Short story by Chi Ta-wei available to read online at The Leeds Centre for New Chinese Writing website. English version also available to read on same site.
Very short story by taiwanese author Chi Ta-wei that can be found in translation and in its original Chinese here.
This short story was first published in 1996, and his debut novel The Membranes in 1995 - I keep wondering what stories the author has to say now, almost thirty years later.
The story opens on a gay strip club, where our protagonist (not a usual frequenter) is looking for one of the models in order to find a common acquaintance.
Much as the previous work of his that I read this year, it gives us a glance on the author's view of codependence and gender in what is a seemingly neat package at first, but leaves us with a kernel of doubt. It also depicts a chilling picture of the LGBT+ community in Taipei, which reminded me of another Taiwanese cult LGBT+ book from the 90s, Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin, which uses the crocodile as an allegory for the lesbian protagonist and her community.
Chi Ta-wei's simple prose and matter of fact tone keep sucking me in - and I never know what to expect next. Best believe I'll keep reading whatever work of his I can get my hands on.