Ep 80 - Chiou Charng-Ting and Raining Zebra Finches with May Huang

‘In the same spot where Father died, the dead body of a deer lay prostrate in the rain.’

In the eightieth episode of the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast, it’s Raining Zebra Finches (斑胸草雀 / bān xiōng cǎo què). Blame for this troubling meteorological occurrence falls upon Taiwanese author Chiou Charng-Ting; it’s her story. Under the weather with me is her translator, May Huang. In our discussion we’ll be testing the limits of our earthly knowledge and dreaming of other philosophies. When nature stops hiding and springs the inexplicable upon us, where else is there to turn?

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// NEWS ITEMS //

• Balestier Press publishes The Pidgin Warrior, David Hull’s translation of a kung fu satire written in the 1930s by Zhang Tianyi

• A horror followup to Sinopticon, titled Sinophagia, is on the way

• Can Xue’s Mystery Train published by Sublunary Editions on Oct 18th

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// WORD OF THE DAY //

(梅雨季 - méiyǔ jì - plum rain season)

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// MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE //

• Angus’ musical pairing: The Alien from the Annihilation OST

• May’s musical pairings: Ivy by Taylor Swift & Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus

• Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise by Lin Yi-Han

• Jeff Vandermeer’s Area X/Southern Reach Trilogy

• Owlish by Dorothy Tse (tr. Natascha Bruce)

• Quantum entangled communication in His Dark Materials

• Plato’s allegory of the cave