Generation after generation, people have lived in this massive sick ward we call the universe ’In the eighty fourth episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are lost deep inside Hospital, the first entry in an abyssal trilogy by show favourite Han Song. Old-time wardmates Michael Berry and Mingwei Song are here too, groaning in the darkness.-// NEWS ITEMS //Tencent’s Three Body Problem series arrives… on Youtube!A podcast interview w/ Yan Ge & Jeremy Tiang on Strange Beasts of ChinaBookshop.org puts out a Lunar...
2023-01-271h 53
Do You Comma Here Often? PodcastChatGPT - Angus and Astrid - Do You Comma Here OftenChatGPT - at this moment in time English teachers have nothing to fear if students use ChatGPT when trying to write creative writing assignments. As you'll soon hear.Listen as I read out the short story Angus and Astrid: Friendship in my "sexy" Scottish brogue.. Written using the new AI writing tool ChatGPT.I'd like to say that i put in just a few prompts and suggestions and this is what it generated but in truth I spent way too much time trying to get it to tweak it and finesse it yet...
2023-01-2008 minThe Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 83 - Bai Cha and My Cat Hates Me with Jemma Stafford‘I am clearly an exemplary specimen of a cat, but lately I’ve been pondering something: what does a human do to be regarded as exemplary?’’In the eighty third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are getting garfed on by My Cat Hates Me, the webcomic-turned print book by Bai Cha. Keeping the menagerie in line on this episode is Jemma Stafford, translator of the book and also quite a number of video games. So don your catboy ears, say ‘miaomiao~’, and brace yourself for a heady dosage of internet animal culture.-// N...
2023-01-141h 32
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 82 - Wang Anyi and The Sanctimonious Cobbler with Lehyla Heward‘If you lived in one of the lanes of Puxi, the moment you stepped out your door, you would find yourself in the thick of urban life in all its boisterous variety.'In the eighty second episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are paying a visit to The Sanctimonious Cobbler (骄傲的皮匠 / Jiāo'ào de Píjiàng), a novella by Wang Anyi which can be read in By the River: Seven Contemporary Chinese Novellas. Wandering with me down the longtang to cast an eye across the little affairs and petites affaires of shopkeeper Shanghai is friend of the...
2022-12-182h 20
All The Dirt Gardening, Sustainability and FoodAngus Stewart Grow More With Less WaterAngus Stewart plant breeder and author chats with Deryn about his new book he wrote with his daughter Emma "Future Proof Your Garden" Environmentally suitable ways to grow more with less.
2022-12-0251 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 81 - Xiu Xinyu and The Stars We Raised with Yen OoiA star’s coming of age was the process of slowly getting uglier.In the eighty first episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, writer/researcher Yen Ooi and I are gazing up at The Stars We Raised (逃跑星辰 / táopǎo xīngchén), a short story by Xiu Xinyu featured in the all-women + nonbinary anthology The Way Spring Arrives. Once more, a Chinese science fiction story is taking us down to the countryside for melancholy reflections on the pains of growing up. Yen and I dig into the pains of publishing too, from gender to generation and from style...
2022-11-202h 02
Foolproof BitesCameron Angus MackayCameron Angus Mackay is a reporter, journalist and producer based in Scotland. He works for BBC Radio Scotland and The Big Light Podcast Network, creating live and pre-recorded audio content. Last year, Cameron reported from COP26 - the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow - on a podcast called COP26 Daily. The show won the silver award for Best Daily Podcast at the 2022 British Podcast Awards in July. Links to Cameron's audio work, including the BBC Radio Scotland piece he described in his reflection, are available on his website. Go to, cameronangusmackay.com for more.W...
2022-10-2805 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 80 - Chiou Charng-Ting and Raining Zebra Finches with May Huang‘In the same spot where Father died, the dead body of a deer lay prostrate in the rain.’In the eightieth episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, it’s Raining Zebra Finches (斑胸草雀 / bān xiōng cǎo què). Blame for this troubling meteorological occurrence falls upon Taiwanese author Chiou Charng-Ting; it’s her story. Under the weather with me is her translator, May Huang. In our discussion we’ll be testing the limits of our earthly knowledge and dreaming of other philosophies. When nature stops hiding and springs the inexplicable upon us, where else is there to turn?...
2022-10-241h 16
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 79 - Mu Ming and Express to Beijing West Railway Station‘History is nothing more than a complex construction of records and observations’In the seventy ninth episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction podcast, we’re riding the Express to Beijing West Railway Station (开往西站的特别列车 / kāiwǎng xī zhàn de tèbié lièchē), and I’ll be buying my ticket from none other than the author herself, Mu Ming. En route we’ll be passing by the scenic works of William Blake and Christopher Nolan, and pondering whether Shakespeare and Lu Xun would make good Netflix writers (see Patreon feed). Long-time TrChFic listeners will also already know all-too-well: you’re going to h...
2022-10-082h 10
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 78 - Gu Hongming and Bonnie Prince Tuan with Lee Moore‘Then each Boxer lad who loves fighting and fun, let him follow the bonnets of bonnie Prince Tuan’In the seventy eighth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are riding to war behind Bonnie Prince Tuan, a poem by a Chinese Scotiaphile that draws a parallel between two sets of rebels: the Jacobites of the Scottish highlands and the Boxers of northern China. Here to lend some Boxer brawn to my Jacobean jesting is Lee Moore of the Chinese Literature Podcast – a show that has already devoted an episode to this madness.-...
2022-09-251h 42
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 77 - Yan Lianke and Lenin’s Kisses with Piotr Machajek“You can give me your empty words if you like; I’ve come to fill out the forms permitting us to withdraw from society.”In the seventy seventh episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are turning our cheek to Lenin's Kisses (受活 / shòu huó) by Yan Lianke. Yes, I’m finally dealing with him – and not alone. Piotr Machajek is here to show me how to Liven, as we look into the pros and cons of entering and retreating from a society that just cannot leave things be.-// NEWS ITEMS //Wang Xiaobo’s...
2022-08-212h 03
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 76 - Huang Fan and Zero with The Hugonauts“Unmasking a universally accepted lie or overturning an irreplaceable idol will produce something akin to a mental collapse.”In the seventy sixth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are hitting Zero (零 / líng). Joining me on deck are The Hugonauts, as we navigate a dystopian world that might be a postmodern riff on 1984 by amorphous author Huang Fan, or might be something far more sinister. All seasoned rebels know: sometimes you crash the system, and sometimes the system crashes you.-// NEWS ITEMS //READ: Cao Kou’s The Wall Builder, translate...
2022-08-061h 35
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 75 - A Yi and The Curse with Jeffrey Kinkley“Are you going to let your son die for nothing?”In the seventy fifth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are surviving The Curse (杨村的一则诅咒 / yáng cūn de yī zé zǔzhòu). My partner for this investigation is literary Sinologist Jeffrey Kinkley. What exactly are we dealing with here? A tale of a backfiring curse, or a backfiring society? For realist writing to penetrate our often nightmarish world and scratch The Real, does it have to get weird first? Detective K and I are on the case. Don’t expect comforting answers.-// NEWS ITEMS...
2022-07-232h 11
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 74 - Zou Tao and The Fox Spirit of Bluestone Mountain with Timothy GouldthorpThere is a saying that accurately describes Young Master Zhou’s state of mind: “Willing to die beneath the flower and linger as an amorous ghost”In the seventy fourth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are dallying with The Fox Spirit of Bluestone Mountain (狐狸緣全傳 / húlí yuán quánchuán). Arriving just in time to save us from the spirit’s wiles is translator Timothy Gouldthorp. Straighten your tails, grab a Taoist 不可以色色 bonk stick, and line up for battle as the creatures of the forest (rabbits included) take on the gods!-// NEWS ITEMS //See A...
2022-07-021h 29
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 73 - A Que and Farewell, Doraemon with Eero Suoranta‘This cartoon will never end’In the seventy third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, Eero Suoranta and I are saying Farewell, Doraemon (再见，哆啦A梦 / zàijiàn, duōlaAmèng). This is the second time a story by A Que has appeared on the show, and I feel that I now know the writer’s soul: tender in spirit, thoughtful in action, of limpid and eerie atmosphere, and shy about everything except postmodern intertextual showmanship. Pass with us through a loop in time hidden in a lonely river, to drown in nostalgia (from the Greek nostos ‘return home’ + algos ‘pa...
2022-06-072h 43
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 72 - Han Song and My Country Does Not Dream with the London Chinese Science Fiction Group‘Because of sleepwalking, over one billion Chinese people have awakened’In the seventy second episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast I’m facing down a bleak reality: My Country Does Not Dream (我的祖国不要做梦 / wǒde zǔguó bù zuò mèng). But I’m not doing it alone! The London Chinese Science Fiction Group have deployed a team of Han Song aficionados (and one critic) to console my exhausted brain as the daytime hours fall away, revealing a sombre somnambulant city behind the city: Beijing.-// NEWS ITEMS //Article in Sixth Tone: Infinite Scroll: The Mak...
2022-05-051h 57
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 71 - Feng Jicai and A Looking-Glass World with Daniel Li'All the magic lay within their own bodies'In the seventy first episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are stepping into A Looking Glass World (单筒望远镜 / Dāntǒng Wàngyuǎnjìng). This is our second encounter with Tianjin’s bard Feng Jicai, and our first (sort of!) with his publisher-in-translation, Daniel Li of Sinoist Books.-// NEWS ITEMS //Generations of Voices in Chinese Literature: a panel hosted by The World of ChineseNew Sino-SF just dropped: New Voices in Chinese Science FictionShenyang in translation: Roug...
2022-04-242h 08
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 70 - The Adventures of Ma Suzhen with Paul Bevan‘There is never anything so difficult that it cannot be resolved’In the seventieth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are taking part in The Adventures of Ma Suzhen (马素贞复仇记 / Mǎ Sùzhēn Fùchóu Jì). From the backwaters of Shandong to the criminal dens of Shanghai, stout man of Oxford Paul Bevan leads me on a quest for vengeance that is little known in the west, yet part of an entire extended universe of Sinophone multimedia culture.-// NEWS ITEMS //PODCAST: Sabina Knight on Daoism, Confucianism & Anti- War PoetryINTER...
2022-03-261h 32
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 69 - Xue Mo and The Women, the Camels, and the Dholes with Sarah Lam and Nicola ClaytonYou couldn’t get to grips with fate, but the enemy you could see and touch was your own bodyIn the sixty ninth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are riding with The Women, the Camels, and the Dholes, one of the stories contained within the Selected Stories of Xue Mo (雪漠小说精选 / Xuěmò Xiǎoshuō Jīngxuǎn). Two women are joining me on this trek: audiobook producer Nicola Clayton and voice actor Sarah Lam. In this tale we get material, we get Buddhist, we get into self-help, and we get really close to death...-...
2022-03-091h 39
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 68 - Amang and Raised by Wolves with Steve BradburyIn-your-face. I want more in-your-face, if you please.In the sixty eighth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are being Raised by Wolves (狼養的 / Láng Yǎng De), just like Amang and her translator Steve Bradbury. Revel in trash. Bound down a mountain. Take a ride on a nuclear sub. Argue furiously in favour of your preferred adverb. Do all these things, and you will channel the spirit of the wolf.-// NEWS ITEMS //READ: Tiffany Troy talks to author Sheng Keyi about Death FugueLISTEN: Sinica’s Kaiser K...
2022-02-211h 29
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 67 - Lo Yi-Chin and Faraway with Jenna TangMaybe I would only begin to understand these things when I became fatherless too, having no-one to lean on, the bitter solitude of not knowing what you ought to say before the worldIn the sixty seventh of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are going Faraway (遠方 / Yuǎnfāng) with Lo Yi-Chin. Lighting lamps with me as time, memory, and family dissolve into an indistinct fog is the writer, translator, and mega-linguist Jenna Tang.-// NEWS ITEMS //Paul French is back on British radio with A Chinese Odyssey: Artists, Poets and Ex...
2022-02-122h 09
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 66 - Ba Jin and Hong Kong Nights with Luo TianqiThe rocking of the boat created the illusion that all the lights were movingIn the sixty sixth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are adrift in Hong Kong Nights (香港之夜 / Xiāng Gǎng Zhīyè), as fleetingly recollected by Sichuan’s long-surviving left-anarchist writer, Ba Jin. Joining me in the constellations is fellow Sino-lit podcaster Luo Tianqi – here to talk about revolution, regret, and responsibility. Grab a seat on deck, comrade, brush up on your Bakunin, and let go of your transient identity as sights become sounds, and sounds become sights.-// NEWS ITE...
2022-01-242h 11
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 65 - Ge Fei and The Invisibility Cloak with Giray Fidan and Rauno SainioThe best attributes of anyone or anything usually reside on the surface, which is where, in fact, all of us live out our livesIn the sixty fifth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are swathing ourselves in The Invisibility Cloak (隐身衣 / Yǐnshēn Yī). Languishing with me in the peace and pain of relative obscurity are Giray Fidan and Rauno Sainio, two translators of the book’s author: Ge Fei, an imperceptible fabulist and three-time subject of this very show. I still haven’t figured him out, and I’m sure he’d be glad of it.
2022-01-051h 33
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 64 - Chen Qiufan and Coming of the Light with Francesco Verso‘Suppose the universe is a program. Everything that we can observe is the result of the machine-executable code. But the cosmic microwave background can be understood as the record of some earlier version of the source code.’In the sixty forth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we bear witness to the Coming of the Light (开光 / Kāiguāng), penned by the shaman-consulting Google graduate himself; it’s Stan, it’s the man, it’s Chen Qiufan. And hark – what’s this? Waves and photons in the shape of noted publisher Francesco Verso surge from the underscreen to punct...
2021-12-141h 28
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 63 - Murong Xuecun and Dancing Through Red Dust with Harvey TomlinsonIn my innocent youth, I was a paragon of virtue, but after wandering for so long in the red dust of this world I had joined the forces of evilIn the sixty third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction we are Dancing Through Red Dust (原谅我红尘颠倒 / Yuánliàng Wǒ Hóngchén Diāndǎo), a nightmarish lurch through the PRC (il)legal system dreamed up by the Shandong webnovelist-turned-dissident Murong Xuecun. Presiding over the court with me is Murong’s esteemed translator, editor, publisher, and friend: Harvey Tomlinson. What have judges to do with the Jinpingmei? What has lo...
2021-11-232h 11
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 62 - Liu Cixin and The Wandering Earth with Jairo MoralesBefore us stood the long abandoned skyscrapers of Manhattan, the Sun's weak light casting their long shadows across the quiet ice of the New York Harbor. In my tipsy haze, tears began to gush down my cheeks.In the sixty second episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are setting sail on The Wandering Earth (流浪地球 / Liúlàng Dìqiú), drawn up and captained by Liu Cixin himself. Calling into the show from the Peruvian Engine Bunker is Jairo Morales. We get deep into postnationalism, censorship, cultural transmission, and the sublime spectacle of the utter annihilation of our plane...
2021-11-012h 33
Take a SeatJenn Stewart, Johnston CarmichaelJenn Stewart from Johnston Carmichael is in the hot seat this week as we delve into what's involved in her role, what she loves about our local area and advice that can be passed on from things learnt in the world of work during the current situation and before. Johnston Carmichael's Dundee accountants and advisers offer a range of services tailored to your business and personal financial needs including; tax planning, audit, restructuring, bookkeeping, employment tax and pension & succession planning to name but a few.
To learn more, visit https://johnstoncarmichael.com
2021-10-3109 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 61 - Chen Xiwo and The Book of Sins with Nicky HarmanI loathe reason. Reason is the sort of rubbish you can indulge in when life is sweet, like love and honour. I totally reject it.In the sixty first episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction we are opening The Book of Sins (冒犯书 / Màofàn Shū), by edgelord-with-a-conscience Chen Xiwo. Playing common-sense counterpoint to my doom-laden interpretations of the text is its translator, Nicky Harman. Here’s what we deal with: pain, incest, and the political uses of shock, horror, and offensiveness. Are you sure about this? You can delete this episode now. Do you choose to hit play?
2021-10-101h 54
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 60 - Chan Ho-kei and Second Sister with Michelle DeeterJust as Nga-Yee thought everything was going back to normal, Siu-Man stepped from the window of their twenty-second-story flatIn the sixtieth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are solving the case of Second Sister (網內人 / Wǎng Nèi Rén), penned by crime connoisseur Chan Ho-kei. Logged on with guest-level access and ready to follow the trail wherever it leads is 3-time visitor to the show Michelle Deeter. In the events that follow we hack into moral frameworks, digital archives, memory glitches, and urban navigation.-// NEWS ITEMS //Gŵyl Haf & B...
2021-09-262h 06
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 59 - More Than One Child with Shen Yang and Nicky HarmanIt is a long and painful process to see oneself clearly, as is the process of returning to one’s childhood.In the fifty ninth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are talking with someone who is More Than One Child (隐形小孩 / Yǐnxíng Xiǎohái), a woman as friendly as she is fearless: Shen Yang. She’s here on this episode, and so is her translator, friend-of-the-pod, and returnee guest Nicky Harman. The book is forthcoming from the excellent publisher Balestier Press.-// NEWS ITEMS //From July 2nd: PEN Translat...
2021-08-291h 43
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 58 - A Que and Flower of the Other Shore with Xueting NiThe moment I was bitten, I died and became another thing. Now I am loitering on the other shore of the Styx, listening to the past from beyond its waves.In the fifty eighth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are picking Flower of the Other Shore (彼岸花 / Bǐ'àn Huā), a romantic(!) zombie short story by A Que. Here to help me find sympathy for the undead is the tale’s translator, Xueting Ni. The story will feature in her anthology of translated Chinese sci-fi: Sinopticon.-// NEWS ITEMS //Hao Jingfan...
2021-08-141h 36
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 57 - Chih-Ying Lay and Home Sickness with Darryl Sterk‘Chopin always reminds me of being lovelorn in Penang’[ this is episode 5 of our Taiwan Season ]In the fifty seventh episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are suffering from Home Sickness (匿逃者 / Nì Táo Zhě), a short story collection by Chih-ying Lay. Here to ease this terrible affliction is the book’s translator: reformed Buddhist and agile herper Darryl Sterk.-// NEWS ITEMS //Healing with Poisons - a book on the interwining of classical Chinese medicine & poisonKetamine and the Return of the Party-State - DLK’s political history of ket vs the CCP...
2021-07-182h 13
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 56 - Pai Hsien-yung and Taipei People with Nadia Ho‘According to the ancient precepts, grief supersedes all formalities’[ this is episode 4 of our Taiwan Season ][full episode transcript]In the fifty sixth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are introducing ourselves to the Taipei People (台北人 / Táiběi Rén), as written by Pai Hsien-yung. Joining me to question the merits of nostalgia and muse aimlessly on umbrellas and the like is a genuine Taibei ren; the effortlessly hip Nadia Ho.-// NEWS ITEMS //Issue One of ‘Jintian’ - the legendary Chinese lit magazineREAD: The Killer 撞死了一只羊 by...
2021-06-102h 19
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 55 - Wu Ming-yi and The Man with the Compound Eyes with Cara Healey‘Only if you go to places nobody’s ever been can you see the colours nobody’s ever seen’[ this is episode 3 of our Taiwan Season ]In the fifty fifth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are meeting The Man with the Compound Eyes (复眼人 / Fùyǎn Rén). Brace yourself for the impact of an ecological, apocalyptic, and internationalist vortex of literary weirdness. Joining me to weather this storm at the limits of anthropoid cognition is Sinophone-sci-fi-studier Cara Healey.-// NEWS ITEMS //The Secret Talker by Geling YanQueer Taiwanes...
2021-05-181h 43
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 54 - Qiu Miaojin and Notes of a Crocodile with Conor Stuart‘Some desires, once formed, are impossible to fulfil, so they become frustrations instead. That’s the problem with going forth into new worlds’[ this is episode 2 of our Taiwan Season ]In the fifty fourth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are thumbing through the Notes of a Crocodile (鳄鱼手记 / Èyú Shǒujì). Joining me on the lookout for the shy and elusive reptiloid is Conor Stuart.-// NEWS ITEMS //How a Polish Master Brought Lu Xun's Madness to Life11th Chinese Nebula Awards Winners – list shared in English by Locus
2021-05-071h 49
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 53 - The Membranes with Chi Ta-wei and Ari Larissa Heinrich‘Two peach trees, two entirely different universes.’[ this is episode 1 of our Taiwan Season ]In the fifty third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are peeling back The Membranes (膜 / Mó). Joining me at their respective computer terminals in the ocean floor biodome are its author Chi Ta-wei and translator Ari Larissa Heinrich. -// NEWS ITEMS //PANEL: Exploring Chinese Science Fiction Multi-DimensionallyPREORDER: Vessel - a memoir by Cai ChongdaUPCOMING: The London Chinese Science Fiction Group to have Han Song on as a guest
2021-04-282h 21
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 52 - Monkey King: Journey to the West with Julia Lovell‘An unruly monkey like you has to be restrained somehow, otherwise you’ll never reform’In the fifty second episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are departing from the Tang Empire on a haphazard Journey to the West (西游记 / Xī Yóu Jì). Talking me through the transformations is Julia Lovell, translator of JttW’s latest, extremely readable English translation.-// NEWS ITEMS //A new Can Xue translation is on the wayYang Lian and Brian Holton win first Sarah Maguire Prize‘Jia Pingwa: Master Storyteller of Rural China’ eve...
2021-04-051h 21
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 51 - Li Juan's Xinjiang non-fiction with Christopher Payne and Jack Hargreaves'I stand alone on the earth, unable to bring the show to an end'In the 51st episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we're heading into the far west to come face-to-face with Li Juan, a Han Chinese writer who has found some degree of fame writing soulfully about her experiences living among the Kazakh herders of Xinjiang Province. Braving the frontier with me are two of her translators, TrChFic returnee Christopher Payne and friend-of-the-pod Jack Hargreaves. The former translated Li Juan's Distant Sunflower Fields and the latter is one of the two co-translators of her...
2021-03-252h 16
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastThe 50th Episode Party!Starting a podcast is not a dinner partyIn the fiftieth episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, I put my feet up and have a beer! Woohoo!-// NEWS ITEMS //Beijing Lights Archives | SpittoonSci-Fi Writer or Prophet? The Hyperreal Life of Chen QiufanMither Tongue: Jidi Majia's poetry in 3 Scots dialects-// Handy TrChFic Links //Episode Transcripts // Help Support TrChFicINSTAGRAM // TWITTER // DISCORD
2021-03-172h 35
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 49 - The TrChFic Megacrossover Part 2: Moderns'One morning, Salinger was woken from sleep by deafening noises. Dazed, he gazed outside the window and saw a row of gleaming Baekdu bulldozers, which had been modified from Chonma-ho battle tanks, bearing down on his cabin.'In the forty ninth episode we continue our megacrossover, this time tackling modern literature. Once more unto the jazz hall, dear friends, once more, as we tackle: lamppost sexuality, mantou typography, disposable(?) wuxia, and the philosophy of chicken nuggets. No, really. I'm not joking. Wait, come back!!!- // NEWS ITEMS //Taiwan Year at...
2021-03-031h 48
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 48 - The TrChFic Megacrossover Part 1: Classicists'What sort of a fiend are you that you dare change into my appearance, take my descendants captive, occupy my immortal cave, and assume such airs?'In the forty eighth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are doing something a little different! In this episode half of a small army of Chinese lit podcasters join me to discuss their favourite stories from dynastic China.-// NEWS ITEMS //The TrChFic Mailing ListDistant Sunflower Fields - OUT NOWMa Jian on China's Efforts to Extinguish...
2021-02-141h 59
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 47 - Ma Jian and Beijing Coma with Ronald TorranceWhen you've stared at the past for so long that time dissolves, you'll be able to wake from your slumberIn the forty seventh episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are falling into Beijing Coma (肉之土 / Ròu Zhī Tǔ). Avid Ma Jian reader Ronald Torrance is here to guide me from perimeter to epicentre of this colossal novel, and the weighty events it reckons with. Even without politics, stakes are high here: life/death, time/memory, flesh/history, and the intimate bonds that can exist between translators and writers.-// NEWS ITEMS //
2021-02-052h 33
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 46 - The Flock of Ba Hui with Dylan Levi KingIf anyone is reading this notebook — don’t come looking for me. Don’t.In the forty sixth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are undergoing black initiation into The Flock of Ba Hui (巴虺的牧群 / Bāhuī de Mùqún). Returning to the show to rescue me from the abyss - or hurl me into it - is the extremely online Dylan Levi King. We have quite a beast to wrestle with this episode. Lovecraftian fiction, from the Chinese internet, curated, translated and packaged in paratexts by two particularly unorthodox individuals.-// NEWS ITEMS //
2021-01-221h 36
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 45 - Strange Beasts of China with Yan Ge and Jeremy TiangIn bars like this, on nights like this, the people of Yong'an would talk of deathIn the forty fifth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are hunting for the Strange Beasts of China (异兽志 - Yì Shòu Zhì). Two very special guests are joining me this time - the book's author Yan Ge and its translator Jeremy Tiang. If I sound a little off-kilter this episode, it's because I'm star struck!-// NEWS ITEMS //Faraway by Lo Yi-Chin - coming out this SeptemberHow Lin Qi's Poisoning...
2021-01-142h 16
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 44 - Ge Fei and Peach Blossom Paradise with Canaan MorseEvery person's heart is an island, trapped by water, sequestered from the worldIn the forty fourth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are going in search of Peach Blossom Paradise (人面桃花 - Rénmiàn Táohuā) by Ge Fei. Rowing me through the lingering mists and dark waters is craftmaster Canaan Morse, its translator.Ge Fei has been covered once before on this show. We did his Flock of Brown Birds in Episode 30. This time we are dealing with something less surreal. On the surface, it's a typical 'important Chinese novelist writes historical s...
2020-12-222h 05
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 43 - Can Xue and I Live in the Slums with Stefan Rusinov'Underneath the hole is another hole. Do you dare go down?'In the forty third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are grappling with the experimental literature of Can Xue, as embodied in I Live in the Slums. Helping me train for the performance of a lifetime is Chinese-to-Bulgarian translator & friend of the pod, Stefan Rusinov.-// NEWS ITEMS //Yan Ge's White Horse shortlisted for the Warwick Women in Translation prizeLovecraftian stories from the Chinese internet: The Flock of Ba Hui-
2020-11-263h 22
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 42 - Chi Zijian and The Last Quarter of the Moon with Bruce HumesI am an Evenki woman. I am the wife of our people’s last Clan Chieftain. I was born in the winter.In the forty second episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast we are heading into the mountains of Manchuria to seek out The Last Quarter of the Moon (额尔古纳河右岸 / É'ěrgǔnà Hé Yòu'àn) by Chi Zijian. Tramping with me through the snows is its translator, Bruce Humes.-// NEWS ITEMS //The Book of Shanghai: Chen Danyan & Wang Zhanhei in conversationThe Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories, upcoming...
2020-11-082h 30
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 41 - Lao She and Cat Country with Molly SilkIt is not often that one has the opportunity to observe the extinction of an entire civilisationIn the forty first episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are venturing into Cat Country (猫城记 / Māo Chéng Jì), a science fiction oddity of the Republic of China. Helping me save the nation and stay off the damned reverie leaves is Molly Silk, a doctoral researcher of Chinese Space Policy.-// NEWS ITEMS //Little Smarty Travels to the Future comic now available in translationChinese Science Fiction Goes Global by Regina...
2020-10-272h 23
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 40 - Liu Cixin and Death's End with Keith Justice HaywardThe ultimate fate of all intelligent beings has always been to become as grand as their thoughts.Episode 40 is no ordinary episode! This time TrChFic is crossing over with Couch Command and its esteemed host Keith Hayward to jump right down the Chinese sci-fi wormhole of Liu Cixin's haymaker-punch ending to his Three Body Problem trilogy, Death's End (死神永生 / Sǐshén Yǒngshēng). Hell yes.-// NEWS ITEMS //Feng Jicai event: Tales of Old Tianjin w/ XINRAN, Guanghwa Bookshop & Sinoist BooksWhat's Going Wrong With Translated Chinese Literature? by Dylan Lev...
2020-10-202h 57
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 39 - Zhou Haohui and Death Notice with Zac Haluzaexecutioner: ᴇᴜᴍᴇɴɪᴅᴇsIn the thirty ninth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Death Notice (死亡通知单 / Sǐwáng Tōngzhī Dān), a fast paced crime thriller with a mean streak. Joining me to inspect the corpses is its polymath translator, Zac Haluza. Expect to be surprised by just how much this work was adapted in translation.-// NEWS ITEMS //The Southern Tour PodcastStrange Beasts of China by Yan GeChina's Muslims and Japan's Empire-// WORD OF THE DAY //(時差 / shíchā...
2020-10-101h 39
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 38 - Lin Yutang and Hymn to Shanghai with Paul French'O thou city that surpasseth our understanding! How impressive are they emptiness, and thy commonness, and thy bad taste!'In the thirty eighth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Hymn to Shanghai (上海之歌 / Shànghǎi Zhīgē), a piece by 'the little critic' himself, Lin Yutang. Joining me to pick apart Lin's biblical condemnation is the roguish raconteur and historian of Old Shanghai, Paul French. Expect to hear a lot about the virtues of liberal cosmopolitanism and the evils of Art Deco and gin liqueur. -// NEWS ITEMS //...
2020-09-123h 00
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 37 - The Woman in the Carriage with Yilin Wang'The scholar suddenly glimpsed a movement in the darkness. Something dived towards him like a swift bird. The shadowy outline of a person neared him, reaching out with a hand.'In the thirty seventh episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at The Woman in the Carriage (车中女子 / Chē Zhōng Nǚzǐ), a chuanqi story dating back to the Tang Dynasty. Our guest is its translator, Yilin Wang.The Woman in the Carriage is a short tale, but the more you look at it, the more you see. Moral lessons, subtle humour, inex...
2020-08-301h 24
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 36 - Gujian with Emily Jin'I think there is no brother in this world as strange as you'In the thirty sixth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at a video game(!) series called Gujian (古剑/ Gǔ Jiàn). Helping me level up and face my shadow self is Emily Jin, a highly active Chinese science fiction translator, and better yet: a hardcore Gujian fan!Gujian isn't a Western Tolkeinesque RPG, nor is it a JRPG Final Fantasy-style affair. It's made in China, set in China, and played (mostly) by Chinese gamers. You may not be shocked to lea...
2020-07-302h 55
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 35 - Necropolis Immortal with Etvolare...the lid of the stone coffin slowly shifted open, filling the chamber with a rancid stench of decay. Two blackened arms reached out from the interior...In the thirty fifth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Necropolis Immortal (仙墓 / Xiān Mù), written by Immortal Amidst Snow in July. Our guest is the novel's irrepressible translator, Etvolare.Necropolis Immortal blends two particularly Chinese genres: xianxia, and tomb raiding. It's not quite the tomb raiding one associates with Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, as Etvo explains in our interview.-...
2020-07-181h 39
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 34 - Gu Long and 7 Killers with DeathbladeIt was after dusk.Lanterns illuminated the restaurant.The lantern light shone on the faces of Fang Kuan and the others, which dripped with sweat. Cold sweat.In the thirty fourth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at 7 Killers (七殺手 / Qī Shāshǒu), by Wuxia renegade Gu Long. Our guest is one of the top translators of Wuxia webnovels, Deathblade.7 Killers is classic Gu Long, and an early entry in Deathblade's career as a translator. We use it as a jump-off point to talk about Chinese web fiction...
2020-06-072h 13
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 33 - Jin Yong and Legend of the Condor Heroes with Gigi Chang'We Han Chinese outnumber the Jurchen by more than a hundred to one. If the Imperial Court decided to employ honest and loyal men, our great Empire would prevail. With one hundred of our men against one of their worthless soldiers, how could the Jin army win?'In the thirty third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Legend of the Condor Heroes (射雕英雄传 / Shèdiāo Yīngxióng Chuán), the magnum opus of Wuxia grandmaster Jin Yong. Our guest is one of the translators working to bring it into English, Gigi Chang....
2020-05-301h 58
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 32 - The Book of Shanghai with Karen Wang"A true map cannot simply mark out the landmarks, and the most popular tourist sites, it must be able to guide readers through the city’s lesser-known corners, its dimly-lit nooks and rarely-frequented crannies"In the thirty second episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at The Book of Shanghai, a short story collection from Comma Press. Our guest is Karen Wang of the Manchester Confucius Institute-// NEWS ITEMS //Tiananmen: Lives of the Poets by Gregory Lee'The Revolutionary' Nicholas Haggerty on Lu Xun...
2020-05-132h 00
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 31 - Su Tong and Petulia's Rouge Tin with Anya Goncharova"Autumn Grace jumped up from the ground, kicked off her high heels and dashed away, one hand holding up the hem of her gown"In the thirty first episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Su Tong's Petulia's Rouge Tin (红粉 / Hóngfěn) Our guest is Anya Goncharova of the Peony Literary Agency -Su Tong on Paper RepublicPenguin China on Twitter-// NEWS ITEMS //A Summer Beyond Your ReachPenguin China Zhejiang SeriesBarbarians at the Ga...
2020-05-021h 52
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 30 - Ge Fei and Flock of Brown Birds with Eric Abrahamsen"Assuming my memory hasn't been obstructed, then something must be interfering with time"In the thirtieth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Ge Fei's Flock of Brown Birds (褐色鸟群 / Hésè Niǎoqún). Our guest is Eric Abrahamsen, one of the founding members of Paper Republic-Ge Fei on Paper RepublicTranslator Poppy Toland on Paper Republic-// NEWS ITEMS //Chen Qiufan's Sixth Tone articlePaper Republic 'have-a-go-at-translation' initiative- // WORDS OF THE DAY //
2020-04-211h 49
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 29 - Song Aman and Gongsun's Dreams with Michelle Deeter"Memory comes from forgetting"In the twenty ninth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Song Aman's Gongsun's Dreams (公孙画梦 / Gōngsūn Huàmèng). Our guest is Michelle Deeter, returning for her second appearance on the show! This story is not yet published in English. The Chinese version features in Song Aman's collection Inland Romance, published in Chinese by Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing.-Michelle Deeter's homepageSong Aman on Paper Republic-// NEWS ITEMS //Fang Fang's Wuhan Diary // cov...
2020-04-121h 36
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 28 - Yang Lian and Narrative Poem with Brian Holton"Dalliances wi ither worlds..."In the twenty eighth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Yang Lian's Narrative Poem (叙事诗 / Xùshìshī). Our guest is Brian Holton, the premier translator of Chinese-to-Scots!-Publishers: EN - Bloodaxe Books // CN - Huaxia Publishing HouseYang Lian's homepage // Brian Holton on Paper Republic-// NEWS ITEMS //Chen Quifan on the BBC World ServiceYan Geling on Wuhan lockdownFang Fang on Wuhan LockdownWuxia World-...
2020-04-041h 46All The Dirt Gardening, Sustainability and FoodGardening Australia's Tino Carnevale chats with Angus Stewart and Deryn ThorpeGardening Australia's Tino Carnevale chats with Angus Stewart and Deryn Thorpe
2020-04-0444 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 27 - Mo Yan and Radish with Lehyla Heward"As the boy's thoughts wandered, the purple and green leaves turned into autumn well water, and then the jute became water, while sparrows skimming the tips of the jute plants were transformed into green kingfishers snapping up tiny shrimp from the water's surface."In the twenty seventh episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Mo Yan's Radish (透明的红萝卜 / Tòumíngde Hóngluóbo). Our guest is Lehyla Heward-Publishers: EN - Penguin China // CN - Chinese Writers Magazine AuthorMo Yan on Paper RepublicHoward Goldblatt...
2020-03-242h 19
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 26 - Hao Jingfang and Vagabonds with Ken Liu"A person from one civilisation looks at their surroundings as distinct objects and events and considers them separately. But when a person from another civilisation looks in as an outsider, they prefer to view everything through the lens of political power and try to explain everything based on that perspective."In the twenty sixth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Hao Jingfang's Vagabonds (流浪玛厄斯 / Liúlàng Mǎèsī)It would be tempting to say that Vagabonds is a Chinese science fiction rewrite of Ursula K le Guin’s The Dispossessed. My guest Ken Liu...
2020-03-072h 54
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 25 - Sanmao and Stories of the Sahara with Mike Fu"Don't ask from where I have come. My home is far, far away."In the twenty fifth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Sanmao's Stories of the Sahara (撒哈拉的故事 / Sǎhālāde Gùshì)Sanmao AKA Echo Chan is a literary hero in China and Taiwan, but only recently has some of that fame begun to spill over into the rest of the world. She’s probably most famous for the time she spent in the Sahara, writing in a lucid, arresting, and playful style about her life there. Sanmao passed away in the...
2020-02-151h 46
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 24 - Feng Jicai and Faces in the Crowd"I have lived in Tianjin my whole life, and I know its people, with their toughness and competitive streak, their generosity, their determination to be respected, and their refusal to back down. When I illustrate them, it is these qualities I draw."In the twenty fourth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Feng Jicai's Faces in the Crowd (俗世奇人 / Súshì Qírén)This is the first time on the show that I’m looking at an illustrated book. Each chapter is a ‘sketch’ of one of old colonial Tianjin’s more quirky charac...
2020-01-191h 11
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 23 - Baoshu and What Has Passed Shall In Kinder Light Appear"Later, I kept on hoping China would host the Olympics again, but it never happened. After I became a father, I told my son about that night, and he refused to believe China had once been so prosperous."this is episode 7 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction SeasonIn the twenty third episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Baoshu's What Has Passed Shall In Kinder Light Appear (大时代 / dà shídài), available to read in the Broken Stars anthology, edited and translated by Ken Liu.Baoshu reverses time, sending h...
2020-01-121h 11
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 22 - A Summer Beyond Your Reach with Xia Jia'The summer isn’t over yet. There are so many fun things to do.'this is episode 6 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction SeasonIn the twenty second episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Xia Jia's A Summer Beyond Your Reach (你无法抵达的夏天/nǐ wúfǎ dǐdá de xiàtiān)Xia Jia herself joins me via Skype from California to talk about her stories. French culture comes up three times in this episode. I really didn’t see that coming. Xia Jia’s stories do fuse deep thought with deep feeling, wh...
2019-12-181h 38
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 21 - Han Song and the Fundamental Nature of the Universe with Nathaniel Isaacson'Everything is going to descend into chaos and disorder. Entropy will accelerate rapidly...'[ episode 21 transcript here ]this is episode 5 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction SeasonIn the twenty first episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Han Song's The Fundamental Nature of the Universe (宇宙的本性/yǔzhòu de běnxìng).A tale of artificial intelligence and ennui. Or should it be angst? Or simply just yanjuan? Musing darkly with me on this episode is its translator Nathaniel Isaacson, author of Celestial Empire: The Emergence of Chinese Sci...
2019-12-111h 24
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 20 - Liu Cixin and Devourer with Adam McMurchie'We still have a very long time to get along and very many things to talk about, but let us not speak of morals. In the universe, such considerations are meaningless.'this is episode 4 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction SeasonIn the twentieth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Liu Cixin's Devourer (吞食者/tūnshí zhě)This is a grim tale for survival in a predatory galaxy, very much in the mold of The Three Body Problem. Helping me out on this episode is Chinese SF superfan and fello...
2019-12-021h 20
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 19 - Fei Dao and The Storytelling Robot with Matt Michaelson'The robot’s ability to learn was unparalleled, and with the help of its creators it analysed its databank of stories to create a set of scientific laws for storytelling – a model that would later become world-famous. But the mathematical nature of this model was so overwhelmingly complex that only the robot could make head or tail of it.'this is episode 3 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction SeasonIn the nineteenth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Fei Dao's The Storytelling Robot (讲故事的机器人/jiǎng gùshì de jīqìrén), translated by...
2019-11-261h 47
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 18 - Waste Tide with Chen Qiufan'Everything was shrouded in a leaden miasma, an amalgamation of the white mist generated by the boiling aqua regia in the acid baths and the black smoke from the unceasing burning of PVC, insulation, and circuit boards in the fields and on the shore of the river. The two contrasting colors were mixed by the sea breeze until they could no longer be distinguished, seeping into the pores of every living being.'-this is episode 2 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction Season-Chaos reigns in the hyperactive, hyperreal...
2019-11-1558 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 17 - Hao Jingfang and Folding Beijing with Lyu Guangzhao'The folding city was divided into three spaces. One side of the earth was First Space, population five million. Their allotted time lasted from six o’clock in the morning to six o’clock the next morning. Then the space went to sleep, and the earth flipped.'this is episode 1 of 7 in our Chinese Science Fiction SeasonIn the seventeenth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Hao Jingfang's Folding Beijing (北京折叠/běi jīng zhé dié)This is a Hugo Award-winning ‘novelette’ translated by Ken Liu that imagines a city that...
2019-11-092h 11
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 16 - Chen Zijin and The Untouched Crime with Michelle Deeter"Remember, if the police come by in the next few days, just answer their questions the way I taught you."In the sixteenth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Chen Zijin's The Untouched Crime (无证之罪/wú zhèng zhī zuì)This novel is a murder mystery with a twist set in...well the setting depends on whether you’re reading the original Chinese, or our guest Michelle Deeter's English translation, published by Amazon Crossing. I bet you want to know why. So, you’d better hit play. Right?-// Discusse...
2019-10-221h 23
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 15 - Yan Ge and The Chilli Bean Paste Clan with Nicky Harman“Ai-ya! Don’t go on at me!”“Well if I don’t, who’s going to?”In the fifteenth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Yan Ge's The Chilli Bean Paste Clan (我们家/wǒmen jiā)This is a s-p-i-c-y novel published by Balestier Press about a dysfunctional family and its depraved, conflicted, and frequently disoriented patriarch. Yan Ge has said that it was inspired by her years spent growing up the the chilli bean paste production capital of Sichuan Province. Our guest for this episode is Yan Ge's translator, advocate...
2019-10-061h 27
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 14 - Jiang Zilong and Empires of Dust with Christopher Payne
"There’s an old saying: the earth is like a vomiting carcass."
In the fourteenth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Jiang Zilong's Empires of Dust (农民帝国/nóngmín dìguó)
This is an epic of ‘reform literature’ published by Sinoist Books, charting the rise and fall of Guo Cunxian, a ‘rugged individual’ of sorts who lives through the revolution, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and Reform and Opening. What is ‘reform literature’ you ask? Listen and find out, comrade! Our guest is one of the book's two translators, Chris...
2019-10-011h 31
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 13 - Water Margin and the Mossflow"A weill-kent scholar at the court o King Shenzong o the umqhile Hous o Song, he wis vext at the Five Dynasties, yon hinner-en o the Tang times whan there wis naethin but weir an brulyie: in thae days whit wis Jin’s i the mornin wad be Liang’s bi nicht, an richtlie wis it said: Zhu, Li, Shi, Liu, Guo; Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, Zhou: Fifteen kings thegither Skailt fiftie year o stushie!"In the thirteenth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at The Mossflow, Brian Holton's Scots translation of Water Marg...
2019-09-0143 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 12 - Chen Si'an and Ocean Hotpot"An idyllic island in the midst of boiling oceans. Hot enough to cook a hotpot. One maverick entrepreneur sees a development opportunity and begins to devise the most absurd schemes for environmental protection."In the twelfth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Chen Si'an's Ocean Hotpot (海洋火锅 / hǎiyáng huǒguō)This one was translated by Jeremy Tiang and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with Chen Si’an in attendance. I was lucky enough to ask Si'an a question, the answer to which you’ll hear in this episode!Smog brick...
2019-08-2332 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 11 - Lu Xun and Weeds with Matt Turner"Fire spreads and rages underground, and once the lava’s broken through it will burn up all the weeds, along with the tall trees. Thereupon, therefore, nothing else will rot."In the eleventh episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Weeds (野草/yě cǎo) by Lu XunMatt Turner has brought new life to one of Lu Xun's more downbeat bodies of work. He and I talk about the whys and hows of this endeavour. Fire does indeed rage underground.-// Discussed in this Episode //Formerly...
2019-08-031h 06
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 10 - A Yi and A Perfect Crime"I tried. I put everything into being an exceptional student. But those things are like water cast out in the desert, they evaporate quickly. Whenever I started something, I would picture its inevitable ending. An apple becomes pips in the trash."In the tenth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at A Yi's A Perfect Crime (猫和老鼠/māo hé lǎoshǔ)This is dark and existential novel translated by Anna Holmwood wastes neither word nor sentiment on the reader. Prepare for discomfort as we take on the perspective of an alienated highschooler...
2019-07-2742 min
The WW2 PodcastJimmy StewartFor a long time I've been fascinated by movie stars who chose to join the military and saw combat in World War Two. And one star in particular has always interested me, 'Jimmy Stewart'. A big star in the 1930's, in 1940 he would win the Oscar for best man in The Philadelphia Story' and was nominated for one for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, yet when war came he was insistent on not avoiding it and joined the United States Army Airforce flying combat missions over Europe. Joining me to discuss Jimmy Stewart's military career is Robert M...
2019-07-1539 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 9 - Eileen Chang and Lust, Caution with Claire Hao"Alive, her body belonged to him; dead, she was his ghost"In the ninhth episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at Lust, Caution (色，戒 / Sè, Jiè) by a certain someone called Eileen Chang. Heard of her?It’s a tale of forbidden love and political intrigue set at a precarious time and indeed a precarious place in Chinese history: the Japanese-occupied foreign concessions of WW2-era Shanghai.The translation I read is from the Penguin Pocket Classics Edition. Julia Lovell was the translator. Co-hosting with me on this episode is the amazin...
2019-05-261h 22
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 8 - Interview with Dylan Levi King"Howard Goldblatt is Jay Z and Nicky Harman is Nas"In this episode I'm talking to Dylan Levi King, translator of Dong Xi's Record of Regret. We talk about Xuzhou's dog tacos, Chinese libraries, Ghost in the Shell...and of course Miss Sophie's Diary. Dylan also spoke about the world of Chinese to English translation, his love of Jia Pingwa, and his own growth as a translator.-// Discussed in this Episode //Dylan's TwitterHis Floating City articleEntering Qin, his Jia Pingwa article-
2019-04-301h 17
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 7 - Ding Ling and The Diary of Miss Sophie"I was so angry I wanted to weep, but I laughed aloud."In the seventh episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at: The Diary of Miss Sophie (莎菲女士的日记/Shāfēi Nǚshì de Rìjì)This is a very personal journey of 'Miss Sophie', an outspoken woman navigating all the questions modern life in early 20th century, May Fourth Movement era China is throwing at her. It's frigging fascinating.-// Discussed in this Episode //The translation I read is from the Beacon Press edition of I Myself am a Woman...
2019-04-2734 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 6 - Interview with Dong Li'It was in the desert that I found poetry.'In this episode we're talking to Dong Li, translator of The Wild Great Wall (野长城 // Yě Chángchéng) by the poet Zhu Zhu.Dong Li was born in the PRC and now resides in Germany. He's had fellowships and publications galore, and can speak Chinese, English, German, and French.-// Discussed in this Episode //Here's the three poets Dong Li recommends you check out:Lorine NiedeckerJeffrey YangC D Wright Dong Li's...
2019-04-1851 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 5 - Zhu Zhu and The Wild Great Wall"This moment countless men up the stairs. Upstairs, Chopin already in the dark. Downstairs, dying alone in a crowd."-In this episode we are looking at: The Wild Great Wall (野长城 // Yě Chángchéng)It's a brand new release. It's poetic, it's universal and cross-cultural, and yet it's also quite defiantly (I dare to say) Chinese. In a funny sort of way.-// Handy TrChFic Links //Buy Me a CoffeeBonus Shows on PatreonThe TrChFic MapINSTAGRAM // TWITTER // DISCORD // MY SITE
2019-04-0657 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 4 - The London Book Fair"The London Book Fair is the global marketplace for rights negotiation alongside the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV film and digital channels."[ episode transcript here ]A book fair! Candyfloss and author signings and gazebos? Not quite.In this episode we're doing something a little different. I'll be recounting my trip to the 2019 London Book Fair and recounting all translated-Chinese-fic discoveries I made and encounters I had. Without disclosing any career ending secrets of course. Jk I have none.https://olympia.london/whatson/london-book-fair-
2019-03-2237 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 3 - Murong Xuecun and Leave Me Alone"I lit up a cigarette and thought that you shouldn't torture yourself by trying to go against life's grain. The dissolute will take advantage of the young. If you could be happy for a while, then settle for that."[ episode transcript here ]In this episode we are looking at: Leave Me Alone (成都，今夜请将我遗忘 // Chéngdū, Jīnyè Qǐng Jiāng Wǒ Yíwàng) It's the 2014 UK edition published by Fortysix-// MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE //Murong Xuecun's 2010 People's Literature Prize acceptance speech // MIRROR LINK-// Handy TrChFic Links //
2019-03-1539 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 2 - Wang Shuo and Please Don’t Call Me Human"The publicity should focus on how we took a pile of shit and a puddle of piss and turned it into somebody. We must make this clear to the masses."[ episode transcript here ]In this episode we are looking at: Please Don't Call Me Human (千万别把我当人/Qiānwàn Bié Bǎ Wǒ Dāngrén) It's the 2005 No Exit Press edition, no. 14 of its 18th Anniversary Crime & Noir series-// MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE //Wang Shuo and Liumang (`Hooligan') Culture by Geremie Barme // MIRROR LINK-// Handy TrChFic Links...
2019-03-0343 min
The Translated Chinese Fiction PodcastEp 1 - Lu Xun and the Diary of a MadmanWanting to eat men, at the same time afraid of being eaten themselves, they all look at each other with the deepest suspicion...[ episode transcript here ]In the very first episode of The Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, we are looking at The Diary of a Madman (狂人日记/Kuángrén Rìjì) It's the PRC Beijing Foreign Languages Press translation.This is a foundational text for modern Chinese literature, and sure enough this podcast keeps on referring back here, to Episode 1. In this grim and surreal tale, a man describes his growing suspicion that his friends...
2019-02-2740 minAll The Dirt Gardening, Sustainability and FoodEpisode 69: All Things Composting with Garden Presenter Angus StewartDeryn talks to gardening presenter Angus Stewart about composting waste; the benefits of worm farming and other practical composting methods.
2018-10-1942 min