Zhu Hong: A thirst for Jane Austen, autobiographies
Print Edition
ZHU Hong, a Chinese-to-English translator, took credit in many works including “Memoir of Misfortune” (2002) by Su Xiaokang and “China 1927-Memoir of a Debacle” (2013) by Zhu Qihua. The Tianjin native just finished the translation of “Wang Meng: a Memoir,” an autobiography by Chinese writer Wang Meng. “He could really lower himself down and put certain jokes about himself on certain occasions. Genuine humor is a wisdom of life, especially at our age,” Zhu said of Wang.
What kind of books do you like to read most?
I like reading and translating autobiographies. A good autobiography is not just a collection of facts about a person’s life. It is a process of the writer who gets to relive the moments from his life and understand himself in an introspective way.
What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
“Shifu, You’ll Do Anything for a Laugh” by Mo Yan, translated by Howard Goldblatt. Exquisite sense of humor. I read it twice and got the joke. Howard Goldblatt’s translation of the title is the key.
What books do you find yourself returning to again and again?
I continually discover something new in “Pride and Prejudice.” Austen has great insight and treats human weakness with humor and understanding.
Who is your favorite novelist of all time?
Jane Austen. I discover new things in her after every new reading. Recently I discovered Austen’s insight regarding self-knowledge — we sometimes discover who and what we are with a shock.
What kinds of stories are you drawn to? And how would you describe the kinds of books you steer clear off?
My favorite among Chinese writers is Li Xiaotang, son of Ba Jin, one of the most important and widely read Chinese writers of the 20th century. He treats his subjects with insight, distance and irony, sometimes with contempt for those who deserve it.
I steer clear of writers who are wrapped up in linguistic experiments and private streams of consciousness.
What kind of reader were you as a child?
I read everything I could lay hands on, usually with little understanding, but I think I absorbed the language of the fairy tales, which were written in beautiful English.
What books are you embarrassed not to have read yet?
Dostoevsky. Hope to read him before I die. I feel that I must be properly prepared, emotionally and intellectually, to be able to read “Crime and Punishment” with understanding.
Describe your approach to translation.
As a translator, I don’t have the freedom to think out of the box. My biggest manipulation is the tone of the text, which I spend a lot of time and efforts to keep it consistent within the entire instance. I prefer using small words instead of big ones with Latin roots.
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