Translator's Acknowledgments

Following his release from a Chinese prison, Liao Yiwu asked a blind fortune-teller to forecast his future. The fortune-teller felt around Liao's face, inquired the date and time of his birth, and told Liao that his future would start to look promising because he would be assisted and blessed by several guiren, or noblemen.

Translating and bringing Liao's works to English readers has certainly proved the wisdom of that fortune-teller. The Corpse Walker: Real-Life Stories, China from the Bottom Up wouldn't have been possible without noblemen and noblewomen.

My gratitude goes to Philip Gourevitch and his editorial staff at The Paris Review who first introduced Liao's works to the West by publishing three excerpts in their magazine. Philip's unwavering confidence in Liao's works and his enthusiastic support motivated and helped me get to where we are today.

I owe a special gratitude to Esther Allen at the PEN Translation Fund for discovering Liao's works and jump-starting my career as a translator. I want to thank Sarah Chalfant for her generous support.

Liao's friend Kang Zhengguo deserves a special note. As a volunteer “agent,” Kang has diligently looked after Liao's interests overseas and served as a conduit between Liao and the outside world. I also want to express my admiration for Chen Maiping and Cai Chu at the Independent Chinese PEN Center for tirelessly championing Liao's works abroad and for courageously promoting freedom of speech in China.

My friends Doug Merwin, Professor Robert Crowley, Monica Eng, Carolyn Alessio, Bill Brown, Liang Xiaoyan, Chen Xiaoping, and Zhou Zhonglin have helped me a great deal in getting the book off the ground. Professor Crowley meticulously read the first draft of every translated story and offered valuable editorial suggestions.

Both Liao and I are very lucky to have Peter Bernstein as our agent. I found Peter at a very challenging time in my career. With a reassuring and easily accessible style, Peter patiently helped me navigate the publishing process.

Last and most important, I want to express my gratitude, on behalf of Liao, to our editor, Erroll McDonald, for granting us the flexibility and creative freedom we needed in the translation process, and to Lily Evans and Robin Reardon for moving the process along smoothly.