Dylan Levi King

&: Everything about me

I spend a lot of time writing and thinking about Jia Pingwa's 1990s novels, Chu T'ien-wen, and radical politics online (right wing populism and Left Maoism). More generally, I'm interested in contemporary literature, urban politics, the Chinese New Left, fashion, and organized crime.

I translate Chinese literary fiction into English mostly, but I've ended up doing everything from science-fiction to CEO autobiographies.

Please email me.

Some of what I've translated:

• Vessel, a translation of Pinang《皮囊》by Cai Chongda 蔡崇达 (forthcoming from HarperCollins, July 2021).
• Shaanxi Opera, a translation of Qinqiang《秦腔》by Jia Pingwa 贾平凹, for Chinese Literature Today (6:1, 29-37) (excerpt), Ugly Stone (excerpt), and, a translation of the complete novel with Nicky Harman (forthcoming from AmazonCrossing, 2021).
• "Drinking" by Jia Pingwa (ricepaper, 2017).
• Record of Regret, a translation of Houhuilu《后悔录》by Dong Xi 东西 (University of Oklahoma Press, 2017).
• Life without Language, a translation of Meiyou Yuyan de Shenghuo《没有语言的生活》by Dong Xi (Chinese Literature Today, 6:2, 76-90, 2017).
• "The Stylistic Genes and Spiritual Pedigree of Dong Xi’s Fiction," by Hao Liang (Chinese Literature Today, 6:2, 91-94).
• "Reckless Writing Is the Best Writing: An Interview with Dong Xi" (Chinese Literature Today, 6:2, 64-75).
• "Why Don't I Have a Mistress?" by Dong Xi (Chinese Literature Today, 4:2, 28-41).

Some of what I've written:

• "China’s war on effeminate men," The Spectator World / The Spectator, September 2021.
• "Japan’s New Aoyama Clan," Palladium, September 2021.
• "The man behind Xi Jinping," The Spectator World / The Spectator, July 2021.
• "Ketamine and the Return of the Party-State," Palladium, June 2021.
• "China's Exit to Year Zero," Palladium, April 2021.
• "What’s Going Wrong with Chinese Literature in Translation?" Radii, October 2020.
• "China’s Dirty Web," SupChina, November 2019.
• "Jia Pingwa's Hometown," Los Angeles Review of Books China Channel, October 2019.
• "'Broken Wings': Jia Pingwa’s Controversial Novel Explores Human Trafficking And Rural China," SupChina, July 2019.
• "Socialist Literature for the Capitalist Era: Empires of Dust by Jiang Zilong," Los Angeles Review of Books China Channel, May 2019.
• "Entering Qin: a few days with Jia Pingwa in Shaanxi," Paper Republic, 2019.
• "China’s Intellectual Dark Web And Its Most Active Fanatic," SupChina, April 2019.
• "Police and Thieves: Liang Xiaosheng’s untranslated masterwork Floating City," Los Angeles Review of Books China Channel, August 2018.
• "Jordan Peterson and China's 'White Left'," SupChina, April 2018.
• "Ghosts of the Eastern Capital: Trawling Chinese Bookstores in Tokyo," Los Angeles Review of Books China Channel, August 2018.
• "Black cell: Life in a Chinese detention centre," the Anthill, 2016.
• "Chinese Cigarettes and Three Moments from or Related to Guangzhou and the Act of Running Away from Commitments and Everyday Life (2013 and 2014)," Loreli, 2016.

Times I've been interviewed:

• Interview with Dylan Levi King, Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast.
• Record of Regret: An Interview with Dylan Levi King, Chinese Literature Podcast.
• "Introducing: Dylan Levi King, Pt. 2," Loreli, 2016.