Wen Jieruo

Wen Jieruo (simplified Chinese: 文洁若; traditional Chinese: 文潔若; pinyin: Wén Jiéruò; born July 1927)[1] is a Chinese translator, author and editor.[2][3] She translated literature from English and Japanese to Chinese.[2][3] Wen is a member of China Writers Association and Chinese Translation Association. She is fluent in both English and Japanese.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Wen.
Wen Jieruo
Native name
文洁若
BornWen Tongxin (文桐新)
July 1927 (age 96)
Beijing, China
OccupationEditor, translator, author
LanguageChinese, English, Japanese
Alma materTsinghua University
Period1950–present
GenreNovel
Notable worksThe Pillow Book
Ulysses
Notable awardsOrder of the Sacred Treasure (2002)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1954; died 1999)​
RelativesWen Zongshu (father)
Wan Peilan (mother)

For her contributions to the introduction of Japanese literature to foreign readers, she was honored with the Japanese Foreign Minister Recognition Award in 2000 and the Order of the Sacred Treasure in 2002.

Biography

Wen was born Wen Tongxin (文桐新) in July 1927 in Beijing, with her ancestral home in Guiyang, Guizhou,[3][4][5][6] the daughter of Wan Peilan (万佩兰) and Wen Zongshu (文宗淑), a Chinese diplomat, he held the post of consul general for the Republic of China at Yokohama.[3][4][7] She has six brothers and sisters.[4] Her grandfather Wen Mingqin (文明钦) was a magistrate in Guangxi during the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911).[6]

At the age of 7, she attended Kongde School (孔德学校), the predecessor of Beijing No.27 High school.[1] One year later, Wen moved to Tokyo, living with her father.[1] In February 1936, her father was removed from office, Wen returned to Beijing, studying at Furen School (辅仁中学).[1] After the Second Sino-Japanese War, Wen was accepted to Tsinghua University, where she majored in English.[4][8]

During her university career, Wen started her translation practice, she translated Guo Moruo's Goddess (女神) into English. After graduation, Wen worked in SDX Joint Publishing Company (三联书店) and People's Literature Publishing House in different positions, including editor, senior editor and translator of Japanese literature.[8]

During the Cultural Revolution, her husband Xiao Qian was labeled as a "rightist" by the Communist government, they were sent to the May Seventh Cadre Schools to work.[9] After the Cultural Revolution, in 1979, she joined the China Writers Association.[6]

From 1985 to 1986, Wen visited Japan.

Wen retired in July 1990.[1] From 1990 to 1994, Wen and her husband Xiao Qian spent four years translating James Joyce's notable novel Ulysses into Chinese.[2][5][10]

Personal life

Wen married a Chinese translator and author Xiao Qian, the couple has two sons and a daughter.[11][12] Their daughter Xiao Lizi (萧荔子) was born on 30 January 1955.[11] Their son, Xiao Tong (萧桐), was born on November 10, 1956.[9] All of her children are living in the United States.[11]

Translations

Works
  • Memories of Old Friends in the Wind and Rain (风雨忆故人)[19]
  • A Lifetime of Love (一生的情缘)[11]
  • Letters to Family (萧乾家书)[20]
  • Bajin and Xiao Qian (巴金与萧乾)[21]

Awards

References
  1. Pan Jianing (潘佳宁) (20 July 2019). 文洁若：译路漫漫谨为终身摆渡人 [Wen Jieruo, the road of translation is long and I am a ferry-woman]. xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  2. "Wen Jieruo: practice makes a good translator". 2012.
  3. Wu Zhifei (吴志菲) (2013). 《文洁若：破译天书的女翻译家》 [Wen Jieruo, a female translator who deciphered the Book of Heaven]. The Aged (in Chinese). 8: 18–19. ISSN 1007-2616.
  4. Wen Jiruo (2011-08-01). 《风雨忆故人》作者简介 (in Chinese). Shanghai: Joint Publishing. ISBN 9787542636317.
  5. "Wen Jieruo: practice makes a good translator". China. 2012.
  6. Song Hanxiao (宋汉晓) (22 January 2021). 文洁若：翻译在我生命中没有句号 [Wen Jieruo, translation has no end in my life]. qq.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. Zhang Rui (张瑞) (22 January 2021). 文洁若：93岁，独自老去 [Wen Jieruo, 93 years old, getting older alone]. thepaper.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  8. "Wen Jieruo". china.org.cn. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  9. Wen Jieruo (1 February 2008). 萧乾和小儿子萧桐 [Xiao Qian and Xiao Tong]. writermagazine.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  10. Jane Wang (2 November 2017). "Wen Jieruo: A Lifelong Devotee to Literature Translation". womenofchina. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  11. Wen Jieruo (2010-04-01). 《一生的情缘》 (in Chinese). Shanghai: Far East Press. ISBN 9787547601303.
  12. "Wen Jieruo".
  13. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (2012-01-01). 《罗生门》 (in Chinese). Shanghai: Joint Publishing. ISBN 9787542636249.
  14. Kyōka Izumi (2009-03-01). 《高野圣僧》 (in Chinese). Chongqing: Chongqing Press. ISBN 9787229002602.
  15. Seichō Matsumoto (2012-11-01). 《深层海流》 (in Chinese). Beijing: People's Literature Publishing House. ISBN 9787020095117.
  16. Junichi Watanabe (2004-01-01). 《魂断阿寒》 (in Chinese). Culture and Art Publishing House. ISBN 9787503925351.
  17. James Joyce (2009-04-01). 《尤利西斯》 (in Chinese). Shanghai: Joint Publishing. ISBN 9787542630216.
  18. Mary Batchelor (2011-01-01). 《圣经故事》 (in Chinese). Beijing: Huaxia Press. ISBN 9787508059877.
  19. Wen Jieruo (2011-08-01). 《风雨忆故人》 (in Chinese). Shanghai: Joint Publishing. ISBN 9787542636317.
  20. Xiao Qian (2010-01-01). 《萧乾家书》 (in Chinese). Shanghai: Oriental Publishing House. ISBN 9787506034142.
  21. Wen Jieruo (2005-10-01). 《巴金与萧乾》 (in Chinese). Beijing: China Workers Publishing House. ISBN 9787500835615.
  22. "Wen Jieruo". Chian. 2012.
  • Deng Yu (邓郁) (2019). 萧乾 文洁若 逆风飞扬 [Xiao Qian and Wen Jieruo, flying against the wind]. Southern People Weekly Magazine (in Chinese). Guangdong: Southern Daily Group. ISSN 1672-8335.
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