China News Service, July 13. According to a report from the South American Overseas Chinese News Network, when talking about the relationship with Latin American literature and Nobel Prize winner Llosa, "Science Fiction Spirit", "33 Revolutions", "Last Holiday", "Hunger" and other Latin American literature The translator of literary works, Hou Jianyou, an associate professor of the Spanish Department of the School of European Studies at Xi'an International Studies University, has endless stories to tell.
"I myself decided to continue my studies after reading Llosa's "Cities and Dogs" in my junior year, hoping to have the opportunity to stand on the podium. At that time, I didn't dare to hope to become a literary translator," Hou Jian introduced.
Because of the translation of Llosa's works, Hou Jian got the opportunity to meet him again at his home in Madrid. Hou Jian was deeply impressed by that meeting and conversation.
Last year, Hou Jian received a letter from a high school classmate in the Experimental Middle School of Beijing Normal University, saying that he had read some of his writings and translations, and had developed a great interest in Latin American literature, and was planning to set up a Latin American literature research club.
This kind of "passing down from generation to generation" has made Latin American literature no longer unknown in China. Of course, the "literary explosion" 60 years ago contributed to it.
"'Literary explosion' is expected to once again attract the attention of Chinese readers"
Hou Jian mentioned that some people designated 1962 as the first year of the "literary explosion" in Latin America, because in 1962 an important intellectual conference was held in Concepcion, Chile, and because of Llosa's "Cities and Dogs" In this year, he won Spain's Concise Book Award, and because such heavyweight works as "The Age of Light" and "The Death of Artemio Cross" were published in 1962; some people think that 1963 was the "literary explosion". "The starting year, because the undisputed representative novels of "literary explosion" such as "City and Dog" and "Hopscotch" were published in that year; other people think that Llosa won the Romulo Gallegos Literary Award , The year 1967 when Marquez published "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is the starting year of the "literary explosion"... Hou Jian believes that we may regard 1967 as the peak of the "literary explosion", and determine its starting year at Between 1962-1963.
Although it is actually difficult to define the starting and ending years, the Latin American "literary explosion" has had an important impact on the Chinese literary scene since the 1980s.
In Hou Jian's view, when the "literary explosion" entered China in the 1980s, Chinese literature was at a low point. Writers eagerly hoped to learn from the successful experience of excellent foreign literary works, and their domestic literature was in a relatively "vacuum" state. When the time comes, foreign literature is more likely to come to the center of the stage.
But 40 years later, Chinese literature has made a new development. At the same time, only Llosa among the four major leaders of Latin American "literary explosion" is still alive and insists on writing. Writers still have some influence, but certainly not comparable to the 1980s.
However, Hou Jian observed that in 2021, "The "Literary Explosion" Personal Experience" will be republished after many years, and "From Marquez to Llosa: Retrospective "Literary Explosion"" will be introduced into China, and will be awarded the Shenzhen Reading Month "Annual" Ten Great Books" and another heavyweight work on "Literary Explosion", "The Years of "Literary Explosion" will also be translated and published in China.
The "literary explosion" is expected to once again attract the attention of Chinese readers, and may also have a new impact on Chinese literature.
"The influence of Chinese literature in Latin America cannot be compared with the influence of Latin American literature in China"
In the process of introducing Latin American literature into China and Chinese literature to Latin America, "cultural differences" cannot be ignored.
Due to the lack of understanding of Latin American culture, Chinese readers are prone to "incomprehension" and "misunderstanding". For example, when it comes to "One Hundred Years of Solitude", the most common complaint is that there are characters with the same name and surname in the novel. On the other hand, many people think that Latin American literature is all "magic realism", and when they read non-magical realism works (which are in the absolute majority), they say this book Book "Very UnLatin American".
"But what should Latin America look like? Is Latin America always magical? Magic means unreality, which actually gives us a psychological hint, as if the problems of poverty, hunger, and oppression in Latin America are also It's all magical and unreal, which is obviously a misconception. Márquez said that he wrote stories that are all based on reality: 'Our lives are full of wonderful things... Let Latin American literature Truly a reflection of life in Latin America, where the most amazing things are happening every day'," said Hou Jian.
Hou Jian mentioned that the same principle applies to the translation and introduction of Chinese literature in Latin America.
"The influence of Chinese literature in Latin America cannot be compared with the influence of Latin American literature in China. There are many reasons, such as the lack of excellent translators, such as the strength of American and French literature in Latin America, etc. However, there are deficiencies that mean There is room for improvement. With the comprehensive upgrade of China-Latin America relations and the strengthening of people-to-people and cultural exchanges, the exchanges between China and Latin America in literature will also develop in a positive direction. I think one way to solve the misunderstanding of Chinese readers about Latin American literature is to If you translate more and read more, the problem may be improved. In terms of translating Chinese literature into Latin America, you should also pay attention to the problem of good translation, because Latin American readers lack understanding of Chinese literature, and this problem can not only be solved by the number of translated works , how to choose suitable books for good translation, so that readers there are first interested in Chinese literature, perhaps this is an issue we need to focus on at this stage.”
"Literature is an important part of Latin American life"
Hou Jian believes that literary exchanges can play a greater role in China-Latin America relations, and literature can become an effective medium for non-governmental communication.
He recalled that he had been an interpreter when he was a graduate student. At that time, a Xi'an company and a Cuban company were negotiating cooperation matters. At the beginning, they could not reach an agreement on the details, and the conversation was not pleasant.
During the coffee break, the representative of the Cuban company heard that he was a graduate student in literature, and the two chatted about the Cuban masterpiece "Cecilia Valdés".
After the tea break, the mood of the Cuban representative was obviously much better, and the subsequent negotiation process seemed to be going well. Another time after work, Hou Jian went to the train station to pick up the Cuban consul for an event, and the Cuban consul said he was in the car. He was studying mathematics, and Hou Jian was still a little worried. Unexpectedly, the two of them chatted happily about Cuban literature.
"My impression is that literature is an important part of Latin American life. Those who understand literature are not necessarily experts and scholars. Many people love to read literature. In this case, understanding Latin American literature is very important. Also Yes, if Latin American readers can understand and accept Chinese literary works, it is also very important for them to understand China and Chinese thinking. But how does Chinese literature enter Latin America? Latin Americans generally do not know much about Chinese literature. Which works should be translated and introduced under the circumstances? To avoid the mentality of taking me for granted, and to truly make literature a cultural bridge between China and Latin America, it can be said that there is a long way to go.
"When I was in my junior year, I participated in the translation competition organized by the college and won the first prize. This is the only translation-related award I have won so far. Although it is very inconspicuous, it is very important to me. Maybe it was from then on that I had a little hope and expectation in my heart to become a literary translator. At that time, the book I translated was a fragment of the memoir "Before the End" by the Argentine writer Ernesto Salvatore. I didn't expect that more than ten years later , the editor of this book really found me and asked me to translate this book. To borrow a sentence written by Salvatore himself in that book: 'Fate always makes us what we should be people'." Hou Jian said.
(Wang Han/Text)