Over the course of the twentieth century, Mongolian life was transformed, as a land of nomadic communities encountered first socialism and then capitalism and their promises of new societies. The stories collected in this anthology offer literary snapshots of Mongolian life throughout this tumult. Suncranes and Other Stories showcases a range of powerful voices and their vivid portraits of nomads, revolution, and the endless steppe.
Spanning the years following the socialist revolution of 1921 through the early twenty-first century, these stories from the country’s most highly regarded prose writers show how Mongolian culture has forged links between the traditional and the modern. Writers employ a wide range of styles, from Aesopian fables through socialist realism to more experimental forms, influenced by folktales and epics as well as Western prose models. They depict the drama of a nomadic population struggling to understand a new approach to life imposed by a foreign power while at the same time benefiting from reforms, whether in the capital city Ulaanbaatar or on the steppe. Across the mix of stories, Mongolia’s majestic landscape and the people’s deep connection to it come through vividly. For all English-speaking readers curious about Mongolia’s people and culture, Simon Wickhamsmith’s translations make available this captivating literary tradition and its rich portrayals of the natural and social worlds.
Table of Content
Introduction
A Note on Mongolian Names
1. Something Wonderful, by S. Buyannemeh
2. The Shelducks, by D. Chimid
3. Dark Cliffs, by D. Natsagdorj
4. Things That Had Never Been Seen, by D. Natsagdorj
5. The Young Couple, by M. Yadamsüren
6. What Changed Soli, by Ts. Damdinsüren
7. Two White Things, by Ts. Damdinsüren
8. The Morning of the First, by Ts. Ulambayar
9. The Saiga, by Ch. Lodoidamba
10. A Great Mystery, by O. Tsend
11. Bunia Takes Wing, by B. Rinchen
12. Waiting for What He Has Lost, by D. Namdag
13. The Green-painted Car, by Ts. Ulambayar
14. Images from a Single Day, by B. Baast
15. Blue as Water, by P. Luvsantseren
16. He Came with a Spare Horse, by S. Udval
17. Suncranes, by S. Erdene
18. The Cricket, by S. Dashdoorov
19. The Wolf’s Lair, by D. Garmaa
20. The Ballad of the Unweaned Camel, by G. Mend-Ooyo
21. Hulan, by S. Erdene
22. Heaven’s Daughter, by Ch. Galsan
23. Raul and Raul, by L. Ölziitögs
24. Everything, by S. Anudar
25. Room for Rent, by H. Bolor-Erdene
26. Wings, by P. Bathuyag
27. The Composer, by M. Uyansüh
Glossary
Notes on the Stories
Acknowledgments
About the author
Simon Wickhamsmith teaches in the writing and Asian studies programs at Rutgers University. He is the translator of Tseveendorjin Oidov’s
The End of the Dark Era (2015).
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