Masters of Sleep Discussion with Yellow Peril Books

🎉 Come celebrate the launch of Masters of Sleep and Other Stories! 📚
Accent Editions is thrilled to mark the publication of Masters of Sleep and Other Stories by Zhu Yue. Join translators Jianan Qian and Alyssa Asquith for an engaging evening of conversation that delves into Zhu Yue's uncanny, witty, and memorable fiction.
During the discussion, they will cover:

• The collaborative translation process
• The literary world of the book
• Bringing one of China's distinctive contemporary voices to English-language readers
  Following the conversation, there will be a Q&A session and a book signing. ✍️

Originally published in China in 2010, Zhu's stories take readers on a mind-bending, wildly imaginative journey featuring eccentric and magical characters on quests, confronting paradoxes, traveling to distant planets, mastering esoteric arts, falling in love, and escaping death.

Zhu Yue is known for playfully interrogating what are often considered "Western" ideals and values. Some of the questions he explores include:

• What is the value of invention if it has no practical use?
• How much of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice for wealth and greatness?
• To what extent is a person's physical existence a sufficient expression of their individuality?

Who is Zhu Yue?

Born in 1977 in Beijing, Zhu Yue began writing fiction in 2004. Influenced by Ludwig Wittgenstein and Richard Brautigan, he is recognized for his experimental and surreal storytelling style, creating narratives filled with seemingly infinite worlds and possibilities.
In a literary landscape where most established writers belong to state-sponsored Writers' Associations, Zhu remains a rare outsider, without institutional support or recognition. Nevertheless, his work has garnered a cult following in China. With a background in law and editing, he is also a published philosophy scholar.

Zhu Yue has published five story collections to date:

• The Bleary-Eyed Traveler (2006)
• Masters of Sleep (2010)
• Chaos of Fiction (2015)
• Running Wild (2021)
• The Sea of Imagination (2024)

You can order Masters of Sleep by Zhu Yue (Accent Editions, 2026), translated by Jianan Qian and Alyssa Asquith, at Accent Sisters — available online and in person!

📍 Location: Little Pine 小松家宴, 125 Division St, New York, NY 10002, USA
🔗 Purchase Tickets Here — the organizer requests advance RSVPs for this event.