Don Quixote dreaming
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As one of the most well-known figures among Spanish speakers in China and Chinese literature lovers in Spanish-speaking countries, Dong Yansheng has dedicated much of his life to building a bridge between cultures through his translation and teaching works. His most notable achievement, a Chinese translation of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, recently won him renewed international acclaim.
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Dong Yansheng [Global Times] |
"My affection with Don Quixote started in my days at high school with the Chinese version translated by Fu Donghua," Dong told the Global Times. "When Don Quixote was first released in Spain, it was an immediate success. So when the King Philip III saw a student laughing while reading a book, he said he must be reading Don Quixote, otherwise he must be crazy. My experience with the book was pretty much the same," he smiled.
Published in 1995, Dong's translation of the Spanish classic saw him honored with Spain's Order of Arts and Letters on September 1, 2009.
"I was really honored to receive this award. It was an acknowledgement for the accomplishment of Spanish study in China, which walked from infancy to maturity. This was not only a personal honor, but also an honor for the Spanish department of Beijing Foreign Studies University as well as all of the professionals engaged in Spanish study in China," Dong said.
"The Chinese version of Don Quixote translated by Dong Yansheng is not only the achievement of the publishing industry, but also a truthful reflection of Spain's image," commented Angeles Gonzales Sinde, Spain's minister of culture, at the Arts and Letters ceremony in 2009. "The work draws close the culture of Spain and China and allows people of the two countries to better understand each other," he said.
Dong's translation has recently been adapted into a stage play by prominent experimental theater director Meng Jinghui. It premiered at the National Center for the Performing Arts on September 2, 2009 and was restaged at the same venue in January this year.
"I feel so privileged that my work was adapted into a theatrical play. The director and playwright captured the essence of the character of Don Quixote, his idealism and presented it in a fresh and comedic way," Dong said.
Before Dong was approached to translate Don Quixote, there were already about 20 Chinese versions on the market, the most famous was by Yang Jiang.
"When the publishing house asked me to re-interpret the book, I was rather cautious," Dong recalled. "After careful study of the old versions, I had confidence in myself. 'At least I won't make the obvious grammatical and comprehension mistakes widely spread in Yang Jiang's work,' I thought."
While Dong's version received critical acclaim, his overt criticism of Yang Jiang's 1978 version caused a stir among China's literature circle.
"Some Chinese are used to the idea of concealing the error of established figures. I think this is wrong," Dong commented. "The right thing to do is, if you have a different opinion, you can raise it and discuss in public. Some people attacked me because I criticized Yang Jiang. If this academic atmosphere spreads, then there will be no progress and innovation in China."
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