Asymptote (magazine)

Asymptote is a Taiwan-based online literary magazine dedicated to translations of world literature, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama, mostly to English, but also to other languages.[1] Reviews, interviews, blogs, visual arts and audiovisual materials are also found on the website; issues are released four times a year. As of July, 2018, Asymptote had published work translated from 100 language by writers from 117 different countries.[2] Writers such as Mary Gaitskill, Jose Saramago, J.M. Coetzee, Junot Diaz, Yann Martel, and Mo Yan have appeared in the magazine.[3]

The magazine was established in 2011 by the Taipei-based Singaporean writer Lee Yew Leong, who is the editor-in-chief.[4] Lee said in 2011, "We operate differently from other translation journals in that we don't just sit back and wait for translations to come to us. We actually identify the good work from writers [that haven't yet been introduced to the English-speaking world] and actively seek out translators to help to translate the work for us."[5]

In 2016, Asymptote celebrated its fifth anniversary with public events held in New York, London, Ottawa, and Chicago.[3]