Sounds and Faces: A collection of 7 authors' voices in contemporary Jiangsu

Editor's Note: Contemporary Chinese literature is remarkably rich, encompassing a wide variety of genres such as novels, poetry, and essays. This column will guide you through appreciative readings of these works.

The short story collection Sounds and Faces is meticulously curated by the Jiangsu Writers Association, bringing together the excellent works of seven young Jiangsu writers. Though diverse in style, the seven stories share profound insights into humanity, society, and emotions, vividly illustrating how this generation of writers narrates China's stories through unique "sounds" — showcasing the youthful vigor and spiritual landscape of Jiangsu literature in the new era with vibrant "faces".

About the authors

The short story collection Sounds and Faces features seven young writers from Jiangsu — Cao Kou, Tang Chengnan, Zhu Jing, Deng Anqing, Da Touma (Wang Yixin), Qin Rubi, and Pang Yu —who are active in the contemporary literary scene, spanning generations from the 1970s to the 1990s. All of them have been selected for the Jiangsu Literary and Artistic "Master-Apprentice" program and have won prestigious awards such as the Purple Mountain Literature Award and the Mao Dun New Talent Award. They represent a vital force in Jiangsu literature, carrying forward its traditions while paving the way for the future.

Excerpts

My cousin Zhang Degui was certainly not known in the village for being uniquely gifted. My aunt had no dreams or other unusual experiences while she was pregnant with him; in her later years, she frequently assured us of that. Even when Mrs Ding, the midwife, pulled baby Degui out of her body, the lights did not turn red, and there was no lingering fragrance in the room, nothing of that sort. What actually happened was that my aunt suffered so much through this first birth (her only one, as it turned out) that she fell asleep without even setting eyes on her baby. Though she did claim to have heard the Zhang family's cock crow. 'And Degui was born after lunchtime, you know, not a time of day when you'd expect to hear a cock crow.'

Review

We are delighted to have this opportunity to collaborate on publishing and translating works by these young Chinese writers, bringing British readers closer to the lives and stories of contemporary Chinese people. — David Lammie, chief editor of ACA Publishing