Launch of Nobel Laureate Gao Xingjian’s book, the Rise of Sinophone Studies, and Rethinking Chineseness!
Cambria Press authors, Nobel Prize Winner in Literature Gao Xingjian and translator Dr. Mabel Lee, will be attending the 2013 MLA conference in Boston for the launch of the new book, Gao Xingjian: Aesthetics and Creation. The book has been published just in time for the MLA annaul convention. MLA convention attendees will be the first to see the book!
The book is part of the Cambria Sinophone World Series, headed by world-renowned Sinologist Professor Victor H. Mair (University of Pennsylvania) who has discussed this extensively (see Professor Mair’s thought-provoking post on the Language Log and brilliant presentation on Sinology: Then and Now at Peking University). Sinophone studies is a fast-emerging field as evidenced by the recent Conference on Global Sinophonia hosted by the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy at Academia Sinica and co-sponsored by the Association of Chinese and Comparative Literature (ACCL) on December 17–19, 2012. Professor Christopher Lupke, president of the Association of Chinese and Comparative Literature (ACCL), is to be lauded for his efforts for the push for Sinophone studies to be included in larger conferences such as the MLA annual convention.
According to Professor Lupke, “Scholars came from the PRC, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Korea, and the United Kingdom. Professor David Wang, Edward C. Henderson Professor of Chinese at Harvard University and Academician at Academia Sinica, gave the keynote lecture.”
Professor Lupke also added that “The theme of ‘Sinophonia’ is generally derived from the term ‘Sinophone studies,’ which I believe was coined by Dr. Shu-mei Shih from UCLA. Although Dr. Shih was not in attendance, several of her students (or former students) participated, and her name and statements on the Sinophone phenomenon were heard resonating in the corridors during the conference.”
Both Professors David Wang and Shu-mei Shih are on the editorial board of the Cambria Sinophone World Series. Read their comments on another new book in the series, Rethinking Chineseness: Translational Sinophone Identities in the Nanyang Literary World by Professor E. K. Tan, that has also been published just in time for the 2013 MLA annual convention.
More exciting news will be posted soon as we count down to the 2013 MLA conference, so please check back in a couple of days!
In the meantime, here’s an inspiring message that we received from a colleague and would like to share:
During this holiday season, remember that your kindness goes a long way. A simple helpful act, a friendly smile, and a nice remark each day make such a difference, both to the giver and the recipients. Just do it! Kindness is also shown by the restraint of unkindness—step away from hateful behavior or words. Just don’t! Having a better year begins with you. Let’s make 2013 the turnaround year!
Happy holidays to everyone from Cambria Press!!!
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