Filip Noubel
@nasredinhoja.bsky.social
Journalist&researcher on Central Europe, Central Asia, China, Taiwan. Literary translator&reporter. Cosmopolitan found between Taipei, Tashkent and Prague. Drinks tea only. GlobalVoices CapsUnlock Asymptote Journal. All views my own. All about context
kitchen talk: Reporting on Global China. With Xifan Yang @yangxifan.bsky.social (DIE ZEIT) and Filip Noubel @nasredinhoja.bsky.social(Global Voices). Moderated by Jacob Mardell @jacobmardell.bsky.social (Sinification). Sign up! ⤵️ crm.n-ost.org/civicrm/even...
#China #exile "When JF Books, known in Chinese as “Jifeng” (seasonal winds), opened its doors in Washington DC on Sep 1, 2024, the news was covered around the world" www.chinafile.com/reporting-op... @vivianwu.bsky.social
A World out of Words
The opening of a bookstore rarely makes international headlines. But when JF Books, known in Chinese as “Jifeng” (seasonal winds), opened its doors in Washington, D.C. on September 1, 2024, the news w...
chinafile.com
If in Prague on September 2, join us for a Taiwan-Czech cultural and literary dialogue I have the great honor of moderating. #RadkaDenemarkova #KaoriLai #飛地書店 #台灣 #台灣文學 goout.net/cs/taiwan-ac... @vivianwu.bsky.social
Taiwan Across Cities: 2 přednášky - st 2. 9. 18:00 - Rock Café - GoOut
Lístky za pár vteřin na GoOut.net
goout.net
"A collection of poems won Wang Jibing one of #China's top literary honours. He is part of a growing group of blue-collar workers who offer a glimpse into the pressures that they face in China's massive gig economy." www.bbc.com/news/article... @vivianwu.bsky.social
Food delivery rider wins China's top literary prize
Wang Jibing is among blue-collar Chinese workers gaining wider attention for their literary works.
bbc.com
#China"We recommend five #Chinese-language books that draw on real-life experiences, from an #LGBTQ short story collection to a reality-TV inspired novel." chinabooksreview.com/2026/06/23/w... @vivianwu.bsky.social
Stranger Than Life | China Books Review
We recommend five Chinese-language books that draw on real-life experiences, from an LGBTQ short story collection to a reality-TV inspired novel.
chinabooksreview.com
#China #Webliterature "It’s not that you can’t write about gods, immortals, Buddhas, or demons, but rather that you can’t touch on the sensitive topic of “real-world religion.” chinadigitaltimes.net/2026/06/tran...
Translation: Religion and Red Lines in Chinese Online Literature
The invisibly shifting red lines of Chinese internet censorship fuel a buzzing genre of content on how to avoid them. Some posts offer defiant tips on getting
chinadigitaltimes.net
#Taiwanliterature #Translation #Poland "Translator Maria Jarosz, known for translating Taiwanese novels The Butcher's Wife (殺夫), Children of the Saltpans (鹽田兒女), highlighted the challenge of translating curse words in Taiwanese literature." focustaiwan.tw/culture/2026... @vivianwu.bsky.social
Taiwanese literature translators discuss language, culture in Poland - Focus Taiwan
Translators, scholars and publishers from across Europe gathered in Poland this week to discuss the challenges of bringing Taiwanese literature to international readers, according to the National Muse...
focustaiwan.tw
#Taiwan's identities revisited: this is what #Tao writer #SyamanRapongan does best in his book now translated in English #matanoangit #天空的眼睛 #EyesoftheSky - a text that sits at the crossroad of myth, ethnography, fiction and rituals. www.asymptotejournal.com/blog/2026/05... @vivianwu.bsky.social
The Nightworld of the Sea: A Review of Eyes of the Sky by Syaman Rapongan - Asymptote Blog
...Eyes of the Sky eventually points at hybridity as a possible place of reconciliation and persistence.
asymptotejournal.com
"In her essay “Mother’s Tongue,” writer and translator Jennifer Shyue distinguishes between the unexamined notion of the mother tongue and what she calls a mother’s tongue: Mandarin, the language her mother speaks." #Chinese #literature #translation lithub.com/mother-tongu... @vivianwu.bsky.social
Mother Tongues: How Family History Plays a Part in Language and Translation
My family moved eight times before I turned eleven. The biggest of those moves took place when I was three, when my parents moved us from Singapore to Hong Kong. We spoke English at home, but growi…
lithub.com
#China "The 5 #books selected are an eclectic bunch, but each is a bold sally into the wild plains of Chinese history. Collectively, they show the peril of trying to change the nation, or one’s life inside it." chinabooksreview.com/2026/04/28/n... @vivianwu.bsky.social @chinabooksreview.com
Changing China | China Books Review
Five new books deal with efforts to transform China: from the conquests of the Warring States to nationalist internet fantasies, all the way to campaigns against superstition.
chinabooksreview.com
#Taiwan #literature #softpower "Yang pointed to #Japan and #SouthKorea as examples of countries whose literature gained global visibility alongside the rise of their pop culture, adding that Taiwan could follow a similar path." focustaiwan.tw/culture/2026...
Booker-shortlisted novelist says Taiwan has more stories to tell - Focus Taiwan
Taiwan's first International Booker Prize-shortlisted author, Yang Shuang-zi (楊双子), said recently her recognition reflects a collective achievement and that Taiwan still has more stories to tell.
focustaiwan.tw
"Until 1987, people in #Taiwan lived under martial law. Writer #KaoriLai is part of the generation who reached adulthood after censorship had been lifted. Portraits in White brings novellas reflecting on that time." #sinophone #literature in #translation chinabooksreview.com/2026/03/17/t...
Human Literature | China Books Review
In the age of artificial intelligence, with publishers turning to AI translation tools, it is more meaningful than ever to read human translations. Here are five.
chinabooksreview.com
#Chinese #diapora #history #UK #蔣彝 "Chiang is best known for his Silent Traveller series, illustrated travel books much loved for their Chinese perspective on British cities, landscapes and people." chinabooksreview.com/2026/03/12/c... @vivianwu.bsky.social
A Chinese Intellectual in Oxford | China Books Review
In the 1930s Chiang Yee, a Chinese writer and artist, moved to England. His work — and that of his wartime circle of Chinese literati — deserve to be remembered.
chinabooksreview.com
#migration The #graphicnovel "Women, Bras and Chicken Feet: The Journey of 'Made in #China'," revolves around the protagonist, Fujin, a young Chinese woman who moves to #Taipei with her #Taiwanese husband to start a new life." focustaiwan.tw/culture/2026... @vivianwu.bsky.social
Turning research into art: Graphic novel on Chinese migrant women in Taiwan - Focus Taiwan
The idea of turning a 240-page, text-heavy doctoral dissertation into a graphic novel came to sociologist Beatrice Zani when she realized that the findings of her English-language thesis were largely ...
focustaiwan.tw
#Taiwan #Tibet #Uyghur "Literature thrives on the margins, and these five titles will transport you across a changing landscape." #China chinabooksreview.com/2026/02/24/w... @vivianwu.bsky.social
Writing from the Margins | China Books Review
From Tibet to Taiwan, Yunnan to yonder, we recommend five Spring Festival reads with a focus on the periphery.
chinabooksreview.com
#bookerprize "Yang Shuang-zi's #楊双子 #Taiwan Travelogue #臺灣漫遊錄) has been longlisted for the International Booker Prize for translated fiction. The novel tells the story of a same-sex romance between a Japanese author and her local interpreter in 1930s Taiwan." focustaiwan.tw/culture/2026...
'Taiwan Travelogue' longlisted for International Booker Prize - Focus Taiwan
Yang Shuang-zi's (楊双子) "Taiwan Travelogue" (臺灣漫遊錄) has been longlisted for the International Booker Prize for translated fiction, the award's organizers announced Tuesday (U.K. time).
focustaiwan.tw
Linking 2 #literary cities #Tainan #台南 #Prague, 2 gifted authors #HuangChongkai #黃崇凱 and #RadkaDenemarkova for a discussion on the power and need of literature to be absolutely political in the best sense of the word. Live on Feb 25 #台灣文學研究所 #台灣文學博物館 #Czechliterature #Taiwanliterature
#Taiwan #Indigenous #literature "Syaman began to recognize how the urban dream of becoming an intellectual had pulled him further and further from his community and the sea." english.cw.com.tw/article/arti...
“My Hands Can Kill Fish and Write Stories”: Syaman Rapongan’s Return to Orchid Island｜Culture｜2026-02-18｜web only
After years in Taipei chasing education and belonging, Tao writer Syaman Rapongan returned to Orchid Island to rebuild boats, spear fish, and anchor his writing in the sea and mountains of his homelan...
english.cw.com.tw
#China #Diaspora lit "Many tidbits from ancestral stories found their way into my novels but it was research that did the most to fill the blanks when it came to understanding my parents. For my debut novel, one research topic was about #QuQiubai." lithub.com/how-writing-... @vivianwu.bsky.social
How Writing My Books Helped Me Understand My Chinese Parents
I was one of those: a rebellious teenager with traditional Chinese parents. I chafed at my father’s strictness, at his expectations of absolute obedience, his insistence on perfect grades. I ran in…
lithub.com
#Taiwan literature "For decades, Taiwanese (Taigi) poetry was widely seen as commercially unviable. Then Un Jio̍k-kiâu (温若喬) rewrote the script." focustaiwan.tw/culture/2026...
Taiwanese poet Un Jiok-kiâu turns Taigi poetry into a bestseller - Focus Taiwan
For decades, Taiwanese (Taigi) poetry was widely seen as commercially unviable. Then Un Jiok-kiâu (温若喬) rewrote the script.
focustaiwan.tw
#Taiwan literature #Ecuador #SanMao #三毛 #萬水千山走遍 "Traversing Myriad Rivers and Mountains remains among the most widely read Chinese-language accounts of #LatinAmerica" #AsymptoteJournal www.asymptotejournal.com/nonfiction/t... @vivianwu.bsky.social
from Travels in Ecuador - Asymptote
By the Shore of Silver Lake: Present Life—Ecuadorian Journey (II)I hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief.My friend Marco wasn’t home, so I left a message with his father. At least...
asymptotejournal.com
Last islands of free thinking in #China's bookstores: "There is no need to live in #Beijing anymore. The interesting people have all gone abroad or moved back to their home region." chinabooksreview.com/2026/01/29/b... @vivianwu.bsky.social @chinabooksreview.com
How China’s Independent Bookstores Survive | China Books Review
Even as restrictions tighten in Beijing, independent bookstores in Chengdu have flourished — showing how offline community and public debate can thrive. But it’s hard.
chinabooksreview.com
"Soon to turn 67 in mid-February, Kim has translated more than 20 books by #Taiwanese authors into #Korean, establishing himself as the preeminent conduit for Taiwanese #translation in #SouthKorea." focustaiwan.tw/culture/2026...
Love by accident: A South Korean translator's commitment to Taiwan literature - Focus Taiwan
"I was a foreign wanderer when I came to Taiwan a year ago," Kim Tae-sung quipped, reflecting on a transition that was as unexpected as it was deliberate.
focustaiwan.tw
{𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓} 𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 We're very pleased to announce that we have formed a collaboration with the Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing to republish selected reviews of translated titles from their platform. ⧉ chajournal.com/2026/02/03/l...
"German veteran #translator Karin Betz, currently translating the award-winning Taiwanese novel "#Taiwan Travelogue" #台灣漫遊錄, has spent decades bringing Taiwanese and Chinese literature to German readers." focustaiwan.tw/culture/2026...
Translator Karin Betz introduces Taiwanese literature to German readers - Focus Taiwan
German veteran translator Karin Betz, currently translating the award-winning Taiwanese novel "Taiwan Travelogue" (台灣漫遊錄), has spent decades bringing Taiwanese and Chinese literature to German readers...
focustaiwan.tw
#Bookstore resistance in #Hongkong "Since 2019, as media outlets have shuttered and street slogans have faded into silence, a handful of independent bookstores have emerged against the odds." english.cw.com.tw/article/arti... @vivianwu.bsky.social
Hong Kong’s Independent Bookstores Fight to Keep the Lights On｜International｜2026-01-27｜web only
Since 2019, as media outlets have shuttered and street slogans have faded into silence, a handful of independent bookstores have emerged against the odds. Why have they chosen this path amid such hist...
english.cw.com.tw
#China #Tibet "recent titles worthy reading from a reported account of Chinese scammers in Southeast Asia and a narrative of Catholic resurgence in the 1980s, to an academic study of revolutionary emotion after Mao". chinabooksreview.com/2026/01/13/n... @vivianwu.bsky.social
New China Books: Resolute Reading | China Books Review
Resolving to read more in 2026? We have you covered with five recommendations, from an essay collection of Tibet to a colloquial history of China’s hot-button issues.
chinabooksreview.com
#China fiction+non-fiction #translation "Identity issues. Migrant stories. Company profiles. Lost daughters. Daddy issues. Round-up of notable books on or from China, nonfiction and literature, nominated by experts." chinabooksreview.com/2025/12/18/b... @vivianwu.bsky.social
Best China Books of 2025 | China Books Review
Identity issues. Migrant stories. Company profiles. Lost daughters. Daddy issues. Our annual round-up of notable books on or from China, nonfiction and literature, nominated by experts.
chinabooksreview.com
Social commentary on #China's society "Horror fiction if that is the best term for it — is a genre that readers might associate less with China, yet it stretches back centuries and is just as alive and kicking today." chinabooksreview.com/2026/01/06/e... @vivianwu.bsky.social @chinabooksreview.com
Chinese Horror with Xueting C. Ni | China Books Review
Horror writing has an unsavory reputation in China, but comes with a long history and is full of biting social commentary. The translator of a recent collection explains what lurks beneath.
chinabooksreview.com
"2025 has seen a bumper crop for #Chineseliterature in #translation. We recommend 5 titles, from gritty tales of the northeast to conjoined fiction from #HongKong." chinabooksreview.com/2025/12/09/t... @vivianwu.bsky.social @chinabooksreview.com
Translated Chinese Literature: New Fiction | China Books Review
2025 has seen a bumper crop for Chinese literature in translation. We recommend five recent titles, from gritty tales of the northeast to conjoined fiction from Hong Kong.
chinabooksreview.com