Translating Fang Fang’s Wuhan Diary amid the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Conversation with Michael Berry, by King Yu

Interviews   Michael Berry is a professor of Asian languages and cultures and director of the Center for Chinese Studies at UCLA. He has published extensive works on addressing the richness and diversity of Chinese art and culture in sinophone communities. He is also an award-winning English translator of several Chinese literary works, including Yu Hua’s To Live (2003), Wang Anyi’s The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai (2008), Wu He’s Remains of Life (2017), and Fang Fang’s Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City (2020). Recently, he has been invited by Yale University, Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Washington University in St. Louis to give lectures on Fang Fang’s Wuhan Diary. In this conversation with King Yu, Berry discusses the process of translating Wuhan Diary, in which he encountered unusual challenges outside of the text. King Yu: How did you become aware of Fang Fang’s Wuhan Diary (2020)? And how did the project of translating her diary come into being? Michael Berry: I had met Fang Fang over the internet about two years ago, roughly around 2018. A mutual friend introduced us, and we discussed the possibility of me translating her novel Soft Burial, which is how I first got to know Fang Fang. Eventually we decided to go ahead on that project. I actually produced a sample translation and put in a grant application for Soft Burial in 2019. I was actively working on that project... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2021-02-24 15:28:04 UTC ]
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Life Isn’t a Narrative: A Conversation with JoAnn Wypijewski

JoAnn Wypijewski is a writer, editor, and journalist based in New York. From 1982 to 2000, she was an editor at The Nation magazine and co-editor, with Kevin Alexander Gray and Jeffrey St. Clair, of Killing Trayvons: An Anthology of American Violence (2014). She has written for CounterPunch,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books

[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-11-26 18:00:16 UTC ]
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'We've always had to battle complacency': Authors Ijeoma Oluo and Emmanuel Acho in conversation

Antiracist author Ijeoma Oluo, whose latest book is 'Mediocre,' joins Emmanuel Acho, author of 'Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,' for a frank talk. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-11-24 15:16:34 UTC ]
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Michael J. Fox mixes candor, humor and hope in his heartfelt new memoir

In “No Time Like the Future,” the beloved actor and activist offers life lessons he’s learned the hard way. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-24 15:00:00 UTC ]
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‘The Freezer Door’ is an aching, playful memoir of vivid desire amid the desperation of midlife disconnection

Queer activist Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s book is alive with the existential nausea of being displaced. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-24 13:00:00 UTC ]
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BA boss Halls named FutureBook Person of the Year following bold pandemic steps

When Meryl Halls took over as managing director of the Booksellers Association in April 2018, she wondered what would define her time at the top of the trade body. “My predecessor Tim Godfray’s signature thing was keeping VAT off books, and he was very proud of that. I’ve had a bloody global... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-23 21:12:32 UTC ]
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5 Indie Bookstores That Started Book Subscriptions or Personalized Care Packages to Survive the Pandemic

A round up of independent bookstore subscription services and care packages created to help these indies survive the pandemic. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-11-23 11:39:00 UTC ]
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Canongate bags Alan Rickman's diaries

Canongate is to publish The Diaries of Alan Rickman, after securing world English-language rights.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-23 02:19:59 UTC ]
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Yu, Payne, Callender, Mosley win at 71st National Book Awards

During the first 30 years of the National Book Awards in the US, only three writers of colour won prizes; last night, at the (virtual) 71st instalment, almost every person who took home a book award was Black or Asian. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-19 00:06:52 UTC ]
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Mann looks to positive industry developments brought about by pandemic

Bonnier Books UK c.e.o. Perminder Mann has suggested, for all of the damage caused by the pandemic, the industry's long-term prospects may have improved, with the industry having "future-proofed" itself. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-18 16:07:00 UTC ]
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Poets House, Hammered by Pandemic, Suspends Operations

Poets House, the poetry library in lower Manhattan founded in 1986, has suspended operations indefinitely, due to budgetary issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, Lee Briccetti, the executive director of Poets House for more than 30 years, will retire in 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Cable’s Holiday Marathon Programming Is Hotter Than Ever Due to the Pandemic

As the industry was still unsure when sports would return and TV production would resume, Ed Georger, evp, advertising sales and digital media for Crown Media Family Networks, Hallmark Channel's parent company, had a calming message for clients. "The one thing you can count on: They will not... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-11-16 01:00:00 UTC ]
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In praise of pandemic fiction

With social media feeds and news sites reading like a dystopian novel, it’s hardly surprising that many readers have lost their appetite for post-apocalyptic books and developed a taste for compelling escapist fiction as a means of escape. But, at a time when our familiar world has been turned... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-15 23:17:41 UTC ]
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Pandemic drives ebook and audiobook sales by UK publishers to all-time high

Printed book sales plunge in first six months of 2020 on back of shop and school closuresSee all our coronavirus coverageSales of digital books by British publishers are set to hit an all-time high this year as the public turns to reading to escape pandemic cabin fever.However, the ebook and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-11-14 07:00:02 UTC ]
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Penguin Michael Joseph lands two more from Jónasson

Penguin Michael Joseph has bought two new books from Scandinavian crime author Ragnar Jónasson.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-13 08:34:28 UTC ]
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Harvard Book Store Closes Temporarily Due to Employee Covid Infection

The Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass., has temporarily closed to in-person browsing after a member of the staff tested positive for Covid-19. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Faber signs King's 'landmark' Welsh history

Faber has signed Brittle with Relics: A History of Wales, 1962–1997, billed as a “landmark” new work by Richard King. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-12 01:00:38 UTC ]
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COVID-19 has hurt physical book sales and helped audio and digital

You would expect the recent coronavirus crisis to have helped digital entertainment, but with reading it is still led by the traditional hardback and softback formats. However, the pandemic is helping to dethrone physical books, as people are more cautious about going out. While paper books... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2020-11-11 10:35:53 UTC ]
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Tiny Owl announces crowdfunder to survive effects of pandemic

Independent publisher Tiny Owl, which specialises in diverse picture books for children, is launching an emergency crowdfunding campaign to survive the pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-09 18:31:47 UTC ]
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The new COVID trend? Apparently, it’s buying rare books.

Ah, tradition! Just as Shakespeare wrote King Lear in quarantine, in this quarantine, rich people are buying copies of King Lear for $10,000,000. While independent bookstores are struggling during COVID—according to the American Booksellers Association, more than one independent bookstore has... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-09 17:44:18 UTC ]
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The 19 best books ‘Fast Company’ staffers read during quarantine—and the indie bookstores where you can buy them

Independent bookstores are hurting as shoppers stay online. Pick up one of our staff picks to support bookstores throughout the U.S. Whether you’re diving into an engrossing period drama, reading up on the history of protests or pandemics, or escaping into a fantastical world, chances are you’ve... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2020-11-06 16:00:54 UTC ]
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