Chinese Literature Today - (CLT) 今日中国文学

The Affair: The First of the Hamlet Trilogy

By: Isaac (Shuntang) Hsu

Translated by: Tze-lan Deborah Sang and Isaac (Shuntang) Hsu

Abstract

“The Affair,” by Isaac (Shuntang) Hsu, is the recipient of the 1988 top China Times ScienceFiction Award in Taiwan. Among Taiwanese sci-fi fans and critics, Isaac Hsu is known as the only author whose work contributed to the golden era of sci-fi literature in Taiwan and who is still active today. He is especially acclaimed for creating fictional universes based on concrete scientific theories and rigorous speculations. “The Affair” is a short story that deals with poignant questions of morality and humanity raised by the development of artificial intelligence. The underlying concept of the story strongly resonates with that of Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics.” Daneel Lynn, a well-known Taiwanese sci-fi critic, has remarked that Hsu is the only Taiwanese writer who has produced sci-fi stories that are in close agreement with Asimov’s Robots series. He has even observed that “The Affair” presented a concept very similar to Asimov’s Zeroth Law of Robotics no later than Asimovhimself did. “The Affair” is the first story in Hsu’s Hamlet Trilogy, which explores the concept of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité as it pertains to the interactions between humans and artificial intelligence. The final story in the trilogy, “The Farewell of Roba,” has recently appeared in Hsu’s new sci-fi collection, Puppet Blood and Other Stories (Kuilei xielei ji qita gushi) from Gaea Books Co., Ltd.

! Are you a doctor, Uncle?

? Yes, indeed. Or did you think I was a vet?

! What is a vet?

? A vet is an animal doctor.

! What kind of animal is an animal doctor?

? A tarsier? Haha!

! So are you really the doc to check on me?

? Sure. Can’t you recognize me? Little Hamlet?

! Yes, I recognize you, Doc, but Father told me to be extremely careful. Nowadays you can’t be sure that someone is still doing the same job unless they show you the proof.

? So did I pass?

! Yes! Tarsier is the latest answer!

? All right. You kids are getting suspicious these days. May I start?

! Yes, you may.

? Does this hurt? What about this?

! It doesn’t hurt anywhere, Doc. I don’t think my illnessnis a physical one.

? Are you telling me kids like you could have a psychological problem, too?

! More precisely a conceptual problem I think.

? This is not the area of my expertise but go ahead. Tell me about it. I will try my best.

! Uncle Claudius has been asking Mom out frequently . . .

Floating Life: Beloved Wife, Part 2

By: Dung Kai-Cheung

Translated by: Andrea Lingenfelter

Abstract

This excerpt is Part Two of Hong Kong novelist Dung Kai-Cheung’s 2018 novel Beloved Wife. Part One is told from the point of view of Seh Zi Yin, a university professor, and begins with Seh seeing off his wife, Lung Yuk Man, at the airport as she begins a sabbatical year at Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Part One describes Seh’s life in his wife’s absence, including his encounters with a mysterious foreigner who is researching technology that will allow for the duplication, uploading, storage, and downloading of human consciousness. Part Two, composed entirely of dialogue between Seh and his wife, turns Seh’s world on its head. Dung’s novel, inspired in part by Ghost in the Shell, is at once the story of a marriage and a philosophical exploration of what it means to be human

Translator’s Introduction
The following excerpt, the second and final section of Dung Kai-Cheung’s 2018 novel Beloved Wife, is made up entirely of dialogue between a married couple, Seh Zi Yin and Lung Yuk Man. They call each other by their nicknames, Dai Seh (“Big Snake”) and Siu Lung (“Little Dragon”). Seh’s last name sounds like “snake,” and Siu Lung’s last name means “dragon.” This results in a lot of bantering wordplay between the couple, which is supplemented with playful references to animals of the Chinese zodiac. The sense that these two characters are serious and yet not too serious is further conveyed by the stuffed animals on the bed, a reference to “The Hedgehog and the Fox,” an essay (and later a book) by the philosopher Isaiah Berlin.

Where am I?

There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re here with me.

Is this Siu Lung?

Yes, Dai Seh, it’s me.

Where are we? Why is it pitch black? Why can’t I see anything?

Don’t worry, this is only temporary. You’ll be able to see very soon.

Where are you? I can hear you, but I can’t touch you.

Do you have any sense of touch?

Let me see . . . I do, partially, in my hands . . . I can also feel my feet, but I can’t move.

That’s okay, give it time.

Will you touch me?

Okay. Can you feel it? This is my hand.