Husluman Vava (1958-2007), was born in the Indigenous Bunun village of Takimi (Longquan), Taitung County in southeastern Taiwan. As a university student he studied the myths and legends of his people. Then, as a school teacher in a Bunun community, he participated in many traditional cultural activities. His early writing explores traditional Bunun culture and mythology, while in his later work he takes a greater interest in cultural and religious values.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Terence Russell is senior scholar of Chinese in the Asian Studies Centre at the University of Manitoba. He received his PhD in classical Chinese from Australian National University and his BA and MA in Chinese from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Russell has translated the works of numerous Indigenous and ethnic Chinese writers. He also has rendered two full-length novels by the Shandong writer Zhang Wei: September Fable [Jiuyue yuyan] and Seven Kinds of Mushrooms [Mogu qizhong]. He is currently coeditor of Taiwan Literature: English Translation Series.
