The German sinologist and translator Karin Betz is working on a translation of the volume of essays “The Silent Majority” （Chenmo de daduoshu 沉默的大多数）with a selection of writings by the Chinese author WANG Xiaobo. The volume is being translated from Chinese into German and will be published by Matthes & Seitz Berlin in 2026.
The Chinese author, essayist and literary critic WANG Xiaobo (1952-1997) is considered the “enfant terrible” of Chinese literature. In reference to the first English translation of Wang's collection of critical essays, published by Penguin 2023 under the title “Pleasure of Thinking”, Ai Weiwei described him as “a truly unique writer”, which he undoubtedly is. Literary quality aside, it is a phenomenon that, despite his subversiveness, he is still a bestseller in the Chinese-speaking world and is as beloved by readers today as he was in the 1990s when his first writings appeared.
Although the collection of essays covers a wide range of topics, the underlying theme is mostly how people fail to reap the rewards of their own thinking in a variety of ways. The 35 essays range from reflections on the culture shock of discovering American eating habits, treatises on some of his favorite authors, such as Italo Calvino, Ernest Hemingway or the philosopher Bertrand Russell, to the question: why do I write? He discusses the importance of individual resistance to tyranny, the logic of censorship, quirky characters in Chinese village life and classical Chinese philosophy, and recounts his travels between East and West.
Karin Betz (born March 7, 1968 in Hanau) studied sinology, German studies, philosophy and politics in Frankfurt am Main, Chengdu and Tokyo. She has been translating Chinese literature from the People's Republic of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong into German full-time since 2009, including Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan, Liu Cixin, Liao Yiwu, Jin Yong and Can Xue. She is also a lecturer in literary translation, editor, presenter and DJ. She has received several awards for her work, most recently the 2024 Helmut M. Braem Translator's Prize for her outstanding translation of the novel “My City” by Hong Kong author Xi Xi and the Special Book Award of China.
Foto © Alexander Neroslawski
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