Chinese Literature Heads- Please Help!

[Horse]

I'm about to start a translation project for the dissertation component of my MA in Chinese translation and need to find a text which has NOT been interpreted into English before.

I am trying to find something which is reasonably dark and gritty and will keep me personally entertained while I translate (I enjoy Zhang Ai Lin, Yan Lian Ke, and anything which is more subversive than the majority of mainstream Chinese literature).

Any postmodern satires on consumerist China with a smattering of violence/drug abuse/prostitution etc would be welcome. Or just any really good read that is engaging and well written.

I realise this is a tall order but I have faith in the good people of Chinese-Forums. My academic future is in your hands. All suggestions warmly accepted.

Thanks people,

Horse.X

[amandagmu]

I was just about to suggest Yan Lianke. Surely there is something of his that has not been translated?

[skylee]

How about something by 龍應台? Someone mentioned here that her 1949 was banned on the Mainland. I guess that would be subversive enough?

Or perhaps 盛世?

Or perhaps one of Jinyong's wusha xiaoshuo? If you translate them well I guess that would be a great achievement.

I am not sure if these books have already been translated, though.

PS - You might get more ideas from these links -

第三屆香港書獎

香港書獎 內地2禁書被提名

第四屆香港書獎公布22本入圍作品名單，當中包括余杰的《中國影帝溫家寶》及為愛滋病患者維權而流亡美國的高耀潔作品《高潔的靈魂－高耀潔回憶錄（增訂版）》，兩書均為內地禁止出版發行的書籍。

[Horse]

Cheers guys, that's great so far. I'm checking out those links.

Any other hot recommendations?? I'm open to all suggestions

[Gleaves]

I enjoyed 秀哉的夏天. It's about a major (as in apocalyptic) earthquake in Shanghai. Its a mix of lighthearted and gritty. I'm not sure it would be considered literature, but I thought it was a decent read.

I think 盛世 has an English translation coming out.

Good luck.

[rob07]

Have you considered 棉棉? She has personal experience with living rough on the streets doing drugs etc. I've only read one or two of her short stories but I remember one semi-autobiographical short story about being temporarily stuck in a mental asylum, on the basis that anyone with well to do parents that ends up living on the streets must have something mentally wrong with them. One of her best known books is 每个好孩子都有糖吃 which I think is a cool (and subversive) title.

[rob07]

Actually, has 三重门 been translated into English yet - not as far as I know? If not, that is really one book crying out for an English translation. It is apparently the best selling Chinese novel in the last 20 years, written when the author, 韩寒 was sixteen, having just been kicked out of high school for failing just about everything except Chinese language. 韩寒 has gone on to write several more bestselling novels, as well as become a professional racing car driver and the world's most popular blogger on his highly satirical and anti-communist party blog. He reached the height of his fame when Roddy featured him on an advertising billboard in Signese last year (see "Complete Vancler").

三重门 is semi-autobiographical, and having been just kicked out of school the 16 year old 韩寒 certainly wanted to rage against the system. I wouldn't quite call it satire because the material seemed to cut a bit too close to the bone, but it is written in a very ironic and amusing style. I enjoyed it a lot.

The Jin Yong books are crying out for good English translations even louder of course, but doing one of the majors really would be a mammoth undertaking and maybe not really your genre.

[Horse]

This is really excellent, thanks a lot. I still have until the beginning of June to selct what I'm going to translate so I'm hoping to have a wide selection to sift through first. Any other suggestions definitely most welcome. Especially short stories too.

Cheers ;)

[Horse]

Just bumping this. Still looking for novels/short stories, that haven't been translated before, to translate into English.

Any more suggestions warmly accepted..........

[gato]

Have you tried books by 王小波? A few of his novellas have been translated into English, but the bulk of his work remains untranslated.

[Lu]

I second the suggestions of Mian Mian and Han Han. I think none of Han Han's work has been translated to English yet (or to Dutch, now that I think of it...).

[Horse]

Thanks for the new suggestions Gato, Lu et al. Will look into them.

In the meantime, anyone else please feel free to steer me in the direction of more good Chinese literature.

Thanks for the tips so far people.x