Taiwan Literature: Chinese-English Bilingual Series, Volume 1
Folk Stories from Taiwan
Written by: Chiang Hsiao-mei, Chou Ching-hwa, Chu Feng, Huang Wu-chung, Lin Jui-Fang, Wang Shih-lang, and Wen Li
Translated by: Fan Pen Chen, John Crespi, Howard Goldblatt, Sylvia Li-chun Lin, William A. Lyell, Terence Russell, and Sue Wiles
“One day the mother was going to a relative’s house to help out. Before she left she told her children: ‘I’m going to leave for a bit and you two will stay home. Don’t go anywhere. Just stay at home and take good care of the house. I’ll be back tomorrow. Make sure you lock the door and windows nice and tight. And keep an eye peeled for Auntie Tiger. Don’t ever, ever let her into the house no matter what!'”
From “Auntie Tiger,” Folk Stories from Taiwan, by Chiang Hsiao-mei
“Folk Stories from Taiwan” is the first volume to appear in the Taiwan Literature: Chinese-English Bilingual Series. With the folk literature selected for this book, we hope to be able to represent the unique characteristics of Taiwan, vividly portraying Taiwanese customs, geography, and history and, at the same time, display its universal character in common with other folk literatures of the world. Characters like “Auntie Tiger” may be heard at the door of every home at dusk.
Our team of translators includes the eminent Howard Goldblatt, along with William Lyell, Sylvia Li-chun Lin, Fan Pen Chen, Terence Russell, Sue Wiles, and John Crespi. Their renditions of these stories took special pains to make close, yet readable, English versions of the Chinese texts and have made this bilingual anthology a welcome addition to the English translation of Taiwan literature.
Co-editors: Kuo-ch’ing Tu and Robert Backus
Taiwan Literature: Chinese-English Bilingual Series, Volume 2
Children’s Stories from Taiwan
Written by: Gao Tian Sheng, Huang Wei-lin, Tonfang Po, Tzeng Ching-wen, and Wu Chin-fa
Translated by: Robert Backus, John Crespi, Howard Goldblatt, Sylvia Li-Chun Lin, William Lyell, Terence C. Russell, and Sue Wiles
“There were many things on that little island different from anywhere else. There were no big trees or any animals of immense size. In the center of the island rose a cylindrical hill straight up, atop which you could often see snow. On the verdant hill slopes many bright red florets were usually in bloom, and there were also berries of a purple-red color growing there. Those purple-red berries were smaller than strawberries and had the shape of a little bird’s heart. They tasted both spicy and sweet; if you ate them you could grow wings…”
From “The Swallow’s Heart Berry,” Children’s Stories from Taiwan, by Tzeng Ching-wen
“Children’s Stories from Taiwan,” the second volume to appear in the Taiwan Literature: Chinese-English Bilingual Series, republishes in bilingual format selections from the journal Taiwan Literature: English Translation Series.
With the children’s stories selected for this book, we hope to represent the unique characteristics of Taiwan, vividly portraying Taiwanese lore, geography, and history and, at the same time, displaying its universal character in common with other children’s literatures of the world. Stories such as these have been told and retold to children everywhere.
Our team of translators includes the eminent Howard Goldblatt, along with Robert Backus, John Crespi, William Lyell, Sylvia Li-chun Lin, Terence C. Russell, and Sue Wiles. Their renditions of these stories took special pains to make close, yet readable, English versions of the Chinese texts and have made this bilingual anthology a welcome addition to the English translation of Taiwan literature.
Co-editors: Kuo-ch’ing Tu and Robert Backus