Award puts Chinese books on world stage
Updated: 2012-12-10 13:35
By Xinhua (China Daily)
|
|||||||||
Jonathan Chuck, an American who has been working in social media for three years in China, has read some ancient Chinese classics in English and can name several ancient poets such as Li Bai.
Chuck said when he was in school, students mostly studied Western literature translated from French, German and Portuguese, not literature translated from Asian languages.
"China's Nobel prize will inspire more Westerners to notice Chinese literature, and I may read some of Mo's works," he added.
Li Ling, a professor at Beijing Language and Cultural University, said Chinese literature has less of a market than English literature because Western culture is the dominant culture.
Related: Mo Yan pays homage to Chinese writers
Moreover, it is difficult to fully express some Chinese words in English, which can limit Chinese literature to a Chinese-literate audience, Li added.
In October, literary critic Zhou Limin noted that Western works are easily introduced to China and are favored by many Chinese readers even if they are not translated well.
"Western readers are more picky about what they read," he said, explaining that if a Chinese book is not translated well, it would be "out of the question" to recommend it to Western readers.
Li expects China's Nobel laureate to expand foreign readership.
"Some of my postgraduate students are very diligent in studying contemporary Chinese literature," Li said, adding that it is "not only the ones from Asian countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, but also those from developed countries such as Italy."
The dissertations foreign students hand in convey a deep understanding of Chinese literature, and they are as good as their Chinese counterparts, Li said.
- 'Taken 2' grabs movie box office crown
- Rihanna's 'Diamonds' tops UK pop chart
- Fans get look at vintage Rolling Stones
- Celebrities attend Power of Women event
- Ang Lee breaks 'every rule' to make unlikely new Life of Pi film
- Rihanna almost thrown out of nightclub
- 'Dark Knight' wins weekend box office
- 'Total Recall' stars gather in Beverly Hills
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Supplies pour into isolated villages |
All-out efforts to save lives |
American abroad |
Industry savior: Big boys' toys |
New commissioner
|
Liaoning: China's oceangoing giant |
Today's Top News
Health new priority for quake zone
Xi meets US top military officer
Japan's boats driven out of Diaoyu
China mulls online shopping legislation
Bird flu death toll rises to 22
Putin appoints new ambassador to China
Japanese ships blocked from Diaoyu Islands
Inspired by Guan, more Chinese pick up golf
US Weekly
Beyond Yao
|
Money power |