Chen Xue (writer)

Chen Xue
Chen in 2015
Chen in 2015
Native name
陳雪
BornChen Yaling
1970 (age 53–54)
Taichung
OccupationWriter
LanguageChinese
CitizenshipTaiwan
GenreQueer literature
Literary movementTongzhi literature
Notable worksEnü shu (Chinese: 惡女書, 'Book of a Demon')

Chen Xue (Chinese: 陳雪; born 1970)[1] is a Taiwanese writer. She is the author of Enü shu (惡女書; lit. 'Book of a Demon'), a collection of short stories published in 1995 that has become considered a classic of tongzhi literature recognising the lives of Taiwanese LGBTQ+ communities.

Biography

Born Chen Yaling (陳雅玲) in 1970 in Taichung,[2] she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese from National Central University in 1993.[3] Her first book was published in 1995. It is Enü shu (Chinese: 惡女書 ; lit. "Book of a Demon"), a collection of four short stories, the best known of which is Xunzhao tianshi de chibang (尋找天使遺失的翅膀, "In Search of the Lost Wings of Angels"), which has become a classic of tongzhi literature.[1] The story has been anthologised and translated to English twice, by Patricia Stieber and Fran Martin.[4] Her story Venus is written from a transgender perspective.[5]

A lesbian, Chen is also famous for kissing her partner on the cover of the queer magazine LEZS.[6] She is also a human rights activist, speaking on LGBTQ+ rights in Taiwan.[7]

Awards and recognition

Chen is a novelist, as well as a short story writer and her 2009 work The Possessed was nominated for multiple literary awards in Taiwan.[4]

In 2004, Hong Kong director Yan Yan Mak adapted one of her short stories (蝴蝶, “Butterfly”) for the cinema. Twice nominated at the Golden Horse Film Festival that year, the film Butterfly subsequently won only one award at the 2005 Hong Kong Film Awards.[8][9] The plot centres on a love affair between a teenage girl and a married woman.[10]

Reception

With Chi Ta-wei, Lucifer Hung and Qiu Miaojin, her work is viewed as that of a “new generation of queer authors” from Taiwan.[11][1] One of the most prominent voices, Chen's works focus on a range of themes, in addition to those of LGBTQ+ people. Her 2019 novel Fatherless City (無父之城), however, has a "putatively straight premise".[12] Many works address themes of family and parenthood,[13] as well as home and exile.[2]

Selected works

  • Enü shu (惡女書, “Book of a Demon”), 1995
  • Fatherless City (無父之城), 2019

References

  1. ^ a b c Fran Martin, "Introduction: Taiwan's literature of transgressive sexuality", in Fran Martin (trans.),  Angelwings: Contemporary queer fiction from Taiwan, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2003
  2. ^ a b Tan, E. K. (2016). Rojas, Carlos; Bachner, Andrea (eds.). "From Exile to Queer Homecoming: Chen Xue's A Wife's Diary". OUP. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199383313.013.40. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  3. ^ Rivet, Pierrick (10 May 2021). "Bref état des lieux de la littérature tongzhi 同志 taïwanaise". Impressions d'Extrême-Orient (in French) (12). doi:10.4000/ideo.1560. ISSN 2107-027X.
  4. ^ a b Abrahamsen, Eric. "Chen Xue". Paper Republic. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  5. ^ Xue, Chen (15 December 2015). "Translation Tuesday: Venus by Chen Xue". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Chen Xue on the mainland". MCLC Resource Center. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Time for a hand in marriage". South China Morning Post. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Golden Horse Film Festival 2004". MUBI. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  9. ^ "YESASIA: Hong Kong Films Awards (2005) - Awards List - YumCha! Awards & Festivals". www.yesasia.com. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Home, sweet homosexual love triangle". South China Morning Post. 11 April 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  11. ^ Fran Martin, “The Legacy of the Crocodile: Critical Debates over Taiwanese Lesbian Fiction”, IIAS Newsletter , no .  29,November 2002, p.  8
  12. ^ Rojas, Carlos (2023), Wu, Chia-rong; Fan, Ming-ju (eds.), "Chen Xue, Missing Fathers, and Queer Alternatives", Taiwan Literature in the 21st Century, Sinophone and Taiwan Studies, vol. 5, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, pp. 111–123, doi:10.1007/978-981-19-8380-1_8, ISBN 978-981-19-8379-5, retrieved 12 February 2024
  13. ^ Martin, Fran (1 February 1999). "Chen Xue's Queer Tactics". Positions: Asia Critique. 7 (1): 71–94. doi:10.1215/10679847-7-1-71. ISSN 1067-9847.

External links

  • “A Nonexistent Thing” by Chen Xue (translated by Wen-chi Li and Colin Bramwell) [excerpt]
  • Venus (维纳斯) (short story)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chen_Xue_(writer)&oldid=1215022676"