Description
Book SynopsisSuncranes and Other Stories showcases a range of powerful voices from Mongolia’s modern literary traditions. Spanning the years following the socialist revolution of 1921 through the early twenty-first century, these stories offer vivid portraits of nomads, revolution, and the endless steppe.
Trade ReviewSimon Wickhamsmith’s masterful translations provide a unique window on how Mongolian writers have responded to events shaping the country over the last century—ranging from extreme communism to extreme capitalism—while also retaining a strong sense for enduring Mongolian traditions shaped by pastoral nomadism and a magnificent countryside. -- Jonathan S. Addleton, former U.S. ambassador to Mongolia
Suncranes and Other Stories is an important collection of modern Mongolian writing. Deftly translated, it opens a door on a body of literature that reflects the lives and realities of Mongolia in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. -- Mark Bender, editor of
The Borderlands of Asia: Culture, Place, PoetryThis excellent first collection of modern Mongolian stories offers a view of traditional concerns of nature and herding, as well as the dramatic changes wrought by communism, the pure market economy, and urbanization. Wickhamsmith’s translations provide readers with wondrous fiction as well as exposure to Mongolian customs and landscapes. -- Morris Rossabi, author of
Modern Mongolia: From Khans to Commissars to CapitalistsCan one book aptly sum up an entire nation’s fiction over the course of a century? This one gives it an impressive try. As the stories move forward in time, it’s fascinating to see how different literary movements become prominent, then fall by the wayside. * Words Without Borders *
Suncranes and Other Stories: Modern Mongolian Short Fiction makes for an original and delightful introduction to Mongolian culture and recent history for those unfamiliar with the land of the nomads. As someone who has studied the Mongolian language for many years, I am awed at Simon Wickhamsmith’s ability to artfully craft the translations in this volume. -- Sarah Köksal * Cha: An Asian Literary Journal *
A fascinating introduction to Mongolia’s literature. -- Tony Malone * Tony's Reading List *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
A Note on Mongolian Names
1. Something Wonderful, by S. Buyannemeh
2. The Shelducks, by D. Chimid
3. Dark Cliffs, by D. Natsagdorj
4. Things That Had Never Been Seen, by D. Natsagdorj
5. The Young Couple, by M. Yadamsüren
6. What Changed Soli, by Ts. Damdinsüren
7. Two White Things, by Ts. Damdinsüren
8. The Morning of the First, by Ts. Ulambayar
9. The Saiga, by Ch. Lodoidamba
10. A Great Mystery, by O. Tsend
11. Bunia Takes Wing, by B. Rinchen
12. Waiting for What He Has Lost, by D. Namdag
13. The Green-painted Car, by Ts. Ulambayar
14. Images from a Single Day, by B. Baast
15. Blue as Water, by P. Luvsantseren
16. He Came with a Spare Horse, by S. Udval
17. Suncranes, by S. Erdene
18. The Cricket, by S. Dashdoorov
19. The Wolf’s Lair, by D. Garmaa
20. The Ballad of the Unweaned Camel, by G. Mend-Ooyo
21. Hulan, by S. Erdene
22. Heaven’s Daughter, by Ch. Galsan
23. Raul and Raul, by L. Ölziitögs
24. Everything, by S. Anudar
25. Room for Rent, by H. Bolor-Erdene
26. Wings, by P. Bathuyag
27. The Composer, by M. Uyansüh
Glossary
Notes on the Stories
Acknowledgments
