CFP for 2025 ACLA virtual annual conference (May 29-June 1, 2025)
ACLA Panel: Contemporary Asian Spy Literature and Cinema
Organizer: Lily Li (lily.li47405@gmail.com), Eastern Kentucky University
Deadline for submitting papers on ACLA website: Oct 14, 2024
The link to the panel: https://www.acla.org/contemporary-asian-spy-literature-and-cinema
This panel invites papers on contemporary Asian spy literature and cinema from the late 20th century to the present. The enigmatic and dangerous espionage world in literature and cinema is always fascinating to readers and audiences. Many Asian spy fictions and films are not only popular in their respective countries but are also translated into many other languages and well received in the world. For example, mainland Chinese novelist Mai Jia’s spy novel Decoded (解密 Jiemi, 2002) has been translated into more than 30 languages. Mai Jia’s another spy novel The Message (风声Fengsheng, 2007) has been adapted into a film, two TV series, and a stage production in China, and made into a film in South Korea. Another example is South Korean novelist Kim Young-ha’s spy novel Your Republic Is Calling You (빛의 제국Bichui jeguk, 2006), which has been translated into many languages. A spy work, literary or cinematic, has an overt espionage story with suspense, deception, a double life, enigmatic spy agent characters, unpredicted twists, and historical and political turmoil. However, despite its social, political, or historical circumstances or contents, a good spy fiction or film always has psychological, ethical, or philosophical depth. Our panel aims to explore the covert agenda in the narratives of espionage in fiction and cinema. We also welcome studies on contemporary theatrical productions about espionage.