Linking cultures with words

"I had to rethink every word several times," says German literary translator Thekla Chabbi, referring to her translation of Li Er's novel Cherry on a Pomegranate Tree ( 石榴树上结樱桃).

Chabbi encountered Li's works in 2004 when a friend recommended Afternoon Poetics (Wuhou de Shixue), a collection of the writer's short stories.

A fan of detective stories, Chabbi was instantly drawn to the one titled, On the Scene (Xian Chang), and its existential narrative style.