Masters of Sleep Launch Party with Jianan Qian, Alyssa Asquith & Na Zhong

Come celebrate the launch of Masters of Sleep and Other Stories!

Accent Editions is delighted to celebrate the publication of Masters of Sleep and Other Stories by Zhu Yue. Please join translators Jianan Qian and Alyssa Asquith, along with editor Na Zhong, for an evening of conversation exploring Zhu Yue's uncanny, witty, and unforgettable fiction. Together, they will discuss the collaborative process of translation, the book's literary world, and what it means to bring one of China's most distinctive contemporary voices to English-language readers. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Originally published in China in 2010, Zhu's stories take the reader on a mind-bending, wildly imaginative journey where eccentric and magical characters embark on quests, confront paradoxes, travel to distant planets, master esoteric arts, fall in love, and escape death.

A gloriously innovative and versatile writer, Zhu Yue playfully interrogates many so-called "Western" ideals and values: 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? And 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's widely known for an experimental, surreal style — crafting stories that contain seemingly infinite worlds and possibilities.

In a literary culture where most established writers belong to state-sponsored Writers' Associations, Zhu remains a rare outsider, receiving no institutional support or recognition. Despite this, his work has attracted a cult following in China. Trained as a lawyer and later an editor, he is also a published philosophy scholar.

To date, he has published five story collections: The Bleary-Eyed Traveler (2006), Masters of Sleep (2010), Chaos of Fiction (2015), Running Wild (2021), and The Sea of Imagination (2024).

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