Even before the Time Era, longevity was a problem. Unevenly distributed as it was, it provided a rather accurate reflection of social, racial and economic inequalities.
Avant même l’ère du temps, la question de la longévité était un problème. Mal distribuée, elle reflétait assez justement les inégalités sociales, raciales et économiques dans le monde.
I was conceived by a carpenter with quivering hands in the back of a lumberyard. She was called Anatólia. Some days she had to fix flaws, sawing one or two parts of me again. On other days she hurled chunks of me against the wall, screaming at the bashful furniture she’d built, lined against the far wall.
Nasci de uma carpinteira com mãos trêmulas nos fundos de uma serraria. Seu nome era Anatólia. Havia dias em que ela serrava alguma parte de meu corpo para consertar alguma falha. Em outros, arremessava meus pedaços contra a parede, esbravejando para a mobília tímida que ela mesma construíra.
I’d been told this story about half a year earlier by some fellow medical interns. One of their China Medical University classmates had experienced something strange at the school’s Peikang campus. Back when she lived in an allocated dormitory, this student would often hear a loud, crisp bell ringing late at night.
Three people share the same bed without knowing each other. For the purpose of this story, each one of them exists for only eight hours a day. Miss A between midnight and eight in the morning. Mr. B from eight to four pm. And Miss C starting from four in the morning until midnight.
Tres personas comparten la misma cama sin conocerse. Para esta historia cada una de ellas existe solo ocho horas al día. La Srta. A. entre la medianoche y las ocho de la mañana. El Sr. B. de ocho a dieciséis. Y la Srta. C. a partir de las cuatro de la tarde hasta la medianoche.
Balthasar navigated the vélocipède around a hole in the road as he cycled past Miss Edith’s house. He concentrated hard on not looking at the curtained windows for a glimpse of her silhouette. The big wheel wobbled as he oversteered.
We're excited to be joined on the blog by Azrin Fauzi and Ali Aiman Mazwin, to talk about their story and translation, 'Panorama People'/ 'Orang Panorama', which was featured in our 25 April, 2022 issue. This beautiful story about the mutability of art and perception really rewards deeper reading, so we hope you enjoy this discussion!
