Batak pustaha. Image courtesy of the Incunabula Library. I was on Twitter the other day and came across a tweet from Philip Boyes of the University of Cambridge, an archaeologist and linguist working on the Bronze and Iron Age Levant. He had been researching early Chinese handwriting manuals and came across this passage: “Strangely, it … Continue reading #EndangeredAlphabets: Impeaching the Ghosts: Writing and Magic
#EndangeredAlphabets: The Songbook Scripts
Zhuang Musicians in Longzhou. Source: Wikipedia Those of us from Western Europe and the Americas use a script that is so widely used we barely recognize it as a script. In fact, we often refer to it as “the” alphabet, as though there were only one. For us, our script is writing itself; most of … Continue reading #EndangeredAlphabets: The Songbook Scripts
#Veganuary: Dominance & Affection
The Making of Pets by Yi-Fu Tuan The question of pets is a controversial one. Many societies across the world claim to love animals, particularly dogs and cats. However, if you look a little closer you will find that is not really based in reality. The way in which we breed animals in the pet … Continue reading #Veganuary: Dominance & Affection
#Veganuary: Animal Welfare in China
By Peter J. Li After spending over 13 years living and working in China, I became both aware of the Animal Rights issues that plague the country but also the many individuals working to change the current system. I was introduced to Animal Rights through Chinese philosophical thinking and traditions, and therefore am always surprised … Continue reading #Veganuary: Animal Welfare in China
#IntlYALitMonth: Night Bus
Night Bus, by Zuo Ma, translated from Chinese by Orion Martin. Early in my reading of Night Bus, something strange happened: I began to feel nostalgic for the Chinese countryside of the 1980’s and 90’s. Not that I’ve ever been to China; Zuo Ma’s ability to evoke a sense of place with his incredibly detailed … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth: Night Bus
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Hunt is On (Seekers of the Aweto Book 1)
As an early literacy advocate, I am a huge proponent of graphic novels and comic books. Graphic novels can help hook reluctant readers, build visual literacy, and challenge students to read analytically. Do not let the presence of pictures fool you; as in picture books, there is often more to them that meets the eye. … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Hunt is On (Seekers of the Aweto Book 1)
Day 15: 🇨🇳 Half a Lifelong Romance
In a Nutshell: Half a Lifelong Romance is set in the 1930s, the only clue of when the book is set, is a reference towards the end of the book, to the Battle of Shanghai, which started in August 1937: “the battle of Shanghai began in mid-august and the fighting was intense for three months.” … Continue reading Day 15: 🇨🇳 Half a Lifelong Romance
The Booktrekker: China
READ There were so many books I could have chosen for China, and making a decision about which one to read was difficult. In the end, I picked Dai Sijie's Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, translated by Ina Rilke, because I loved the book’s cover and its title. The narrator is a seventeen-year-old boy, whose … Continue reading The Booktrekker: China
Speculative Fiction in Translation: The Three-Body Trilogy
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu translated from the Chinese by Ken Liu series: Remembrance of Earth’s Past (Book 1) Tor Books November 11, 2014 400 pages The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu translated from the Chinese by Joel Martinsen series: Remembrance of Earth’s Past (Book 2) Tor Books August 11, 2015 512 pages Death's … Continue reading Speculative Fiction in Translation: The Three-Body Trilogy
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Dragonfly Eyes
Oxymoronic as it may sound, there is an exciting comfort in picking up a book by a beloved author—or, as in Dragonfly Eyes, a beloved, award-winning writer-translator team. What joys, worlds, and experiences lurk within its pages? Will anticipation be tempered by disappointment? In the case of Dragonfly Eyes*, Cao Wenxuan’s new YA historical novel, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Dragonfly Eyes
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 