唐弢《中国现代文学史》英译本考论

Research on English Version of TANG Tao’s History of Modern Chinese Literature

1993年,外文出版社出版的英译本History of Modern Chinese Literature,由唐弢主编的《中国现代文学史简编》翻译而成。为了适应海外读者的阅读需要,英译本对《中国现代文学史简编》进行了增删。一方面,它根据现代作家作品的海外传播情况,对《中国现代文学史简编》所述的作家作品群体进行了调整,删除了一批仅提及名字的作家作品,同时增加了海外传播较广的作家作品的评述;另一方面,又通过增加历史背景知识的注释,通过删去关于作家作品的某些思想性评述,力求叙述的平实稳妥。英译本对现代文学的起点、性质、基本主题及发展方向等的界定,没有超出简编本,但其内容上的调整、增删以及弱化思想观念对文学历史叙述的影响等述史实践,使其具有自己的独特性,为中国现代文学史的编纂和对外译介提供了有益的参考。

In 1993,the Foreign Languages Press published History of Modern Chinese Literature,which was translated from TANG Tao’s Concise History of Modern Chinese Literature.This English version has made some additions and deletions to its’Chinese version of Concise History of Modern Chinese Literature so that English readers may find it easier to understand.On the one hand,the English version has adjusted the name lists of modern Chinese writers and literary works,a large number of writers whose names are only mentioned in the Chinese version without further comments have disappeared in the English version,and at the same time,more details have been added to comments on writers who are famous overseas,on the other hand,the English version has supplemented various notes on the historical background of important literary events and also removed some ideological remarks.In this way,the English version has made many efforts to achieve a simple and appropriate tone.The definition of the starting point,nature,basic theme and development direction of modern literature in the English version is no more than that in the abbreviated version,but the practice of historical narration,such as the adjustment,addition and deletion of its content and weakening the influence of ideas on the narration of literary history,makes the English version unique.The English version provides a useful reference for the compilation and translation of the history of modern Chinese literature.