MCLC: Renditions special issue

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Mingwei Song <msong2 at wellesley.edu>
Subject: Renditions special issue
***********************************************************

Dear Colleagues,

 
I am pleased to announce the publication of a Renditions special issue
(77/78): “Chinese Science Fiction: Late Qing and the Contemporary.”

 
As a popular genre, science fiction has energized modern Chinese
literature by evoking an array of sensations ranging from the grotesque to
the sublime, from the utopian to the apocalyptic, and from the human to
the post-human. It mingles nationalism with fantasy, sharpens social
criticism with an acute awareness of China’s potential for further reform
as well as its limitations, and envelops political consciousness in
scientific discourses on the power of technology or the technology of
power. Science fiction today both echoes and complicates the late Qing
writers’ vision of China’s future and the transformation of human society.
Juxtaposing writings from the first two decades of successive centuries
has proven to be a meaningful project. Both epochs are characterized by
heightened aspiration for change as well as by deep anxieties about
China’s future. A comparative reading of the stories from the late Qing
and the contemporary sheds light on their common themes. Yet
recapitulations of the earlier age’s literary motifs also lead to
self-reflexive variations that point to the latter period’s uniqueness.

 
The history of Chinese science fiction has never been continuous. Only
three short booms can be identified: the last decade of the Qing dynasty
(1902-1911); the first four years of the New Era (1978-1982); and the
beginning of the twenty-first century. These booms alternated with long
dormant periods. This Renditions special issue showcases representative
works of Chinese science fiction from its first and latest booms, focusing
on the late Qing and the contemporary. An earlier anthology Science
Fiction from China (New York: Praeger, 1989), edited by Wu Dingbo and
Patrick D. Murphy, introduced English readers to the second generation of
Chinese science fiction writers.

 
The works selected have all been translated into English for the first
time. This special issue is also the first English-language collection of
Chinese science fiction since the publication of Wu and Murphy’s anthology
in 1989. The thirteen pieces included are divided into two groups: the
first four are stories and novel excerpts from the first decade of Chinese
science fiction’s development; the other nine pieces are recent works by
contemporary authors. I will welcome any comments and criticism.
 
I was invited by the Renditions editor Theodore Huters to guest edit this
special issue two years ago, and I want to thank Ted, all the devoted
translators, editors, and authors . Without the collective effort of many
people involved in the long process of working on the project it would
have remained a fantasy. Renditions is published by the Chinese University
of Hong Kong. Its website:

http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/rct/renditions/index.html

 
It remains my hope that the third boom of Chinese science fiction will
Last.

 
Mingwei Song    
Wellesley College

 
====================================
 
 
Renditions 77/78 (Spring and Autumn of 2012)
 

Special Issue:
Chinese Science Fiction: Late Qing and the Contemporary
 
Guest Editor: Mingwei Song (宋明煒)

 
 
Table of Contents:

 
Preface: Mingwei Song
 

Part One: The Early Twentieth Century
 

Xu Nianci, “New Tales of Mr. Braggadocio” (Translated by Nathaniel
Isaacson) 徐念慈: 新法螺先生譚
 

Wu Jianren, New Story of the Stone: excerpts (Translated by Sterling
Swallow) 吳趼人: 新石頭記（節選）
 

Louise Strong, “The Art of Creating Humanity” (Translated by Suozi [Lu
Xun]; Re-translated by Carlos Rojas) 索子[魯迅]: 造人朮
 

Xu Zhuodai, “The Secret Room” (Translated by Christopher Rea) 徐卓呆: 秘密室
 
 

Part Two: The Early Twenty First Century
 

Liu Cixin, “The Poetry Cloud” (Translated by Chi-yin Ip and Cheuk Wong) 劉慈
欣
: 詩雲

Liu Cixin, “The Village Schoolteacher” (Translated by Christopher Elford
and Jiang Chenxin) 劉慈欣: 鄉村教師
 

Han Song, “The Passengers and the Creator” (Translated by Nathaniel
Isaacson) 韓松: 乘客與創造者
 
Wang Jinkang, “The Reincarnated Giant” (Translated by Carlos Rojas) 王晉康:
轉生
的巨人
 

La La, “The Radio Waves That Never Die” (Translated by Petula Parris-Huang)
拉拉: 永不消逝的電波

Zhao Haihong, “1923-a Fantasy” (Translated by Nicky Narman and Pang
Zhaoxia) 趙海虹: 一九二三年科幻故事
 

Chi Hui, “The Rainforest” (Translated by Jie Li) 遲卉: 雨林
 

Fei Dao, “The Demon’s Head” (Translated by David Hull) 飛氘: 魔鬼的頭顱
 

Xia Jia, “The Demon-Enslaving Flask” (Translated by Linda Rui Feng) 夏笳: 関
妖精
的瓶子