Rhine River / Prose Translation Series

Author: [French] V. Hugo
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Among the four major genres of literary works, prose differs from poetry and fiction. If poetry belongs to the history of the spirit, and fiction belongs to the history of society, then the drama, which concentrates numerous artistic functions and is a multi-functional spatial art that transcends literary symbol expression, belongs to the broad cultural and artistic history. Prose, on the other hand, is the most popular and most widely involved in life, becoming an integral part of life—a unique literary phenomenon. In one of Molière's comedies, there is a dialogue where one character asks another, "What is prose?" The other replies, "What you are saying right now is prose." Can we understand it this way: Prose is actually very ordinary; we live in it every day, so we are all familiar with it. Because of this, as a literary term, prose expresses a relatively relaxed concept. It must, of course, possess indispensable literary qualities, but it is not very standardized; rather, it is more free. The English "Essay" is generally translated as "," "," "," or "," all emphasizing the freedom of writing. It is a genre that is free enough to take on multiple forms, encompassing letters, diaries, travelogues, memoirs, notes, prefaces, satirical essays where laughter and anger alike become literature, and even the kind of political writing that is "always full of emotion." With the development of literature, in the early 19th century, a marginal genre between poetry and prose—prose poetry—began to emerge. Beyond writers, its authors are widespread, including artists, musicians, actors, as well as philosophers, scientists, historians, and even politicians, religious figures, travelers, and so on. Naturally expressed prose becomes the most intimate genre, writing in it requires little consideration for the exaggeration of words or phrases, and there is no need to guard against the concealment of the true nature of the soul by literary flair. Authenticity becomes the fundamental characteristic of prose. Prose writing perfectly preserves and highlights the momentary feelings of being moved and the original state of deep, reflective thought, making it the best choice for dialogue with others while also engaging in self-dialogue. It is the optimal way to understand and reconstruct oneself. It "carries the way," meaning it is didactic, but not preachy; it "expresses the will," meaning it is emotional, but not overly sentimental. Its ideal state is to integrate "carrying the way" and "expressing the will." Simple writing excludes the smallest artificiality, and the essence of prose is authenticity. The highest purpose of prose art is to emphasize authenticity. Prose seeks beauty, and beauty is a companion to authenticity. Precisely because of this, prose has the most readers. There may be various reasons why some people rarely read poetry, others do not enjoy theater, and still others do not read fiction. Those who are not literature enthusiasts also read and write prose, not necessarily to demonstrate their cultural competence, their breadth of interest, or their refined or vulgar spiritual realm. As a cultural phenomenon, prose is familiar to everyone, and people unconsciously become lovers of prose and "extracurricular" authors of prose—not because they want to be prose writers, but because they have a confidence and a need: "I can and should write." Thus, compared to other literary genres, prose has the highest reading frequency, the widest and most enduring influence, and the strongest author base, with multiple cultural forces driving the continuous development of prose art. Naturally, numerous masterpieces of prose have become the most attractive highlights of world literature. Ancient classics in both the West and China are almost all masterpieces of prose. In China, those who have not read the "Four Books and Five Classics" were not considered readers, and those who had not read "Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty" and "Essentials of Classical Chinese" were regarded as uncultured. Similarly, in the West, those who had not read the "Bible" were not considered educated, and those who had not read Homer or Plato were not considered cultured. The Chinese nation is skilled at both creating and absorbing the strengths of others through cultural exchange. Since the May Fourth New Culture Movement, especially since the reform and opening-up, the re-examination of the history and current state of domestic literature and the high attention to the achievements and trends of world literature have become tremendous driving forces for the development of literature in the new era. In the early 1980s, the publishing industry activated by the "Four Modernizations" wave burst with untapped potential that had been suppressed for years, showing unprecedented vigorous development. The Literature Department of Hunan People's Publishing House, the predecessor of our company, timely launched a substantial number of translated foreign literary classics, including the "Prose Translation Series," which selected and translated world-class prose from ancient to modern times. It received enthusiastic support from readers, with a new book published almost every two months, and most readers eagerly awaited each new release. This greatly encouraged us. We realized that the starting point of publishing work is understanding readers' needs, and the life of a publication lies in whether it perfectly meets readers' desires. A publication that does not disappoint readers must be rich in content, refined in quality, and high in cultural and humanistic standards. We will continue to strive toward this goal. The 25 years of reform and opening-up is not a long time span, but the publishing fever that began to rise and then intensified, driven by the demand of readers, has become one of the most revolutionary changes since China emerged from isolation. This change is still expanding and deepening. Under the high-speed development of the publishing industry, readers' choices present a strong and lasting challenge that we must face. Our response begins with a comprehensive understanding and serious consideration of readers' needs, followed by rapid adjustments to the editorial, publishing, and distribution processes. The "Prose Translation Series" strives to become a concrete and visible history of prose art, composed of a series of truly masterpieces of prose. The contributions of the great masters of prose are brilliant and abundant, and it is essential to grasp the development of prose art from the perspective of its history. We must showcase the height and captivating charm of prose art from multiple angles, levels, and dimensions. We must grasp the classic nature of masterpieces of prose from a macro perspective. In addition to the well-known works with prominent status and recognized documentary value, we should also pay attention to potential gaps, those unnoticed eternal literary sparks, and those classics that should not be forgotten and once were forgotten but have finally been remembered due to their eternal brilliance. This is indispensable for a series of books showcasing masterpieces of prose, and omitting it would be a regrettable mistake. The quality of introducing foreign literary works hinges on the quality of the translation. The translator's responsibility is to provide a faithful rendering of the original work, using vivid language to eliminate reading barriers caused by different languages, allowing readers to appreciate and interpret the original as if they were reading it in their native tongue. For translators who accurately understand the original and skillfully express its content in their own language, readers will respect them as they would the original author. We are gratified that readers generally approve and are satisfied with the translations of the "Prose Translation Series." Introducing foreign literary works is one of the important ways of cultural exchange. Our selections reflect our discernment, appreciation level, and high standards of demand, and their significance extends beyond local cultural endeavors to become part of the global cultural construction system. We believe that with the continuous support of experts and readers, we can do our best to make our work as excellent as possible.