Vertical Motion

Translators’ Acknowledgments

We thank Bradford Morrow, editor of Conjunctions, for publishing three of the stories included in this volume: “An Affectionate Companion’s Jottings” (No. 47, fall 2006); “Moonlight Dance” (No. 50, spring 2008); and “Rainscape” (No. 53, fall 2009). We also thank Heide Hatry for including “The Roses at the Hospital” in her book Heads and Tales (New York: Charta Art Books, 2009).

All of the other pieces appear here for the first time in English. We are grateful to Can Xue for graciously making available two stories that have not yet been published in Chinese, “Vertical Motion” and “Papercuts.” We have worked with Can Xue for nearly ten years, and our association with her is one that we treasure.

We also wish to thank Open Letter’s Chad W. Post and E.J. Van Lanen for their enthusiastic response to our submission of this book. We greatly appreciate E.J. Van Lanen’s skill in editing this manuscript. He made light use of the blue pencil, and we’re grateful for his helpful revisions and queries. We thank him, too, for his stunning cover design, and we thank N. J. Furl for the attractive interior book design.

Translating takes time from those who are central to our lives. Chen Zeping thanks his wife Weng Zhongyu and Karen Gernant thanks Louis Roemer for their understanding and patience.