Article
Two Voices Presents: An Introduction to Can Xue
Mar 19, 2017 |
By Sarah Coolidge
I know! We’re excited too! In anticipation of Thursday’s conversation, we’ve prepared a little reading list to get you familiar with the experimental Chinese author.
- Can Xue(opens in a new tab) is a pseudonym meaning “dirty snow, leftover snow.” The author’s real name is Deng Xiaohua.
- Her family was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution and sent to the countryside for “reeducation through labor.” Due to political turmoil, Can Xue’s formal education never went beyond elementary school. However, she continued to educate herself by reading voraciously.
- “I have been fascinated by performances since I was three years old. But in my younger days my performances were very special — I performed in my mind. So no one around me knew my secret dramas.” —Can Xue in Electric Literature(opens in a new tab).
- Alexis Almeida gives advice for new readers(opens in a new tab) of Can Xue: “First, nothing is as it appears.”
- Several of her books have been translated into English, including The Last Lover(opens in a new tab), Blue Light in the Sky & Other Stories(opens in a new tab), Five Spice Street(opens in a new tab), Vertical Motion(opens in a new tab), and Frontier(opens in a new tab).
Her novel The Last Lover(opens in a new tab), translated by Annelise Finegan Wasmoen, won the 2015 Best Translated Book Award for fiction(opens in a new tab) and caused one critic to invent the term “magic virtual realism(opens in a new tab)” to describe her writing.- Can Xue: “I’m friends with all my English translators.” Read the full interview(opens in a new tab).
- “In the deep layers of soil beneath the desert, there are nameless little creatures industriously plowing through the earth.” —from “A Short Piece on Experimental Fiction”(opens in a new tab) by Can Xue, translated by Annelise Finegan Wasmoen.
- Can Xue addresses the state of literature in China: “It’s very dangerous when a nation doesn’t care about its literature.(opens in a new tab)”
- Read the Kirkus starred review(opens in a new tab) of Frontier: “Odd, atmospheric, and enchanting…”
See you on Thursday! Come by at 5:30 for wine and snacks! The conversation begins at 6:00 p.m. See event details and RSVP!
Contributor
Sarah Coolidge
Sarah Coolidge (they/she) is a queer editor and musician based in Oakland. They have worked at the Center for over a decade, serving as editor of the Two Lines journal before launching the Calico Series in 2020. They’ve had the honor of working with countless translators they admire and have edited work by Mariana Enriquez, Iman Mersal, Pirkko Saisio, Dorothy Tse, Wilson Bueno, and Elena Garro, among others.
