James Joyce book new hit in China

A new Chinese translation of Finnegans Wake, renowned for its linguistic difficulty in the original, is proving a hit in China — although one academic called the author James Joyce “mentally ill”.

A new Chinese translation of Finnegans Wake, renowned for its linguistic difficulty in the original, is proving a hit in China — although one academic called the author James Joyce “mentally ill”.

HT Image

The first-ever mainland Chinese edition of the novel sold out its initial print run of 8,000 copies three weeks after being launched. Translator Dai Congrong toiled for eight years to render the work about an Irish family into Chinese, imitating the stream of consciousness style and language.