Writers: Heroes in China?

Sinica: Writers: Heroes in China?

If you happen to live in the anglophone world and aren't closely tied to China by blood or professional ties, chances are that what you believe to be true about this country is heavily influenced by the opinions of perhaps one hundred other people, the reporters who cover China for the world's leading media outlets and the writers who build a narrative to encompass it beyond the frenetic drumbeat of current affairs.

This week, Kaiser Kuo, Jeremy Goldkorn and David Moser are joined by accomplished writer Ian Johnson to talk about this phenomenon at first generally, but then specifically with regards to a piece Ian recently authored in the New York Review of Books called An American Hero in China, a look into the way China has embraced Peter Hessler and his writings on the country. We try to make sense of how exactly reporting is done here, what sorts of editorial decisions are made that affect coverage, and how the voice of the author struggle to make China intelligible to the outside world.

Like Sinica? Don't forget that you can subscribe to our iTunes podcast feed by using our custom RSS feed for the show. And please feel free to download this show as a standalone mp3 file and share with anyone you think might also like hearing the show. Thanks!

deanbarr

said on

June 8, 2015

DE GUICHE

He is himself a dramatist;

Let him rewrite a few lines here and there,

he’ll approve the rest.

CYRANO (His face falls again.)

Impossible.

My blood curdles to think of altering

One comma.

DE GUICHE

Ah, but when he likes a thing

He pays well.

CYRANO

Yes – but not so well as I –

When I have made a line that sings itself

So that I love the sound of it – I pay

Myself a hundred times. (II. 335-346)

matthew.phan

said on

June 9, 2015

Great podcast and recommendations. Was just thinking - I'm not sure who you might call upon to discuss this, maybe a book publisher - whether it might be interesting to talk about readers in China, what sort of things people read, how they read... Sort of the flipside to the discussion of writers. I bought a Kindle in China, mainly so I could download Amazon.cn stuff which is not sold overseas, and a friend could not understand - she commented that the Kindle was extremely expensive and there was so much free literature accessible via smartphones anyway. She didn't understand how the Kindle was even a viable business in China, other than for foreigners. But I was thinking that while there are some good handphone novels, if people only read web literature, they'd be missing so much. So am curious generally what sort of reading habits people have - would it be a surprise to see people reading books on the train? Do people read more international writing or more domestic writing? Fiction or non-fiction? Is a voracious reader someone looked up to, or considered a nerd? Not very original questions I guess but I'd be curious how these match up to other countries.

2593566079

said on

June 12, 2015

Kaiser, homogeneous should be pronouced as [ˌhəˈmɒdʒi:nəs] or [ˌhoʊməˈdʒi:niəs]? I thought it to be the latter and am not quite sure.

Sinica

said on

June 12, 2015

http://grammarist.com/usage/homogenous-homogeneous/

moreorlessbunk

said on

June 16, 2015

Recommendations:

Kaiser Kuo:

Audio book version

The Age of Louis XIV: The Story of Civilization, Book 8. Accessed June 15, 2015.

http://www.audible.com/pd/History/The-Age-of-Louis-XIV-Audiobook/B00UB25HHS.

David Moser:

Abigail Washburn and Béla Fleck. Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, n.d.

Ian Johnson:

Lianke, Yan. The Four Books. Translated by Carlos Rojas. Grove Press, 2015.

Jeremy GoldKorn:

Wainaina, Binyavanga. “How to Write about Africa.” GRANTA. Accessed June 15, 2015.

http://granta.com/how-to-write-about-africa/.

“A Righteous View of History - China Media Project.” Accessed June 15, 2015.

http://cmp.hku.hk/2015/04/22/38664/.

3biometricdocume

said on

April 24, 2022

Biometric Document

https://www.biometricdocument.com/

As a Biometric Documents Consultant we are the world's widest specialists in second passport or residency planning. We are assisting our clients in seaching the right services for their needs, and consulting them through all legal possibilities and valid programs. Here you find currently available services for acquiring an alternative second citizenship and ultimately legally obtaining a second passport, Private cards, Student cards, Canadian cards, International cards; We also arrange certificates such as Marriage certificates, Divorce certificates, Adoption certificates, Birth certificates, Custom certificates, Death certificates, Baptism certificates, Trade Skill certificates; You can get one stop solutions for diplomas and degrees such as College degrees, G.E.D. diplomas, High School diplomas, Home School diplomas, University degrees; Some additional services are also exist in our list including Voice chargers, Social Security, Validation of SSN Number, Driver License Search, Spy Products, Invisible Ink, Listening devices, Background check.