The Margins
The Wandering: A Conversation between Stephen Epstein and Intan Paramaditha
If languages are tectonic plates, even with the aid of alchemy, the words do not seamlessly match up.
How does one translate 'Iblis'?
Is 'Iblis' a demon? A devil? A spirit? Or something else?
In translating The Wandering, author Intan Paramaditha and translator Stephen J. Epstein wrangled for a year over this single word.
The thought of such a discussion on the precise meaning of a word greatly appeals to my writerly sensibilities.
A Lifelong Romance: Reflections on Eileen Chang’s life, work, and legacy
In her oft-quoted essay 'Writing of One’s Own' (自己的文章), she responded to her critics, laying out the aesthetic principles that would underpin her life’s work...'Although they [Chang’s characters] are merely weak and ordinary people and cannot aspire to heroic feats of strength,' Chang contends, 'it is precisely these ordinary people who can serve more accurately than heroes as a measure of the times.'