Other translators at this forum held at East China Normal University apparently didn't agree with some of what Howard Goldblatt said, and perhaps rightly so.

But his comment about beginning a book with a long description of a place hits home for me. I recently translated an excerpt of Funeral of a Muslim (穆斯林的葬礼) for marketing use. A good third of the opening text consists of a highly detailed description of a Beijing siheyuan; no characters, no action.

Appropriate given the storyline? Perhaps. But as a marketing tool intended to elicit interest from purchasing editors outside China?

Bruce, April 22, 2014, 4:59a.m.

Friends, I wonder if I ask you a couple of questions about the receptiveness of Chinese fiction for American readers in reaction to comments from Howard Goldblatt in a recent forum held at East China Normal University. Professor Goldblatt is reported to have said that Chinese fiction is not very well received in America. He is quoted as saying that Chinese fiction, like Korean fiction, isn't very popular in America, while Japanese, Indian and Vietnamese works of fiction are better received. (http://www.dfdaily.com/html/150/2014/4/22/1144561.shtml) Is that what you would say too? I am curious why that is the case if he is right.

Goldblatt explained (http://history.sina.com.cn/cul/zl/2014-04-23/105389105.shtml) that there are a number of reasons for the lack of popularity for Chinese fiction: characters lack depth; beginnings are rambling and not engaging, and the use of Chinese idioms (四字成语) which became cliches. As Chinese-English translators are rare (John Updike comments that "American translation of contemporary Chinese fiction appears to be the lonely province of one man, Howard Goldblatt"), his remarks are taken very seriously. His comments are forwarded all over the Chinese blogsphere. Updike probably did not know the work that you all do.

Goldblatt could be right, but it is also unfair as there are not many other voices that could triangulate what he has said or what reporters say he had said. To be fair, his entire speech or talk is not available in its entirety. As Chinese-English translators too, what would you say about the receptiveness of Chinese fiction in America? Is the lack of popularity Chinese fiction suffer from alone, or is it somewhat shared by novels from any other countries that do not use English as a native language?

I would greatly appreciate any light you can shed on this topic.

Berlin Fang, April 24, 2014, 6:07a.m.

He might have approached this matter from the commercial or the governmental point of view.If Chinese literature works could not capture the attention of the targeted readers, they were not supposed to be good. Softpower is what Chinese government likes, when there is no real effective means to impress the readers, to give more exposure of the translated works might be an option.

Lao Zhang, May 5, 2014, 9:40a.m.