The Membranes

First published in Taiwan in 1995,The Membranesis a classic of queer speculative fiction in Chinese. Chi Ta-wei weaves dystopian tropes–heirloom animals, radiation-proof combat drones, sinister surveillance technologies–into a sensitive portrait of one young woman’s quest for self-understanding.

It is the late twenty-first century, and Momo is the most celebrated dermal care technician in all of T City. Humanity has migrated to domes at the bottom of the sea to escape devastating climate change. The world is dominated by powerful media conglomerates and runs on exploited cyborg labor. Momo prefers to keep to herself, and anyway shes too busy for other relationships: her clients include some of the citys best-known media personalities. But after meeting her estranged mother, she begins to explore her true identity, a journey that leads to questioning the bounds of gender, memory, self, and reality.

Chi Ta-wei is a renowned writer and scholar from Taiwan. Chis scholarly work focuses on LGBT studies, disability studies, and Sinophone literary history, while his award-winning creative writing ranges from science fiction to queer short stories. He is an associate professor of Taiwanese literature at the National Chengchi University.

Ari Larissa Heinrich is a professor of Chinese literature and media at the Australian National University. They are the author ofChinese Surplus: Biopolitical Aesthetics and the Medically Commodified Body(2018) and other books, and the translator of Qiu Miaojins novelLast Words from Montmartre(2014).

• Publisher:Columbia University Press (June 1, 2021)
• Language:English
• Paperback:168 pages
• ISBN-10:0231195710
• ISBN-13:9780231195713
• Item Weight:8 ounces
• Dimensions:5.75 x 0.5 x 8.75 inches