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kate_nepveuMy Tweets for this panel were 50% despair at being unable to catch the names of things, as I said in the prior placeholder version of the post. However! Robert Killheffer put together this very thorough list, with links, of stuff mentioned at the panel, and gave me permission to share it! I have tried to revise my panel notes into something with minimal overlap with the document, so please do consult both.
S.A. Chakraborty, Haris Durrani, Robert Killheffer, Darcie Little Badger, Susan Matthews (leader)
Discussions of "genre classics" tend to focus mainly on modern Western works. This panel will discuss proto-genre narratives from antiquity and the pre-modern and early modern era in the world beyond Western Europe, including not only myths and legends but early authored works such as the Hamzanama (The Adventures of Amir Hamza), the Baital Pachisi (Vikram and the Vampire), and Fengshen Yanyi (The Creation of the Gods).
Susan starts panel by telling story of Ganesh breaking off tusk to write. Tells story about friend of different background, watching 13th Warrior. Susan all excited watching movie, spotting references, but friend was, okaaay, missing out full-frontal geekery b/c wasn't familiar with Beowulf. Susan says, likewise I am missing out, looking forward to learning.
(Haris discusses historical roots of 13th Warrior story, see Robert's list)
Haris' book is about time-traveling space demon, history, memory as time travel (unfortunately I missed a ton of what this book was about and how it related to author's personal history). (I believe this would be Technologies of the Self.)
Darcie: short stories, comics; epics from region of what's now south Texas, northern Mexico (per website, Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas). Probably (would recommend or talk about, I think) Changing Woman & twin sons, because a lot has been said about Coyote already.
S.A.: fantasy writer, missed critical context at beginning and have to hope comes back around because totally lost (I will refer now to the author's website as a partial substitute)
Robert: self-id's as white; on panel b/c interest in transmission of classical texts (I think)
Susan: asks how would you pitch some of these literatures to interested readers to draw them in?
Robert: refers back to vastness of what S.A. mentioned re: The Hamzanama. Panel chimes in re: nested nature of the stories in it.
Robert recommends Steven Moore's The Novel, see document.
SA recommends Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange; ; 10th c Iraq, could buy at market, totally batshit: treasurer hunters, etc., escapist tales: statues coming alive and fighting with swords, women turning into gazelles -- people always say, tell me about 1001 Nights, "I have something better for you"
Darcie: unique situation b/c we didn't really write things down, literature was oral tradition, "because of genocide and all," a lot lost in the original words. But stories about slaying monsters and turning them into (familiar? known?) animals. Adventurous, funny, occasionally potty jokes. Sometimes hard to find written down, talk to elders.
Haris: discusses other ways of telling history than academic. The Calling of History and Ibn Tufail, in document, came from this discussion.
Susan asks if any English language stories that would point to as expressing some flavor/taste?
Darcie: unfortunately, no, never encountered faithful adaptation. Does try to incorporate into own work -- has recent Strange Horizons story that incorporates figure of Big Owl, nemesis of Killer of Enemies (this story is GREAT, btw), tried to pull malice but also a bit of silliness in character, too.
SA: everyone says Islamic folktales = "jinn!" hate to break it, but everything written about those are wrong: don't actually have same focus, extent. Not that familiar with English language works, and is fine with that, there are works in translation and so forth (this was context for rec of Naguib Mafouz, Arabian Nights and Days).
Robert: suggests that contemporary retellings can help ease modern reader in because of different narrative expectations. (This was context for rec of Prince of Ayodhya. I also recommend Sanjay Patel's Ramayana: Divine Loophole, which is illustrated and which SteelyKid LOVED.)
ObMention of LORD OF LIGHT, generally in favorable terms, though Susan says scared to go back and reread
Question about recommended translations; this is all in the document, except that Haris mentioned particular translator; on Twitter, this is revealed to be Musharraf Ali Farooqi (NYT, Wikipedia.) (Added to doc.)
Robert notes haven't talked about African stories, again largely oral traditions; SA exist, just not talked about! Robert: yes, of course, just not reached point where major translations etc.
There, that's better. Thanks again to all the panelist, and especially Robert for compiling the list.
S.A. Chakraborty, Haris Durrani, Robert Killheffer, Darcie Little Badger, Susan Matthews (leader)
Discussions of "genre classics" tend to focus mainly on modern Western works. This panel will discuss proto-genre narratives from antiquity and the pre-modern and early modern era in the world beyond Western Europe, including not only myths and legends but early authored works such as the Hamzanama (The Adventures of Amir Hamza), the Baital Pachisi (Vikram and the Vampire), and Fengshen Yanyi (The Creation of the Gods).
Susan starts panel by telling story of Ganesh breaking off tusk to write. Tells story about friend of different background, watching 13th Warrior. Susan all excited watching movie, spotting references, but friend was, okaaay, missing out full-frontal geekery b/c wasn't familiar with Beowulf. Susan says, likewise I am missing out, looking forward to learning.
(Haris discusses historical roots of 13th Warrior story, see Robert's list)
Haris' book is about time-traveling space demon, history, memory as time travel (unfortunately I missed a ton of what this book was about and how it related to author's personal history). (I believe this would be Technologies of the Self.)
Darcie: short stories, comics; epics from region of what's now south Texas, northern Mexico (per website, Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas). Probably (would recommend or talk about, I think) Changing Woman & twin sons, because a lot has been said about Coyote already.
S.A.: fantasy writer, missed critical context at beginning and have to hope comes back around because totally lost (I will refer now to the author's website as a partial substitute)
Robert: self-id's as white; on panel b/c interest in transmission of classical texts (I think)
Susan: asks how would you pitch some of these literatures to interested readers to draw them in?
Robert: refers back to vastness of what S.A. mentioned re: The Hamzanama. Panel chimes in re: nested nature of the stories in it.
Robert recommends Steven Moore's The Novel, see document.
SA recommends Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange; ; 10th c Iraq, could buy at market, totally batshit: treasurer hunters, etc., escapist tales: statues coming alive and fighting with swords, women turning into gazelles -- people always say, tell me about 1001 Nights, "I have something better for you"
Darcie: unique situation b/c we didn't really write things down, literature was oral tradition, "because of genocide and all," a lot lost in the original words. But stories about slaying monsters and turning them into (familiar? known?) animals. Adventurous, funny, occasionally potty jokes. Sometimes hard to find written down, talk to elders.
Haris: discusses other ways of telling history than academic. The Calling of History and Ibn Tufail, in document, came from this discussion.
Susan asks if any English language stories that would point to as expressing some flavor/taste?
Darcie: unfortunately, no, never encountered faithful adaptation. Does try to incorporate into own work -- has recent Strange Horizons story that incorporates figure of Big Owl, nemesis of Killer of Enemies (this story is GREAT, btw), tried to pull malice but also a bit of silliness in character, too.
SA: everyone says Islamic folktales = "jinn!" hate to break it, but everything written about those are wrong: don't actually have same focus, extent. Not that familiar with English language works, and is fine with that, there are works in translation and so forth (this was context for rec of Naguib Mafouz, Arabian Nights and Days).
Robert: suggests that contemporary retellings can help ease modern reader in because of different narrative expectations. (This was context for rec of Prince of Ayodhya. I also recommend Sanjay Patel's Ramayana: Divine Loophole, which is illustrated and which SteelyKid LOVED.)
ObMention of LORD OF LIGHT, generally in favorable terms, though Susan says scared to go back and reread
Question about recommended translations; this is all in the document, except that Haris mentioned particular translator; on Twitter, this is revealed to be Musharraf Ali Farooqi (NYT, Wikipedia.) (Added to doc.)
Robert notes haven't talked about African stories, again largely oral traditions; SA exist, just not talked about! Robert: yes, of course, just not reached point where major translations etc.
There, that's better. Thanks again to all the panelist, and especially Robert for compiling the list.
