The Chinese translation of Ryszard Kapuściński’s “The Emperor”, rendered by Wu Lan — a Polish studies scholar who two years earlier had translated “Travels with Herodotus” for Chinese readers — has been published by the Beijing publishing house Xinxing (New Star).

This was announced to PAP by Andrzej Piskulak, a journalist and writer from Kielce, a friend of the translator Wu Lan.

“The appearance of the translation of ‘The Emperor’ has already aroused interest in Chinese literary circles. Negotiations are being conducted with the holders of the copyright, regarding the staging of ‘The Emperor’ as a theatrical production, as has been done in, among other places, Great Britain and Poland” — the man from Kielce quoted from a letter from the Chinese translator.

As he added, the book appeared in a print run of a mere three thousand copies, since the free-market reform of the publishing sector had stripped Chinese publishers of almost all state subsidies. Given the growth of competition, publishing houses plan very cautiously the sale of every book being published in China for the first time. A good circulation, however, leads to rapid reprinting — he noted.

“The Emperor”, combining the traits of reportage and novel, reveals the backstage of the Ethiopian court of Emperor Haile Selassie. The image of the country and its ruler during the period of constitutional monarchy and during the revolution lays bare the universal mechanisms of the totalitarian order. The book’s high quality is reflected in its 30 translations. The theatrical adaptation of 1979 aroused admiration in Toronto, Amsterdam, Oslo, and Budapest.

Dr Wu Lan, a graduate of the Warsaw Polish studies faculty, is the author of the monograph “The Conscience of the Polish Nation” — a book devoted to Stefan Żeromski. Besides “Travels with Herodotus” by Ryszard Kapuściński (1932–2007) she has also translated Polish folk tales, and during the “Polish Film Weeks” in Beijing — Polish actors on screen.

Source: PAP

source: kapuscinski.info