Chiński przekład "Pana Tadeusza". Historia, fenomen, problemy i inspiracje

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to describe the reception of the literature of Polish Romanticism in China, as well as its long and winding road to the Middle Kingdom. The article addresses the ideological beginnings of the existence of Adam Mickiewicz’s works in the consciousness of Chinese people. The author analyses two translations of Pan Tadeusz into Chinese, made during the first half of the 20th century. Information about Polish Romanticism and the works of its most eminent representatives reached China at a very crucial historical moment for the Middle Kingdom, almost immediately arousing the interest of the elites. However, the same historical causes that triggered the fascination with the works of the Polish Romanticists also led to a distortion and ideologization of its reception, which persisted until 1955, when the first translation of Pan Tadeusz appeared in Chinese. However, that translation was made from English and written in prose. This changed at the end of the 20th century, when a second translation of the poem, written in verse, appeared. Despite the passage of time and the efforts of translators, the reception of the literature of Polish Romanticism and the knowledge of Adam Mickiewicz's biography is still incomplete. On the other hand, this can be an impulse for further research in translation and literary studies.