Tackling corruption and penning crime novels: The double life of He Jiahong
Join a moderated discussion with the crime professor as he talks about the fight against graft activities, the miscarriages of justice which have plagued the country, and his exciting legal career. He Jiahong’s bestselling book Blood Crimes has been translated into several languages and was recently published in English as Hanging Devils, which will be on sale at this unique literary event.
September 17 (Monday), 3-4:30pm, Embassy of the Czech Republic. 2 Ritan Lu, Jianguomenwai, email fcccadmin@gmail.com
attached to: He Jiahong
Comments
It will be interesting to see how well this novel reads. A lot depends on the edit.
I was approached to consider translating it into English, but I declined. One reason: much of the appeal to the Chinese reader -- I suspect -- is the background of the lawyer, the key character, who was educated in the US. Again and again the character refers to his experiences in the West.
It's hard to believe that readers who grew up outside China would find these references so intriguing. Did the English editor leave them be or delete them? And without the halo associated with knowledge of life in the so-called 1st World, does the character still appeal?
Bruce , September 13, 2012, 11:41p.m.
Bruce , I am not sure that you are right. Four books by He Jiahong have been translated into French and have sold quite well.He is an interesting personality and it was pleasant to interview him in Beijing. The only drawback I can see is that his books have been written ten years ago and you can feel it. Surprising is that between the different attempts to translate it, it took Penguin around six years to bring the book to readers, quite a record! As he will be pensioned in a few years, lets hope he will write a few more novels...
Mialaret, September 15, 2012, 7:06p.m.