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The Art and Craft of Asian Stories: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology
Robin Hemley and Xu Xi, eds. 2021. Bloomsbury Academic. [ISBN 978-1-350-07654-9. 268 pages, including index. US$37.95 (softcover).]

By Geoffrey Hart

Previously published as: Hart, G. 2022. Book review: The Art and Craft of Asian Stories: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology. Technical Communication 69(3):95.

Many STC members also write fiction, and like most writers, eagerly seek new insights into their craft and new techniques. In The Art and Craft of Asian Stories: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology, editors Robin Hemley and Xu Xi gather 24 broadly representative stories from India to Japan and throughout the Asian diaspora. The chosen stories have no uniquely Asian story structure or style; on the contrary, they reveal how strongly human concerns and modes of expression span cultures. Nonetheless, Asian cultures emerge clearly from each story’s characters, context, and details.

Hemley and Xu’s goal is to teach new techniques we can try: “Our aim is to widen the field of models for students of any background from any country” (p. 1). Rather than grouping stories based on micro-scale features such as dialog or plot, they treat each story as an organic whole, in which all parts work together. Examining parts (dialogue) in isolation would lose the synergies that make a story work.

The stories have diverse styles, so (as I did) you’re bound to find several you really enjoy. They’re grouped into 11 themes, from “family” to “invaders”. Because the anthology’s goal is to teach new ways to think, Hemley and Xu encourage us to consider the stories “not as literary critics but as fellow writers trying to understand how to bring the reader most fully into the experience” (p. 16). There’s abundant excellent writing advice, illustrated well by the companion story. Unfortunately, the authors occasionally throw up their hands and refuse to explain an authorial choice that seems purposeless, leaving us to figure it out. That might be justified in a different kind of book, but not in one intended to explicate why writers make specific choices.

Each section begins and ends with a discussion of the stories and exercises you can use to apply what you’ve learned. This makes the book highly suitable for a writing course. The tone is pleasantly irreverent about the writer’s craft, while remaining respectful of the writers and their stories. For example, “Think of several societal taboos and write them down. Next, don’t write a story about any of them. Spare us and yourself the embarrassment please. Now, write down several activities that you consider normal and not taboo at all. Choose one and write about it as though it were as forbidden a taboo as the ones on your first list” (p. 221).

The pleasure of reading these stories is diminished by poor typography (a tiny font with too-wide lines). If, like me, your vision isn’t what it used to be, choose the eBook format instead.

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