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Interviewing Ye Zhi-wei (Translation Practice)
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Interviewing Ye Zhi-wei
Written by Tommy Tse
(An article in Fe/male Bodies, a bookazine on body/gender/sexuality)
"When adapting a piece of art, whether it is into a novel or television drama, if the adaptation is a failure, it may send out some misleading messages. If this show is done poorly, if it fails artistically, if it doesn't move people, or if it exaggerates, denigrate or glorify the images of gay people or make them unrealistic, I think it will actually lead to more misunderstandings and controversy about the gay issue in society."
- Pai Hsien-yung, Before and after Crystal Boys - Pai Hsien-yung's Lecture on Homosexuality at Fu Dan University on 25 November 2004
"The ending of my third novel Perhaps, Love wasn't the happily-ever-after version we have now – I have discussed long and hard with Chet Lam – in the end I felt it's sad enough to be a gay man in Hong Kong. Why can't I give it a happy ending and let people have a bit more hope for being gay?"
"The footnotes in my novels are very popular? Did you know I only wrote so many footnotes because I was short on words...?"
"When have gay men become so open? We are putting our head shots, chest shots, stomach shots online, in Fridae, Face-Rice and Friendster and we slot ourselves into categories like 1 (top) or 0 (bottom). It makes us look so cheap."
- Ye Zhi-wei
Ye Zhi-wei's series of gay novels Suddenly Single, Tales of Party Animals Vol.1 - Almost Perfect and Tales of Party Animals Vol.2 – Perhaps, Love tells the stories of gay men and women in Hong Kong. The Cantonese used in the novels may give an impression of low art or even pulp fiction but people who have read the books cannot deny that Ye's novels not only help "outsiders" have a deeper understanding about members of the gay community, they also bring a smile to the "members". More importantly, Ye didn't glorify or denigrate gay lifestyle but rather told these stories with wit. They have an authenticity which academic papers cannot compare to.
As a self-proclaimed "second-generation out gay man since decriminalization of homosexuality", Ye Zhi-wei looks at the world from a cool distance. He can often criticize and satirize sharply things that are so-called "gay" culture, especially traditional stereotypes. Who needs to draw a rigid line between top and bottom? Why do we need to see 1/0 as though they are two opposing sides in a war? Why can't gay men be versatile or not into anal sex? In Perhaps, Love Ye even ventured into "alien territory". Through two lesbians discussing moustache tattoos and breast-binding, he sketched the Tomboy / Tomboy Girl phenomenon in lesbian culture and their trials and tribulations in gender imitation.
His novels are about the real lives of gay people. In his stories, we can see tomboys making love clothed, diverse man-man-man love triangles, and the love and care in "friendmilies"of gay men, lesbians and faghags, as well as different kinds of love in the gay community: combining platonic love and erotic love in open relationships, fishing for sex and fast love in saunas, buying love in Shenzhen, etc. We can see the similarities and differences between the life, love and sex of gay and straight people. Some might say these stories are wild and "abnormal". But who can say what is "normal"?
Ye didn't try to moralize homosexuality. Sex is not a taboo in his stories. There are detailed sex scenes and naked depiction of the sexual desire of his characters, posing very powerful questions and criticisms about family, traditional moral values and the absoluteness and complementariness of the male and female genders... a lot of philosophical questions.
Ye wrote in Cantonese. His sharp, witty writing enables the stories to delve deep into the culture, daily life, living environment and psyche of present-day gay men and lesbians in Hong Kong. At times jovial, at times sarcastic, his novels are an exemplary literary work reflecting Hong Kong culture. Reading Ye Zhi-wei's novels is like reading Wyman Wong's lyrics. You'll have even more respect for Cantonese and learn to take gay culture more seriously.
If you must stick to a rigid distinction between high and low culture and language, if you must think it is improper to write in Cantonese, if you must think gay culture is devious, you'll only get more and more shallow and turn your heart into stone.
We had hoped to have a photo of Ye so that our readers can get to know him more. But he said:
"Sorry ar! I don't want my photo published.
When I cruise in the saunas, I don't want people to come up and say, 'Your novels suck.'"
Interviewing Ye Zhi-wei
Written by Tommy Tse
(An article in Fe/male Bodies, a bookazine on body/gender/sexuality)
"When adapting a piece of art, whether it is into a novel or television drama, if the adaptation is a failure, it may send out some misleading messages. If this show is done poorly, if it fails artistically, if it doesn't move people, or if it exaggerates, denigrate or glorify the images of gay people or make them unrealistic, I think it will actually lead to more misunderstandings and controversy about the gay issue in society."
- Pai Hsien-yung, Before and after Crystal Boys - Pai Hsien-yung's Lecture on Homosexuality at Fu Dan University on 25 November 2004
"The ending of my third novel Perhaps, Love wasn't the happily-ever-after version we have now – I have discussed long and hard with Chet Lam – in the end I felt it's sad enough to be a gay man in Hong Kong. Why can't I give it a happy ending and let people have a bit more hope for being gay?"
"The footnotes in my novels are very popular? Did you know I only wrote so many footnotes because I was short on words...?"
"When have gay men become so open? We are putting our head shots, chest shots, stomach shots online, in Fridae, Face-Rice and Friendster and we slot ourselves into categories like 1 (top) or 0 (bottom). It makes us look so cheap."
- Ye Zhi-wei
Ye Zhi-wei's series of gay novels Suddenly Single, Tales of Party Animals Vol.1 - Almost Perfect and Tales of Party Animals Vol.2 – Perhaps, Love tells the stories of gay men and women in Hong Kong. The Cantonese used in the novels may give an impression of low art or even pulp fiction but people who have read the books cannot deny that Ye's novels not only help "outsiders" have a deeper understanding about members of the gay community, they also bring a smile to the "members". More importantly, Ye didn't glorify or denigrate gay lifestyle but rather told these stories with wit. They have an authenticity which academic papers cannot compare to.
As a self-proclaimed "second-generation out gay man since decriminalization of homosexuality", Ye Zhi-wei looks at the world from a cool distance. He can often criticize and satirize sharply things that are so-called "gay" culture, especially traditional stereotypes. Who needs to draw a rigid line between top and bottom? Why do we need to see 1/0 as though they are two opposing sides in a war? Why can't gay men be versatile or not into anal sex? In Perhaps, Love Ye even ventured into "alien territory". Through two lesbians discussing moustache tattoos and breast-binding, he sketched the Tomboy / Tomboy Girl phenomenon in lesbian culture and their trials and tribulations in gender imitation.
His novels are about the real lives of gay people. In his stories, we can see tomboys making love clothed, diverse man-man-man love triangles, and the love and care in "friendmilies"of gay men, lesbians and faghags, as well as different kinds of love in the gay community: combining platonic love and erotic love in open relationships, fishing for sex and fast love in saunas, buying love in Shenzhen, etc. We can see the similarities and differences between the life, love and sex of gay and straight people. Some might say these stories are wild and "abnormal". But who can say what is "normal"?
Ye didn't try to moralize homosexuality. Sex is not a taboo in his stories. There are detailed sex scenes and naked depiction of the sexual desire of his characters, posing very powerful questions and criticisms about family, traditional moral values and the absoluteness and complementariness of the male and female genders... a lot of philosophical questions.
Ye wrote in Cantonese. His sharp, witty writing enables the stories to delve deep into the culture, daily life, living environment and psyche of present-day gay men and lesbians in Hong Kong. At times jovial, at times sarcastic, his novels are an exemplary literary work reflecting Hong Kong culture. Reading Ye Zhi-wei's novels is like reading Wyman Wong's lyrics. You'll have even more respect for Cantonese and learn to take gay culture more seriously.
If you must stick to a rigid distinction between high and low culture and language, if you must think it is improper to write in Cantonese, if you must think gay culture is devious, you'll only get more and more shallow and turn your heart into stone.
We had hoped to have a photo of Ye so that our readers can get to know him more. But he said:
"Sorry ar! I don't want my photo published.
When I cruise in the saunas, I don't want people to come up and say, 'Your novels suck.'"