DISMISS

Paper Republic

A website dedicated to contemporary Chinese literature in translation

c/o N Harman, Lorton Barn, Lorton Lane. Weymouth, DT3 5QH +44(0)7860 885598

VISIT website

About

Paper Republic is the place to find China's coolest authors, books and literary events. We host a blog, events listings, database of authors, translators and publications, short stories and sample translations from longer works, and translation competitions. We organize live events in China, UK and USA: book clubs, panel discussions with authors, and an annual Publishing Fellowship bringing international editors to Beijing to get to know Chinese literature and publishing firsthand. We collaborate with other literary organizations, and contribute to their blogs. We actively mentor emerging translators, and continue to look for new and imaginative ways to promote Chinese writing. 


Translator Nicky Harman takes us on a fascinating step-by-step visual journey, explaining how a Chinese short story makes it from a very foreign language and culture into English, and to the western reader. Read the article here.

VISIT website

International Priorities

Among other activities, we are currently collaborating with the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative (which aims to bring together translators, publishers and librarians) and will be running their blog throughout February 2017, with posts on surreal writers, novels-into-films, children's literature, and much more. We are currently planning a follow-up to Read Paper Republic (2015-2016), a series of 53 complete translated short stories (and essays and poems) posted on Paper Republic, and promoted through live events, co-publications and blogs. As in previous years, we will continue to work with Writing Chinese (University of Leeds) and London's Free Word Centre.

Key Strengths

"Paper Republic fills an important gap, creating a one stop shop for people who want to know about contemporary Chinese literature [and] demonstrates superb collaborative working across a number of platforms including their growing networks, their redesigned website and innovative live activities." (Chair of judges, Rose Fenton, Literary Translation Initiative Award, London Book Fair 2015)

Seeking Partnerships With

We are open to working with any enthusiastic literary/arts organizations with a similarly imaginative approach to promoting literary translation.

Purpose of Partnerships

We want to broaden our networks, to enable us to reach a larger number of readers and enthuse them about Chinese literature in translation. We also want to find funding to enable us to pay our translators and editors. (We are currently unfunded.) We are open to a variety of ideas that will help us fulfill these general aims.