''Asymptote'' is a Taiwan-based online

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evalu ...

dedicated to translations of world literature, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama, mostly to English, but also to other languages. Reviews, interviews, blogs, visual arts and audiovisual materials are also found on the website; issues are released four times a year. As of July, 2018, ''Asymptote'' had published work translated from 100 language by writers from 117 different countries. Writers such as

Mary Gaitskill Mary Gaitskill (born November 11, 1954) is an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. Her work has appeared in ''The New Yorker'', ''Harper's Magazine'', ''Esquire'', ''The Best American Short Stories'' (1993, 2006, 2012, 2020), and ...

Jose Saramago Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of ...

J.M. Coetzee John Maxwell Coetzee OMG (born 9 February 1940) is a South African–Australian novelist, essayist, linguist, translator and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is one of the most critically acclaimed and decorated authors in t ...

Junot Diaz Junot is a French name that may refer to the following notable people: ;Given name *Junot Díaz (born 1968), Dominican American ;Surname *Laure Junot, Duchess of Abrantes (1784–1838), French writer *Jean-Andoche Junot Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st ...

Yann Martel Yann Martel, (born 25 June 1963) is a Canadian author who wrote the Man Booker Prize–winning novel '' Life of Pi'', an international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and spen ...

, and

Mo Yan Guan Moye (; born 17 February 1955), better known by the pen name Mo Yan (, ), is a Chinese novelist and short story writer. Donald Morrison of U.S. news magazine ''TIME'' referred to him as "one of the most famous, oft-banned and widely pirat ...

have appeared in the magazine. The magazine was established in 2011 by the Taipei-based Singaporean writer Lee Yew Leong, who is the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

. Lee said in 2011, "We operate differently from other translation journals in that we don't just sit back and wait for translations to come to us. We actually identify the good work from writers

hat haven't yet been introduced to the English-speaking world A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

and actively seek out translators to help to translate the work for us." In 2016, ''Asymptote'' celebrated its fifth anniversary with public events held in New York, London, Ottawa, and Chicago.

Awards

In 2015, the magazine received the International Literary Translation Initiative Award, one of a dozen awards given yearly by the

London Book Fair The London Book Fair (LBF) is a large book-publishing trade fair held annually, usually in April, in London, England. LBF is a global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and di ...

References

External links

* 2011 establishments in Singapore English-language magazines Literary translation magazines Magazines established in 2011 Online literary magazines Quarterly magazines Magazines published in Singapore Literary translation websites {{lit-mag-stub