The problem with the book category: Asian fantasy

The problem with the book category: Asian fantasy

　　Transcript¹

　　Asian fantasy novels have been growing in popularity over the past few years but is that really the right term for this subgenre? (Story originally aired on All Things Considered on May 30, 2021.)

　　A MARTINEZ, HOST:

　　Fantasy novels can be great at transporting readers to new and magical lands, but historically, they've been less than great at reflecting diversity in the real world. In recent years, something known as Asian fantasy has grown in popularity, but in this encore presentation, reporter Kalyani Saxena wonders if that's really the best term for this subgenre.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

　　KALYANI SAXENA: When author Cindy Pon released her debut³ novel "Silver Phoenix⁴" in 2009, the term Asian fantasy was barely a twinkle in the publishing industry's eye. Pon says the Chinese-inspired "Silver Phoenix" was the first young adult Asian fantasy novel, but being a trailblazer did her no favors.

　　CINDY PON: The fact that it was Asian fantasy, I think, made publishers feel like it was niche⁵, you know, like that it's only targeted to a certain audience. In retrospect⁶, I do think that it kind of got lost in a very big way.

　　SAXENA: Debuting⁷ during the Great Recession was hard for most authors, but according to Pon, publishers blame "Silver Phoenix's" lackluster reception on its Asianness. And while the label Asian fantasy has become a popular marketing⁸ tool in the decades since, authors are still grappling with whether that's actually a helpful niche. For Rebecca Kuang, author of "The Poppy War" trilogy, the term Asian is reductive.

　　REBECCA KUANG: Obviously, like, there are a lot of different things that fall under the subcategory of Asian, including East Asian, including South Asian, Southeast Asian - right? - like, Pacific Islander. So when we call works just blanket Asian, that belies⁹ an entire world of difference.

　　SAXENA: Fonda Lee, author of "The Green Bone Saga," says the term Asian fantasy makes about as much sense as the term Asian food.

　　FONDA LEE: It's useful insofar as it delineates a broad category of things that you could define as being different from the Western normative, but also isn't particularly helpful because it doesn't tell you anything about whether you're eating sushi or samosas¹⁰.

　　SAXENA: But some authors do embrace the term Asian fantasy.

　　ROSHANI CHOKSHI: While I do agree that it erases¹¹ a lot of nuance¹², the important thing to me is just that readers are able to find these stories.

　　SAXENA: That's Roshani Chokshi, the author of "The Star-Touched Queen," a duology inspired by Hindu mythology¹³. She says that allowing books to be grouped under the Asian fantasy umbrella might give them better placement in bookstores and give readers a better chance at finding diverse fantasy. But even those authors who think the term Asian fantasy is helpful say they'd eventually like to see the publishing industry market Asian authors differently.

　　So what does that look like? Well, for some, that means breaking down the Asian fantasy category into more specific and accurate labeling. For others, like Tasha Suri, author of "Empire Of Sand," it means seeing fantasy novels marketed based on content rather than culture.

　　TASHA SURI: I often think it's more meaningful for me to tell people that my fantasy writing focuses on women and has a large level of romance and yearning¹⁴ because that will make it reach the correct audience than it is for me to say that it's Indian fantasy.

　　SAXENA: As for Cindy Pon, who's been with the genre² from the very beginning...

　　PON: I'd like to see a future where, you know, white librarians in Iowa won't be like, well, I have the one, you know, Asian kid, and I can't be acquiring these books. And that's the best way to learn and be empathetic, you know, and learn about other people and other cultures. So why wouldn't you acquire broadly for - you know, from every population? And so that is what I hope for.

　　SAXENA: For NPR News, I'm Kalyani Saxena in Boston.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

3 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

4 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

5 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

6 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

7 debuting   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• New debuting analog thermostat welding machine, easy to operate. 新登场模拟式调温电焊台，操作简单。
• With the new tablet device that is debuting next week, Apple Inc. 苹果公司的新型平板电脑将于下周发布。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 belies   

v.掩饰( belie的第三人称单数 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎

参考例句：

• His appearance belies him. 他的外貌给人以假象。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The modesty of their home belies their great wealth. 他们简朴的家使人们看不出他们拥有巨额财富。 来自辞典例句

10 samosas   

n.萨莫萨三角饺( samosa的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The food will be samosas, chicken curry and rice, and naan bread. 食品将是五香三角菜饺，咖喱鸡肉饭和印度飞饼。 来自互联网
• A: How about some vegetable samosas to start and today's special chicken curry? 甲：那么先尝一尝蔬菜炸馅角然后再试‘日精选-咖哩鸡’好不好？ 来自互联网

11 erases   

v.擦掉( erase的第三人称单数 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• This command erases all data on the specified partition. 这指令在指定的分区上抹去所有的数据。 来自互联网
• A literary image erases the more indolent images of perception. 文学意象抹除那些感官的懒惰意象。 来自互联网

12 nuance   

n.(意义、意见、颜色)细微差别

参考例句：

• These users will easily learn each nuance of the applications they use.这些用户会很快了解他们所使用程序的每一细微差别。
• I wish I hadn't become so conscious of every little nuance.我希望我不要变得这样去思索一切琐碎之事。

13 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

14 yearning   

a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的

参考例句：

• a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往
• He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。