Craig A. Smith

Introduction

Craig A. Smith is Senior Lecturer of Translation Studies at the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute. He is a historian of modern East Asia and an avid translator. Craig acquired an MA in Taiwan Literature from National Chung Cheng University in 2010 and a PhD in History from University of British Columbia in 2014. He has translated fiction by Tungfang Po, Yeh Shih-tao, and Chen Yao-chang and is the author of "Chinese Asianism" (Harvard University Asia Center, 2021). The Chinese translation of "Chinese Asianism" will be published with Commercial Press in January, 2025.

Resident planning

While at the Taiwan Literature Base, I will study and translate the bilingual work of Ono Mamoru (1884-1965), better known by the penname Ono Seishyu. During his long career as an interpreter / translator in colonial Taiwan, Ono also created a few fascinating literary works. In 1914, Ono published the short story 'Koi no Ra Fukuboshi' in the journal "Goen" using the penname Sōan. Although he wrote the narrative in Japanese, he wrote the dialogue in Hokkien Taiwanese using Japanese kana. These 21 pages provide a wonderful inter-Asia narrative by a unique inter-Asia author. Translating this story and publishing it with an introduction of comparable length will show the potential for seeing Taiwan as a hub for inter-Asia multilingualism.