ANMLY #25 :: Speculative Fiction in Translation by Women

The richness and diversity of speculative fiction in translation (SFT) is evident, if you know where to look. Published by literary magazines, science fiction magazines, mainstream presses, and others, SFT often flies under the radar, despite the fact that it is an important part of the speculative fiction universe. And while much speculative fiction is written in English or translated from English into other languages, an ever-increasing number of stories and novels that fall under the speculative fiction umbrella are being brought into the English language. Thanks to translators seeking to bring fascinating stories to readers, publishers willing to take risks, and readers who champion these works, SFT has been growing in popularity over the last few years. And for good reason. From the multi-volume space-opera Legend of the Galactic Heroes from Japan, to anthologies of Tamil pulp fiction, to new translations of Jules Verne, SFT draws in readers interested in stories from new perspectives and non-English languages that challenge their understanding of “reality.”

And yet, like the publishing world as a whole, the world of SFT is often dominated by male authors. It is my hope, then, that this special folio will highlight some of the best female authors writing speculative fiction in languages other than English. The variety of stories and styles here is breathtaking: an apocalyptic event traps several friends in an underground bunker for years; an image formed in frost assumes human form; an alien musical instrument threatens to destroy the Earth; a woman slays a dragon in order to become a goddess. These are just some of the stories you’ll read here, and they’ll leave you wanting more from these talented, creative artists that hail from Italy, China, France, and beyond.

So I’d like to say thank you to the translators who brought these stories into English and sent them to me for publication in this folio; thank you to the authors for sharing these stories; thank you to Drunken Boat/Anomaly for publishing this special folio; and thank you to Rachel Hildebrandt for making this folio possible in the first place.
 

Rachel Cordasco
August 2017

After earning her doctorate in literary studies, Rachel Cordasco taught literature and composition, and currently works as an editorial assistant at the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. She also writes essays and reviews, and contributes to Book Riot, Tor.comStrange HorizonsWorld Literature Today, and other publications. In 2016, Rachel started SFinTranslation.com, which tracks all speculative fiction available in English, and she’s recently started translating Italian speculative fiction. You can follow her on Twitter @Rcordas, and on the SF in Translation Facebook page.