Full Description
An all-in-one craft guide and anthology, this is the first creative writing book to find inspiration and guidance in the diverse literary traditions of Asia. Including exemplary stories by leading writers from Japan, China, India, Singapore and beyond as well as those from Asian diasporas in Europe and America, The Art and Craft of Asian Stories offers an exciting take on the traditional how-to writing guide by drawing from a rich new trove of short stories beyond the western canon which readers may never have encountered before. Whilst still taking stock of the traditional elements of story such as character, viewpoint and setting, Xu and Hemley let these compelling stories speak for themselves to offer readers new ideas and approaches which could enrich their own creative work. Structured around the themes encountered in the stories, such as race and identity, history and power, family and aspirations, this text is a vital companion for writers at all levels keen to develop and find new perspectives on key elements of their craft.
Written by two internationally successful writers and teachers, each chapter contains complete short stories and writing exercises for practice and inspiration.
Contents
Credits and Permissions
Introduction
Chapter One: Family Matters
1. "The Brothers" Lysley Tenorio (USA)
2. "My Mother Pattu" Saras Manickam (Malaysia)
Chapter Two: Attraction
1. "Convince Me" Jiang Yitan (China) translated from Chinese (Mandarin) by Philip Hand
2. "No Toes" Michael Mohammed Ahmad (Australia)
Chapter Three: Routines
1. "We That Summer" Han Yujoo (Korea) translated from Korean by Janet Hong
2. "Birds" by Deepak Unnikrishnan (UAE)
Chapter Four: Little Fish
1. "A Clerk's Story" Dilip Kumar (India) translated from Tamil by Padma Narayanan
2. "National Day" Jeremy Tiang (Singapore)
3. "An Errand" Angelo Lacuesta, (Philippines)
Chapter Five: Shedding Skins
1. "All About Skin" Xu Xi (USA)
2. "Dragon Menu" Zhang Xinxin (China) translated from Chinese (Mandarin) by Helen Wang
Chapter Six: Invaders
1. "Farangs" Rattawut Lapcharoensap (USA)
2. "Boondocks" Robin Hemley (USA)
Chapter Seven: Diasporas
1. "The Boat" Nam Le (Australia)
2. "Dreams in English" Noelle Q. de Jesus (Philippines)
Chapter Eight: Mysteries
1. "The Door," Dorothy Tse (Hong Kong) translated from Chinese (Cantonese) by Natascha Bruce
2. "Where did I Lose You?" Fan Xiaoqing (China) translated from Chinese (Mandarin) by Paul Harris
Chapter Nine: Taboos
1. "The Quilt," Ismat Chughtai (India) translated from Urdu by Gopika Jadeja
2. "Video" Meera Nair (USA)
3. "Prayer in Training" Ploi Pirapokin (USA)
Chapter Ten: Histories
1. "Bee Honey" Yoshimoto Banana (Japan) translated from Japanese by Michael Emmerich
2. "Lee Kuan Yew is not Always the Answer" Inez Tan, (Singapore)
Chapter Eleven: Future Tense
1. "Pink" Hoshino Tomoyuki (Japan) translated from Japanese by Brian Bergstrom
2. "Learning Curve" Yeung Chak Yan (Hong Kong)
Index
