Book and Sword (The Martial Arts Novels of Louis Cha)

Rating:
Summary: The Book and the Translator
Review: The Book & The Translator

By Graham Earnshaw

Once upon a time, in 1973, I landed in Hong Kong and sat in the lobby of the Mandarin Hotel and looked at a notice under the glass of the coffee table with identical information in both English and Chinese, laid out as numbered points. I looked at the English "1,2, 3", then at the Chinese squiggles, and saw that one stroke was 1, two strokes 2 and ... three strokes 3! I can read Chinese! It was a simple path from that moment to the translation of the kungfu novel "The Book & The Sword", now published by Oxford University Press.

The novel was written by author Louis Cha, who occupies a position in modern Chinese literature equivalent to that of Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming and Tom Clancy combined. He is a giant, and unfortunately a lonely giant. There are no other authors of his stature in modern Chinese popular literature.

The Book and the Sword is a story that virtually every Chinese person knows, involving kung fu secret society struggles against the Manchu court, the beautiful but tragic Fragant Princess, whose tomb stands outside Kashgar, and the war between the Manchu armies and the Muslim peoples of what is now western China.

It was Cha's first book, serialised in 1955 under his pen name Jin Yong in the Hong Kong newspaper that he founded, Ming Pao. Louis Cha (Jin Yong), is a famous media person, and one of the top authors in the Chinese world. His novels have had a huge impact on the whole of Chinese society and culture, and have been adapted many times for TV, film, audio cassette, strip cartoon and even computer games. He is probably the most-pirated author of all time.

Cha's novels find favour with all levels of Chinese society, from the university professors who savour his command of the Chinese language, to kids who just love the fight scenes. From a western perspective, they provide a window into the Chinese world, revealing its essence through the dreams and fantasies that make up whatever it is to be Chinese. The equivalent, in other words, of Tolkein's success in "Lord of the Rings" in tapping into the sources of northern European culture.

Book & Sword's story has a panoramic sweep which takes as its base a few unbeatable themes - secret societies, king fu masters, the sensational rumour so dear to Chinese hearts that the great Manchu emperor Qian Long was in fact a Chinese and not Manchu. It also mixes in the exotic flavours of central Asia, a lost city in the desert guarded by wolf packs and the unforgettable Fragrant Princess, who ate flowers and exuded a scent that every Chinese man would love to inhale. Me too.

Translating the book took around four years, and the fight scenes were by far the hardest part to get right. It inevitably involved some simplification. But I was as faithful to the spirit of the original as I could be. I took the view that I could omit or simplify, but not add and Mr Cha agreed with my approach.

When I translated the book, Chinese culture on the world scene basically came down to Bruce Lee. Now, the world has turned, "Heroes" and "Croaching Dragon" are major international box office draws, and kung fu culture has infiltrated western culture to a significant degree - the Matrix series is the proof.


(p.s. the Amazon system requires a star rating on all review entries, otherwise I would not have been so immodest as to rate this book)

Rating:
Summary: another good book for my collection
Review: this is what i expect from Louis Cha, an involving storyline and lots of kung fu stuff that i can't understand but still enjoy...
this book has both.
it's a great book, but i wish it were longer, cuz when i get into a book i don't want it to end. even "outlaws of the marsh"(2000+ pages) seems short when you're done reading it.

here are some recommendations.
"Musashi"
"Taiko"
"Outlaws of the Marsh"
& "The Deluge"