Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale

Rivista | Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale
Fascicolo | 57 | 2021
Articolo | Between Rigor and Reverence. Yu Dafu and His Views on Translation

Between Rigor and Reverence. Yu Dafu and His Views on Translation

Abstract

Despite his prominence in modern Chinese literature and the significant role played by translation in his literary career, Yu Dafu’s (1896-1945) activity as a translation theorist and practitioner remains largely unexplored. Yu translated into Chinese a number of short stories, treatises, and poems by such authors as Wilde, Twain, Sinclair, Nietzsche, and Rousseau; he also devoted several essays to the issue of translation and its practice. Through an analysis of Yu’s theoretical writings, I aim to provide a brief account of his reflections on the subjectivity of the translator, the principles of a desirable translating practice, the relation between translation and original writing, and the cultural significance of translation. By doing so, I wish to highlight the seminal role played by such a reflection in Yu’s artistic career, as well as the specificity of his contribution within the intellectual debate on translation in his time.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Presentato: 14 Gennaio 2021 | Accettato: 11 Maggio 2021 | Pubblicato 30 Giugno 2021 | Lingua: en

Keywords TranslationLiterary creationTheory of translationYu DafuCultural innovation


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