Books translated into Chinese

[vkim67]

Hi

I won't be taking any Chinese classes the next few quarters and my boyfriend and I wouldl ike to read some books together. He wants to read Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden. Does anyone know if there is a Chinese title for this that I can find online? Also, could someone please recommend some websites that might have a list of classic/well-known books that have been translated into Chinese?

Thank you.

Vivian

[knadolny]

I don't know too many but NCIKU put Alice and Wonderland on their site with English, Chinese, and pinyin. I haven't read it but I thought they had a good idea. Plus both are in the public domain so they could post it online for everyone to use.

http://blog.nciku.com/blog/en/?p=1326#more-1326

Kevin

[Daan]

Certainly here in Taiwan, most Western classics are available in translation, so why don't you post some books you would like to read and we'll see if we can find you their Chinese titles

[miss_China_so_much]

I grew up by reading western classic literature in translations:mrgreen: I read a lot of Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Brontë sisters, D.H.Lawrence, W.B. Yealts and Shakespeare, also a lot of French, German and Spanish literacture, all in translations! I enjoyed them very much!

These days You can easily find translations of not just classic literature but also modern popular fictions, such as , , etc...

[Shi Tong]

Why dont you read some Chinese classics in Chinese?

[vkim67]

Thank you all for the quick replies! I appreciate it. I also found some Chinese books that members of this forum posted in Word document! Those are great. I saved those but for now I would like to find some books that my boyfriend can read in English and I can read in Chinese.

Kevin- thanks I think I saw that. I will definitely check it out. It's really helpful that pinyin and English is also provided.

Daan- Thanks I will try to pick some books and post them by next week!

miss_China_so_much- Where did you find the translated books? Is there an online bookstore that also lists these titles in English perhaps?

Shi Tong- Could you recommend some please and I will look into them! Right now though I am looking for something that my bf can read in English and I can read in Chinese so if they have been translated into English books that'd be great too.

[knadolny]

Shi Tong- Could you recommend some please and I will look into them! Right now though I am looking for something that my bf can read in English and I can read in Chinese so if they have been translated into English books that'd be great too.

I’m getting the impression from this post that you would also like to read Chinese literature in Chinese and your boyfriend will read the English translation. Am I right?

Well here are some books that I have read and about to read.

I enjoyed this one. The book is banned in China (or it was at one point) which made her book that much more popular in the US. It is a quick read (in English). And wow it was made into a movie which I did not know.

Shanghai Baby by Wei Hu is in English translation. The Chinese version is called上海宝贝.

English

Chinese

Movie

I have this book on my shelves but haven’t dove into just yet.

Rickshaw by Lao She (老舍) is in English translation as well. The Chinese version is called 人力車.

English

Chinese

Can’t find at the moment

Lu Xun is one of my favorite Chinese authors. I’ve read his works multiple times.

His works have been repeatedly translated into English. The first to do so were Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang in their book titled “Selected Stories of Lu Hsun”. The second was “Diary of a Madman and Other Stories” by William A Lyell. I like his better than Hsien-yi and Yang’s translation since he doesn’t just translate but mimics Lu Xun’s style as well. And a new translation of Lu Xun that I am excited to read is coming out January 26th by Julia Lovell called “The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China: The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun.” I am going to get it and I’ll tell you how I like it.

You can find Lu Xun’s original Chinese text (simplified Chinese) for his collection called Nahan on my website. If you need pinyin, definitions, and historical summaries, then my book will help you through the Chinese. Or you can find his text in Chinese on other websites on the internet.

English

Selected Stories of Lu Hsun

Diary of a Madman and Other Stories

The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China: The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun

Chinese

My website with Chinese text provided

My book

I’m sure I could find tons of other Chinese books translated to English. There are more and more that are being translated.

Hope you find this helpful!

[Daan]

Unless your boyfriend is an awfully slow reader or your Chinese is excellent, prepare for him to have finished the book by the time you've only made it to page fifty...

[vkim67]

For everyone: i haven't had a chance to pick the titles i want in chinese translation. But here's some titles of Chinese books that have been translated into English from my modern literature class. My TA said Candy translation is very different from the Chinese version but the rest are pretty close translations. Two, I'm not sure which yet as it's only the first day of the quarter, are from 1940s and the rest are after 1970s. Enjoy!

Su Tong, Rice 苏童， 《米》

Mo Yan, The Garlic Ballads 莫言， 〈天堂蒜薹之歌〉

Wang Shuo, Playing for Thrills 王朔， 〈玩得就是心跳〉

Wang Anyi, Song of Everlasting Sorrow 王安忆，〈长恨歌〉

Mian Mian, Candy 绵绵 〈糖〉

Yu Hua, To Live 于华， 〈活着〉

Knadolny- Thanks for your recommendations! I've heard of the name Lu Xun. Are they classical chinese stories? Ill be sure to look into them over the weekend. Oh, I see your books is a great resource and i'll be sure to look into it as well. Are you planning to publish more similar books?

Daan- haha unfortunately my Chinese isn't great and since I know I don't have much spare time (full-time school, part-time work, part-time internship) I will be happy to make it to page 50 by the time he finishes as long as I'm consistent and work thoroughly everyday, that is my goal!

[knadolny]

For everyone:

Nice list. Looks like good reading. "To Live" was made into a move which was good. I haven't read the book.

I've heard of the name Lu Xun. Are they classical chinese stories?

Lu Xun is often called the "Father of Modern Chinese Literature". He is considered the first major author to write in the vernacular Chinese and China's most famous author. So his stories are not in classical Chinese, but his style is a bit different than what you find in Chinese novels today.

Julia Lovell, the author of the book I mentioned about, says "to read Lu Xun is to capture a snapshot of late imperial and early Republican China.” Lu Xun's Nahan was written in the late 1910s and early 1920s. His stories capture China's changing times from imperial dynasty to a Republic and that's why I think they are so fascinating.

Any student of Chinese will need to eventually read his work. He's too famous and his stories are still frequently alluded to today. Maybe it is fair to say not reading Lu Xun is like not reading Shakespeare. The language is a bit tough and different from what we are used to, but everyone knows the stories.

Are you planning to publish more similar books?

I have a couple ideas in the works and hopefully I'll have one more out in 2010.