Milli mála - 2020, Page 189

Milli mála 12/2020 189
ÞORGERÐUR ANNA BJÖRNSDÓTTIR

10.33112/millimala.12.6
Abstract
A Window to the East:
The translation history of Icelandic
and Chinese literature
There are many interesting findings in the translation history of Ice-
landic and Chinese literature although direct translations between
the two languages were rare for a long time. Both nations are known
for their rich literary heritage and the choice of literary works for
translations has largely been influenced by social circumstances and
the political atmosphere of each period. In this overview of transla-
tions these editorial choices will be reviewed and explained with
historical context. Literary translations between Icelandic and Chi-
nese can be divided into three time periods:
1. The first steps, from the first published translation in 1921
until 1937.
2. The socialists’ enthusiasm, from the founding of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China in 1949 until 1977.
3. Time of balance and increased communications, from 1978
up till now.
In 2021 a hundred years have passed since the first publishing of a
Chinese literary work in Icelandic. The famed philosophical texts of
Daodejing《道德经》, attributed to Laozi, were the first to be trans-
lated and published in Iceland, with the Icelandic title Bókin um
veginn. Since then a lot of Chinese literature has been translated into
Icelandic and direct translations from both ancient and modern Chi-
nese have been published. Likewise, a great deal of Icelandic literature
has been translated into Chinese. The first literary work to be trans-
lated into Chinese comprised a selection of poems from The Passion
Hymns by Hallgrímur Pétursson, published in 1928 under the title
Shijiakefeng《詩家可風》. Altogether, works by more than 70 Icelan-