Self-Translation and the Modern Chinese Literary World

This is the first book to explore the history of self-translation in Chinese. It reveals how self-translation was widespread among literary authors during one of the most fertile periods of translation in human history, an era that marks both the dawn of modern Chinese literature and the foundation of the Republic of China (1912–1949). The crucial role translation played in this period remains unknown to a great many readers and researchers in the West, but the book establishes why this is also a golden age of literary self-translation, globally considered. It examines the motivations, affiliations and writing practices of key self-translators, exploring canonical figures such as Lu Xun, Lao She and Lin Yutang as well as lesser-known figures. In-depth studies analyse the fascinating but neglected prodigy Liang Zongdai and offer new perspectives on the literary celebrity Eileen Chang. The period is considered in relation to international research trends, and through the innovative frameworks of global Modernisms and Western Orientalism. This book will be of interest to students and researchers in the disciplines of translation studies, Chinese studies, comparative literature, Chinese literature and literatures in French and English.