Lost in Translation: What’s the Problem with Chinese Literature in the West?,

Three superstar Chinese-English translators- Eric Abrahamsen, Nicky Harman, and Jianan Qian - debate the biases that impact the books we get to read in this China Institute/Paper Republic program from February 24, 2021. Literature is a powerful tool that can help deepen our understanding of China’s immense complexity. But what if we are reading the wrong books? Are publishers and reviewers—both in China and the US—driven too much by out-of-date political and ideological prisms? As it turns out, many of China’s most popular novels never make it into English at all. More in our recap blog at: