The Translation And Transmission Of Contemporary Chinese Literature In Italy Since The Reform And Opening Up Period

Both representatives of two millenarian civilizations,China and Italy share a long history of cultural encounters that date back to the contacts between the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire.Though it was at the end of the 16^th century that the first translations from Chinese appeared in Italy and Europe.Such research couldn't but begin with a brief history of the translation of Chinese works in Italy since those early efforts made by Italian Jesuits,up until the formation of a new Italian sinological school in the middle of the 20^th century.In the following thirty years,a fundamental contribution to the translation and transmission of Chinese literature in Italy came both from the development of Italian sinology and from the attention of the Italian left-wing intellectuals to the newly established People's Republic of China.Emphasizing how different but equally important the interests,the motives and consequently the achievements of the sinologists and of the left-wing intellectuals were,this research will definitively lay the foundations for its main focus:analyzing the Italian translation,transmission and reception of Chinese literature from the reform and opening up period to the present.Unlike the previous eras,for which a wide literature is already available,studies concerning the last forty years are still at a preliminary stage.The absence of a complete list of Italian translations of Chinese contemporary literature made necessary an intense work of consultation,confrontation,collection of material,that was carried out in the Central National Library of Rome and in many other Italian university and civic libraries.This resulted in an inclusive list of all translations of works of fiction,poetry and theatre by Chinese mainland,Taiwan,Hong Kong and overseas writers published up to date on books and journals.This list appears here as the appendix.Apart from the translations,the examined material also includes the paratexts of the translations,the articles and the essays of presentation or research,and the university teaching materials.The analysis proposed by this research on the one hand stands on these numerous first-hand materials,and on the other hand takes into great account the background of the target culture.The emphasis is on significant aspects of the cultural background,such as the further development of Italian sinology and of university studies in Chinese language and culture,the radical changes in the publishing world,the growing exchanges between China and Italy,in the general context of a more and more globalized world in which the role of China has become increasingly central.Through this analysis,this research offers a detailed and comprehensive overview of the translation,transmission and reception of Chinese literature since the post-Mao era.This research will reveal which authors,works and genres were translated,presented,researched and studied;when and how;who were the subjects involved;what factors influenced these choices,and so on.Most interestingly,it will explain the reasons why certain authors,works and genres were translated and received in a certain way at certain times,and the effects their translation and presentation led to in terms of the understanding of Chinese literature and China and the shaping of a certain image of them in Italy.