Suncranes and Other Stories: Modern Mongolian Short Fiction

Over the course of the twentieth century, Mongolian life was transformed, as a land of nomadic communities encountered first socialism and then capitalism and their promises of new societies. The stories collected in this anthology offer literary snapshots of Mongolian life throughout this tumult. Suncranes and Other Stories showcases a range of powerful voices and their vivid portraits of nomads, revolution, and the endless steppe. Spanning the years following the socialist revolution of 1921 through the early twenty-first century, these stories from the country’s most highly regarded prose writers show how Mongolian culture has forged links between the traditional and the modern. Writers employ a wide range of styles, from Aesopian fables through socialist realism to more experimental forms, influenced by folktales and epics as well as Western prose models. They depict the drama of a nomadic population struggling to understand a new approach to life imposed by a foreign power while at the same time benefiting from reforms, whether in the capital city Ulaanbaatar or on the steppe. Across the mix of stories, Mongolia’s majestic landscape and the people’s deep connection to it come through vividly. For all English-speaking readers curious about Mongolia’s people and culture, Simon Wickhamsmith’s translations make available this captivating literary tradition and its rich portrayals of the natural and social worlds.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 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

About the Author :
Simon Wickhamsmith teaches in the writing and Asian studies programs at Rutgers University. He is the translator of Tseveendorjin Oidov’s The End of the Dark Era (2015).

Review :
Simon 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. 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. This 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. Can 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. 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. A fascinating introduction to Mongolia’s literature. Together with the helpful short glossary and notes on the stories and the authors provided at the end of the book, Suncranes makes an excellent introduction to modern Mongolian literature.