Translator Ken Liu has
done more than anyone to bridge the gap between Chinese science fiction and
American readers. Educational
Publications Import and Export Corporation, Ltd. was seeking an English-language
translator for a trippy science-fiction novel titled “The Three-Body Problem.” Liu — an American computer programmer turned
corporate lawyer turned science-fiction writer—was a natural choice: fluent in Mandarin, familiar with Chinese
sci-fi tropes and culture and a rising star in the genre. Liu had only translated short fiction at the
time, though, and capturing the novel in all its complexity seemed daunting. “The Three-Body Problem” was unlike anything
Liu had ever read. A mind-bending epic
set in Beijing, Inner Mongolia and on a distant planet, the novel was full of
heady technical passages about quantum theory, nanotechnology, orbital
mechanics and astrophysics, intertwined with profound moral questions about the
nature of good and evil and humanity’s place in the universe. But as he began translating, Liu was
confronted by what seemed like a more fundamental problem: The narrative structure didn’t make sense. The story careered around in time, bouncing
between present-day China, as a panic builds among scientists and government
officials over a coming alien invasion, and Beijing in 1967, near the start of
the Cultural Revolution, when an astrophysicist watches helplessly as her
father, a physics professor, is killed by members of Mao’s Red Guard for being
a “reactionary academic authority.” When the English translation of “The Three-Body Problem” was published in 2014, it was hailed as a
groundbreaking work of speculative fiction. President Barack Obama praised the
novel, calling it “just wildly imaginative.” Mark
Zuckerberg recommended it to his tens of millions of Facebook followers; George
R.R. Martin blogged about it. Publishers
around the world chased after translation rights, which eventually sold in 26
languages, including Turkish and Estonian. It won the 2015 Hugo Award, one of the genre’s most prestigious honors, making Liu Cixin the first
Asian author to win the prize for best novel. It was also the first time a novel in
translation had won the prize. The book
and its two sequels went on to sell nearly nine million copies worldwide. Liu told me that he never set out to be a
translator, a profession that doesn’t pay especially well. “Translation seemed incredibly boring and
technical,” he says. In fact, it was a
Chinese writer who first discovered Liu, not the other way around. In 2009, Chen Qiufan read one of Liu’s short
stories, “The Algorithms for Love,” in an online English-language sci-fi
magazine, and sent Liu an email to say how much he liked it. They kept in touch, and a year later, Chen
asked Liu for his opinion on an English translation of one of his stories,
which he had commissioned from a translation company. Liu wasn’t impressed and
offered to edit it, but ended up redoing the translation from scratch. The story, “The Fish of Lijiang,” takes place
in a future China, where corporations manipulate their employees’ sense of the
passage of time in order to boost workers’ productivity. Liu’s translation was published in the sci-fi
magazine Clarkesworld in 2011, and won the Science Fiction and Fantasy
Translation Award for short fiction the following year. Alexandra Alter Read much more at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/03/magazine/ken-liu-three-body-problem-chinese-science-fiction.html
Robert Burns
was born in 1759, in Alloway, Scotland, to William and Agnes Brown Burnes. Like his father, Burns was a tenant
farmer. However, toward the end of his
life he became an excise collector in Dumfries, where he died in 1796;
throughout his life he was also a practicing poet. His poetry recorded and celebrated aspects of
farm life, regional experience, traditional culture, class culture and
distinctions, and religious practice. He
is considered the national poet of Scotland.
Although he did not set out to achieve that designation, he clearly and
repeatedly expressed his wish to be called a Scots bard, to extol his native
land in poetry and song, as he does in “The Answer”: Ev’n thena wish (I mind its power); A wish,
that to my latest hour; Shall strongly heave my breast; That I for poor auld
Scotland’s sake Some useful plan, or book could make, Or sing a sang at least.
January 26, 2018 Between 70 and 80 people came out to the
Sylvan Lake Legion to celebrate Scotland’s greatest poet, Robbie Burns. The Legion’s 23rd annual dinner is one of
thousands that take place across the world to celebrate the life and works of
the prolific poet. The night is full of
music thanks to the Scottish bagpipes, dancing, poetry and food--complete with
the Scottish delicacy haggis. “If anyone
tells you they don’t like haggis, they are wrong,” joked piper Michael
McLetchie. As is customary with Robbie
Burns dinners, which always take place on or around Jan. 25, the haggis was
piped in and “Address to a Haggis” is recited before dinner can start. McLetchie gave an animated recital of the
poem, which had the audience members enthralled. Supper was done by the members of the Ladies
Auxiliary and consisted of salad, chappit tatties (mashed potatoes with chopped
greens), bashed neeps (mashed turnips with spices), pease (Middle English for
peas), roast beef, haggis and an apple tart for dessert. Highland dancers from Bain School of Dancing
entertained the audience with beautiful and enthusiastic moves. All of the young dancers at the event compete
at a national level, and have many awards to accompany them. Of the 23 years the Sylvan Lake Legion has
been hosting a Robbie Burns night, the Bain School of Dancing has attended and
danced for 22 years. Over the course of
the night, the event followed with a traditional program consisting of many
toasts, which the Legion provided tomato juice for. “I’m not going to say why, I’ll leave it to
your imagination, just why the Scots love a toast,” Master of Ceremonies, and
Sylvan Lake-Innisfail MLA Don MacIntyre said.
The night ended with the singing of the Burns classic “Auld Lang Syne” and
some ceildh dancing. Megan Roth See graphics at https://www.sylvanlakenews.com/community/robbie-burns-day-celebrates-life-and-works-of-poet/
Richard Powers’ “The
Overstory” is a fictional book about trees and a group of people who decide to
defend them. But along the way, readers
also find out many surprising facts about trees’ own capabilities, including
how they communicate, protect themselves and each other, and even give back to
forests after death. After finishing the
novel, many readers had one question for Powers: what books about trees did he read to inform
this one? In this article, Powers shares
his bibliography for “The Overstory”–26 books that contain a wide range of
information about trees, from how the American Chestnut disappeared to
histories of radical forest activism.
Lyman
Beecher (1775–1863) was a Presbyterian minister, American Temperance Society co-founder and leader, and the father of 13
children, many of whom became noted figures, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, Edward Beecher, Isabella Beecher Hooker, Catharine Beecher and Thomas K. Beecher. Beecher was proverbially
absent-minded, and after having been wrought up by the excitement of preaching
was accustomed to relax his mind by playing "Auld Lang Syne" on the
violin, or dancing the "double shuffle" in his parlor. Link
to Beecher Family Papers at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyman_Beecher
The Temperance Movement
was an organized effort during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to
limit or outlaw the consumption and production of alcoholic beverages in the
United States. The largest organization
established to advocate temperance was the American Temperance Society. By the mid-1830s, more than 200,000 people
belonged to this organization. The American
Temperance Society published tracts and hired speakers to depict the negative
effects of alcohol upon people. The
American Civil War (1861-1865) weakened the temperance movement both nationally
and within Ohio, but concerns regarding alcohol usage quickly returned upon the
war's conclusion. During the late 1800s,
the United States was shifting from a national economy based principally on
agriculture to a more industrialized one.
Westerville, Ohio appeared on the national stage in 1909, when the Anti-Saloon
League moved its headquarters to the town from Washington, D.C. Westerville's long history of support for
prohibition persuaded the organization's leadership to relocate. As a result of its association with the
Anti-Saloon League, the community earned the nickname of the "Dry Capital
of the World." The temperance
advocates faced some opposition for their activities. Columbus, Cleveland, and
Cincinnati city governments passed laws forbidding the marches, claiming that
they impeded traffic. Ministers of some churches chastised the women for not
acting in a lady-like manner. The
temperance movement continued through the late nineteenth century and into the
early twentieth century. Advocates during this time period became much more
politically active, primarily through their support of the Progressive
Movement. In 1919, the Eighteenth
Amendment to the United States Constitution went to effect. This amendment outlawed the production and
the sale of alcohol in the United States. Prohibition remained in effect until
the Twenty-First Amendment in 1933. With
the Eighteenth Amendment's repeal, organized temperance movements declined in
popularity and in power.
https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Temperance_Movement Link to prohibition cartoons and other relevant
information at https://prohibition.osu.edu/
Maria
Eliza Rundell (1745-1828) was an
English writer. In 1805 when she was
over 60, she sent an unedited collection of recipes and household advice to her
friend John Murray,
of whose family owned a publishing house.
Murray published the work, A New
System of Domestic Cookery, in November 1805. It was a huge success and several editions
followed; the book sold around half a million copies in Rundell's
lifetime. The book was aimed at middle class housewives. In addition to dealing with food preparation,
it offers advice on medical remedies and how to set up a home brewery and
includes a section entitled "Directions to Servants". The book contains an early recipe for tomato sauce—possibly the first—and the first
recipe in print for Scotch eggs. Rundell also advises readers on being
economical with their food and avoiding waste.
In 1819 Rundell asked Murray to stop publishing Domestic Cookery,
as she was increasingly unhappy with the way the work had declined with each
subsequent edition. She wanted to issue
a new edition with a new publisher. A
court case ensued, and legal wrangling between the two sides continued until
1823, when Rundell accepted Murray's offer of £2,100 for the rights to the
work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Rundell
Pistachio Semolina Cake from Eat. Cook. L.A. by Aleksandra Crapanzano. This recipe, which is from Los Angeles chef Jessica Koslow of Sqirl, is a take on the classic Middle East nut cake. Jessica’s version uses pistachios instead of the oft used almonds and is soaked in a Cardamom Rose Water Syrup. The result? A supremely moist, mysteriously fragrant sweet that gets better as the day goes on. https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/pistachio-semolina-cake makes a 10-inch cake
http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com Issue 2213
January 20, 2020
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