A transcultural and transdisciplinary book series in simple and straightforward language, to inform general readers, undergraduates and, above all, sixth formers and to engage their interest in recent advances in thought, unaccountably overlooked areas of the world, and key issues of the present day.

Story and Illustrations by Meng Yanan

Mother Bunny prepares a special family dinner for Mid-Autumn Festival. She sets out early in the morning and meets lots of friends along the way: Mother Hedgehog, Mother Squirrel, Little Bee, Uncle Beaver, Mother Duck and her ducklings. Little does she know that Mr Wild Wolf is sneaking after her…

(Translated by Jasmine Alexander. Winner of the 4th Bai Meigui Translation Competition. With foreword by The Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing)

Histoire par Ruth Finnegan

Illustrations par Rachel Backshall

Traduit de l’anglais par Gwendolyne Thio et Jocelyne Chalumeau-Thio

Winner of English Pen Award

The Chilli Bean Paste Clan by YAN Ge

Set in a fictional town in West China, this is the story of the Duan-Xue family, owners of the lucrative chilli bean paste factory, and their formidable matriarch. As Gran’s eightieth birthday approaches, her middle-aged children get together to make preparations. Family secrets are revealed and long-time sibling rivalries flare up with renewed vigour. As Shengqiang struggles unsuccessfully to juggle the demands of his mistress and his wife, the biggest surprises of all come from Gran herself……

Translated from the Chinese by Nicky Harman

“A fascinating glimpse into the life of a dysfunctional family in modern China.”—Marina Lewycka, author of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

New in Chinese: “The Chilli Bean Paste Clan” Words Without Borders

By Roger Pulvers

Half of Each Other takes place in Tokyo.  It tells the story of Nick and Setsuko York, a once very fond married couple devoted to their adorable five-year-old daughter, Emi.

Half of Each Other is the story of a woman and a man challenged by the shock of an overwhelming grief.  Both are overcome by an immense sorrow … both are tempted by the passions of an extra-marital affair.

We are all half of each other.

How these two people, who were once madly in love with each other, overcome their grief and come to terms with the death of their daughter, provides the narrative of this intensely moving, heart-rending and uplifting Irish-Japanese love story.

(September 2019)

By Yeng Pway Ngon

Translated by Jeremy Tiang and Natascha Bruce

When the fervour of revolution is gone, what remains?

Four leftist teenagers in 1950s Malaya dedicate themselves to overthrowing colonialism and bringing about a better world. With time, their paths diverge — into capitalism, into adultery, into the dark heart of the Cultural Revolution. Disillusioned and middle-aged, they look back at their lives from the prosperous but soulless 1980s, wondering what has become of their dreams and ideals.

Winner of the Singapore Literature Prize

Book reviews:

‘The fiery radicals became businessmen, housewives, and pensioners — ordinary people. Yet such ordinary people once shook the world, and could do so again.’— The White Review

Leeds University Writing Chinese Reviews

Asian Review of Books

Collection of Short Stories by Huang Chun-Ming

Translated from the Chinese by Howard Goldblatt

A Taiwanese businessman is forced to serve as a pimp for a group of seven Japanese men in his home village of Chiao-hsi. The formerly well-respected Ah-Le and his wife bear the weight of shame that his impotence has brought upon them. A young man drives his sister and her friends along the treacherous Taipei-Yilan high-way, as they hunger for the ghost stories surrounding Muddy-Water River…

Taking us deep into Taiwan’s rural villages beyond the bustling cities of Kaohsiung and Taipei, Huang Chun-ming introduces us to a cast of characters, at once eccentric and familiar. With his trademark blend of cynicism and warmth, Huang’s stories combine national consciousness with humor and heart, offering a candid look into Taiwan’s rural lives. From portraits of ordinary people, to modern-day folk tales, to heartfelt contemplations on the Taiwanese identity, this collection showcases the astute compassion of one of Taiwan’s most celebrated literary minds.