Chapter 23 Section 2 Writing and Translation

1. Ya Dou In September 1946, I was at Yaddo.Ya Dou is a large garden in New York Province, USA, with more than 10,000 mu of land.There are pine forests, small lakes, rose gardens, pavilions, and single study rooms scattered under the shade of pine trees in the garden.This garden was originally private property.The owner of the garden is a rich man, but he likes art.After his death, the heirs organized a committee to use the garden as a place for entertaining artists to create.It started in 1926 and has hosted more than 500 artists.During the reception period, the guest's board and lodging will be provided by the garden.

The garden is beautiful and the place is quiet.This is indeed a good place to create with peace of mind.When I was invited to stay for a month, Smedley was writing the biography of Commander-in-Chief Zhu De there. After breakfast, the guests went to work in the small study in the shade.People visiting the garden are not allowed to come near the study, and guests are not allowed to gather together to chat.At four o'clock in the afternoon, the work stopped, and the guests came to one place to play ball, take a walk, or row a boat.After dinner, everyone chatted together, played chess, danced, or drank a little wine.In this way, I can see Smedley almost every month.

Once, we went to eat in the city, (Yato Garden is two miles away from the city, you can walk slowly) and saw two black men, a man and a woman, sitting at the next table.After sitting for twenty minutes, no one greeted them.The woman was extremely disturbed and wanted to go out, but the man refused.Smedley went over and let them come to our table, and at the same time called the waiter to ask why the blacks were not served.That day, a certain progressive trade union was holding an annual meeting in the city, and she was prepared that if the waiter spoke badly, she would immediately go to the workers' representatives at the meeting to ask the teacher.Fortunately, seeing her stern voice, the waiter bowed his head in front of her; otherwise, there would be some accidents that day.

When I was in Yadou, I talked to her about the poverty of domestic literary and art writers at that time.She immediately taught me to draft a letter, and she typed up as many copies as she sent to the progressive writers of America.As a result, I received donations of more than 1,400 yuan from everyone and deposited them in the bank.I couldn't remit the US dollars, so she wrote a letter to a friend who lived in Shanghai, instructing her to hand over the US dollars to the person in charge of the "Cultural Association" at that time.Her enthusiasm, willingness to suffer, and willingness to take responsibility are touching and grateful.

2. Late return ① -------- ① This section is an excerpt of Lao She's letters and phrases. For the convenience of reading, the letter format is omitted and the time is indicated.The same below. (To Gao Keyi on February 4, 1948) It's snowy in New York, it's been extremely cold this winter, and it's snowing again this morning! The "Fourth World" is almost finished, and I am not satisfied because of my bad mood. I am scheduled to return to China in mid-March, whether I can go back on time is unknown. (To Gao Keyi on March 4, 1948) I applied to extend my stay in the United States for another six months, but there was no reply; if I was not allowed, I would return to China soon.

3. Agent ① ①Lao She's first publishing agent was Hewitt Hertz.Mrs. Walsh mentioned here is the famous American writer Pearl Buck.She helped Lao She contact his new agent, David Lloyd.In her letter to Lloyd, Pearl S. Buck explained in detail the various problems in the translation and publication of Lao She’s works. The letter is as follows: Dear Mr. Lloyd: Mr. Shu Sheyu (the author of Lao She) is looking for a new agent.Right now Hewitt Hertz is his agent, but due to her heavy housework, she may have to reduce the amount of entrusted work, and may even give up this job.Mr. Shu asked us to recommend an agent for him, and I think you are an ideal candidate.Mr. Shu is very quiet and shy, and he is not used to the living environment here.

Currently, he is translating a novel called .His affairs are in disarray for the following reasons.Perhaps, I'd better give you a brief description of the crux of the problem first. The translator of his works, Evan King (pen name), translated without saying hello to him.Published by Reynolds & Hitchcock, as you probably know it, it was selected as "Book of the Month".But for a considerable period of time, Mr. Shu did not receive any remuneration.I suspect that at the time he may not have known that the book had worked so well, and may not have even known that the book had been published.Later, with the help of friends, he shared 50% of the copyright tax.

Last year, Lin Yutang's second daughter, Lin Taiyi, wanted to translate one of Mr. Shu's early novels, but because Johand didn't know that their move would conflict with Mr. Shu's publishing plan with Reynolds and Hitchcock, the idea was aborted.Meanwhile, Evan King took up translation while recovering from a serious illness after returning to China.At the beginning, the translation work seemed to be going smoothly, and he seemed to be very considerate of Mr. Shu.But later, to Mr. Shu's great dismay, he found that Evan King's translation deviated greatly from the original work in many important respects, and the ending was completely different from the original work.In fact, he was very dissatisfied with Ivan King's unauthorized changes in translation.Therefore, when he found out that Evan King was doing the same thing again, he felt intolerable about it and refused to acknowledge Evan King's work.Mr. Evan King became extremely rough and told Mr. Shu that he (Evan King) was entitled to all the royalties.He also said that, in his opinion, Mr. Shu's work would be worthless if he hadn't further improved the original work during the translation process.He also intimidated Mr. Shu through his lawyer.Mr. King is probably in Florida right now, or somewhere convalescing, but I don't think he'll ever be a good man again.Reynolds and Hitchcock had put a lot of pressure on Mr. Shu to publish a book, but of course they couldn't go ahead with it under the present circumstances.They also tried to find someone else to retranslate, but failed.During this period, Mr. Shu, together with Miss Ida Puard, began to translate another novel of his, since it became a joint investigation.They showed a translation of the first ten chapters of the book.As far as I know, Mr. Eugene Reynolds, who was in a fit of anger, said he didn't want to get into trouble while it was still up in the air.Therefore, Mr. Shu asked me if I would continue to translate. I have read their translations, and I think they are well translated, and the prospect of the book should be very good.Maybe you don’t need me to tell you that Mr. Shu is the most important writer in contemporary China, so I suggest that he and Ms. Ida Pu Aide continue to translate. In fact, they have made very good progress.In addition, in order for him to complete this work, I also helped Mr. Shu extend his visa.It is also very unsafe for him to return to China now, because he is a famous democrat. If he returns, he will not be killed, at least he will be arrested and put in prison.

I suggest that if you can accept Mr. Shu as your client as I hope, you should have a good talk about him.We should also see Mr Johnder, I think he deserves to be looked after, he is a little nervous and not good with words.Though Mr. Eugene Reynolds knew nothing of him, Mr. Johnder himself would uphold some of the strongest work ethic in the publishing world.Any changes should be consulted and approved by Mr. Shu. The above generally includes some main issues. After you talk with Mr. Shu, you will learn more about the situation in detail. yours sincerely Mrs Richard Walsh (To Lloyd, April 6, 1948)

Got a letter from Mrs. Walsh saying she would write to you for me.Could you please give me a call and arrange a time to meet. Four, translation (To Lloyd, May 4, 1948) Hewitt Hertz has resigned as publishing agent.I have appointed Mr. David Lloyd as publishing agent and entrusted him with all rights concerning this book.The copyright to this book does not belong to Reynolds and Hitchcock Publishing Company. (To Lloyd, April 22, 1948) As for the continuation of English translations of my novels, the only thing I am interested in is a novel I am currently translating with Miss Edward Pu.This is a novel with a length of one million Chinese characters. The first two parts have been published in Shanghai, and the third part is still being written. It is hoped that it will be released within two months.The book is about the events in Beijing during the eight-year Anti-Japanese War.Personally, I love this novel myself, as it is the longest and possibly the best book I have ever written.As for the English version, I think it is necessary to make some cuts, at least 200,000 characters.

So far I have not had an agreement with anyone for the publication of this book, although Mr. Amsen once made me sign a contract with Mr. Reynolds.If we can find someone else to publish, of course I'd be happy too. Miss Pu Aide was born in China.She has published two copyrighted books on China.She can't read Chinese, but she can understand it.I read the novel to her paragraph by paragraph, and she can translate it into English immediately, which is why I am very willing to work with her. However, she also has shortcomings.For example, in order to keep as much Chinese flavor as possible, she often makes English very incoherent.When I showed Miss Hertz the first ten chapters of the translation, she told me I'd better stop working with Miss Puard at once.She thought Miss Pu Ed's English was very strange, and she said that if I continued to translate with Miss Pu Ed, it would be necessary to ask a third party to polish the text.If that's the case, things get complicated.This is probably also the reason why Mr. Renault thinks it is too early to sign. I have consulted Mrs. Walsh on this matter.After reading the first ten chapters, she thought I could continue to work with Miss Puard.She also said that she enjoyed the story and that the textual issues could be dealt with by a competent editor. ① -------- ①The so-called "one million Chinese character novels" in this letter are Lao She's novels. (To Lloyd, July 16, 1948) I'm going to live in the country for a few days, and I'll be back on July 24th. After returning from the country, I will be able to finish the translation of my novel with Miss Pu Ed in two weeks' time. Could you speak to Miss Puard while I'm in the country?If I were to be present, I'm afraid she would have a lot to say. If she disagrees with the 15% share, we can give her 20%, how about respect? As for the short story, I don't think we should bother with it, since Miss Joan has received it three times.But what if we gave it to Harper or someone you know? -------- ① That is "Mr. Breeches", translated into English by Ross Joan. (To Lloyd, July 21, 1948) Mr. Amussen of Reynolds and Hitchcock has just returned from the country.There he spent three weeks reading it and making minor revisions.Yesterday he called to say that the book would be ready for publication in November 1948. I think Miss Puard's point is justified: it is very difficult for a translation to maintain its integrity if someone other than the translator intervenes.I agree with her to do the work to the end by herself, and give her a 25% share as remuneration according to her opinion. My level is limited, and I cannot comment on her writing style. It is a bit risky to completely rely on her now.But if a third party is asked to intervene, it will undoubtedly hurt her self-esteem. For a friend, I will never do this.So, let's stick with it, maybe our trust in her will give her more self-confidence. She's gone on vacation now, maybe ten days or so.I hope we can sign that agreement that you drafted and revised. I came back from the country last Monday, and I will go to the country to live in the country after August 4th.It was too hot to work in the city. Five, translation ① (July 30, 1948) One day, I discussed the issue with Ms. Guo② and Mr. Amussen. According to Mr. Amussen's suggestion, I spent two days making necessary revisions.Ms. Guo appreciates these changes and promises to translate them into English as soon as possible, and maybe deliver the translation to Mr. Amussen next month. I believe the novel is quite good after revision.I hope that Mr. Amussen can read the revised manuscript as soon as possible and hand it over to the publishing company within a few days. I think that if this book comes out as soon as possible, Ward's nonsense will be curbed to a large extent, and if it comes out before Ward's "rare book" comes out, then we will all be saved. After our book was published, he would never dare to challenge us with his falsified "rare book". -------- ①See the attached letter from Pearl Buck to Lloyd. ②Miss Guo, HellenKuo (Guo Hailun), Chinese name Guo Jingqiu, translator of . ③ Ward is Evan King, who is a pseudonym. (August 3, 1948) Tomorrow I'm going to Mrs. Walsh's farm for four or five days. I have written to my publisher in Shanghai, explaining to him the importance of re-registering the copyrights of all my books. I also spoke to Mr. Amussen on the phone and told him that I had received the English translation of the revised manuscript from Ms. Guo, and that Mr. Amussen was busy with the finishing touches for the publication.In this ugly Olympiad against Ward, I wish I could beat him. -------- ④Mr. Zhao Jiabi. (August 25, 1948) You are correct that the Chinese copyright issue of my work is going to be tricky.My agent in Shanghai just sent me the copyright registration number in China, don't know if that helps. In my opinion, Jin's argument is mainly based on two facts: first, there is no legal agreement on copyright protection between China and the United States; second, before I came to the United States, my copyright was in his hands.If he has the copyright, he can also have the copyright.I think we'd better find the contract and see if that's the case.It would be much better for us if the copyright registration was handled by the publishing company. ① -------- ①Ewen Jin is only a translator, not a publisher. If the copyright belongs to the publishing company, it will be beneficial to Lao She. 6. Trip to Hollywood (August 10, 1948) I'm flying to Los Angeles tomorrow to finalize the script for the movie. (August 19, 1948) Come back tomorrow night.When I left Hollywood, I didn't mention the compensation, because the other party bought me a round-trip ticket and paid the hotel bill, which totaled four hundred dollars.They wanted to know what I thought about the screenplay based on the novel. The script adapted by Hollywood professional screenwriters is really terrible.After I said my opinion, they are considering whether to hire another playwright or myself to adapt the novel. If they want me to do an adaptation, I'd love to sign them a contract, and of course I'll ask your opinion; but if they go to a playwright to do it, then we have nothing to say. (September 8, 1948) What Wang Hao did was really terrible.Originally, I was supposed to be invited to help him adapt his first screenplay, but Wang chose a Hollywood playwright.After spending all the 15,000 yuan script fee, I didn't think of me.It's time to invite me this time, he found another person.The problem is that all the money raised to start an independent studio isn't his, and he's spending so much money just to prove he's the boss.I figured that when he had spent all his money, he'd go off and get a good job in some big company. -------- ①WANGHOWE.Producer in charge. Unless they come to me again, I don't think we'll ever have to worry about that movie again.If they wanted me to read a second screenplay, I'd have to ask them for seven hundred and fifty dollars a week. 7. Writing and translation (To Lou Shiyi on February 9, 1949) It has been drafted and is being translated.That's why I haven't returned home yet.This book is very long, and the translator is not very good, so it will take time.If it can be done, I think: if I can get a few books translated, it will be a worthwhile trip. It’s not because America is comfortable that I don’t want to go back—this place is not comfortable for me! The translation has been published, and nine out of ten critics praise it, but the sales are poor!Anyway, , , , and three books were published in the United States; "Niu Tianci" was published in English (translated by Xiong Shiyi), and four books were printed abroad, so there is finally some explanation.If I hadn't waited for the translation of "Four Generations", I would have returned to China long ago. (To Gao Zhiyi on November 30, 1948) Half a year has been extremely busy and depressing! It has been published, and it has been well received, which is very strange! A copy will be sent within a few days as a Christmas gift, and pray for Huizheng! Movie things run aground, nothingdoing! Now I am writing a new novel①, and I will not leave New York for a while.When I finished writing, I wanted to go for a walk. -------- ① refers to. (October 21, 1948) I have finished four chapters of that new novel①, three of which have been handed over to Ms. Guo for translation.I would appreciate it if you could prepare us a 40/60 split contract.If I can keep up the 2,000-words-a-day pace (which is the case these days), I expect to be done by New Years. (November 15, 1948) Ms. Guo has already shown her agent the first three chapters of "Dagu" which she has translated.After reading it, I will give it to you, please hand over the manuscript to Mr. Amussen.Before you give it to Mr. Amussen, I hope you have a clear manuscript typed on a typewriter, so that it looks more formal. -------- ① Both refer to. ②Ibid. Regarding Ms. Guo and I signing a contract for the new book, except for her remuneration and rights stipulated in the contract, I don't think we will make any concessions, other than that, I have no other opinions. (November 19, 1948) My letter to Mr. Amussen today reads as follows: "I am so sorry that I am giving up all my work. After writing twelve chapters (about half of the book), I found it to be neither as good nor as interesting as I thought it would be. I think I It's better not to write. I'm very tired and need a good rest. "Ms. Guo's agent told Mr. Lloyd that she did not seem to be a very suitable translator. I can imagine that for a creative writer like Miss Guo, it would be difficult to translate other people's works. How difficult. "I'm terribly sorry for the way things have turned out. But, on the other hand, I'm glad to have a few days off." The reason I wrote to him was that we should not always keep silent since Miss Guo's agent told Mr. Amsen.My true intention in writing this letter is to show that I have no ill intentions towards Miss Guo.If Ms. Guo could happen to see or hear the content of this letter, she would be touched, because she always thought that we had been bargaining with her, but I didn't say a word about it in the letter.If Mr. Amussen thinks she has a right to share in our work, I have implied in my letter that no matter how great a translator she is, she will accomplish nothing if I stop writing. If you have a chance to talk to Mr. Amussen, or if he still insists that Ms. Guo should share the remuneration with us, please tell him: If she wants to get up to 40% of the remuneration, all of her will be lost. (November 26, 1948) I just had a candid conversation with Ms. Guo, and both of us agreed that she would share 40% of the author's remuneration including foreign language copyrights.Film and other (theatre, etc.) copyrights belong to me. She suggested that we sign the contract as soon as possible.I hope her attorney will consult with you on this matter soon so that an agreement can be reached as soon as possible. As for the fact that I wrote to Mr. Amussen that I had stopped writing, she said that it was easy to solve. We could select some translations of chapters and show Mr. Amussen first. She hopes to sign the contract between the author and the translator, and between the publisher as soon as possible, so that she can work hard with peace of mind, otherwise she will always feel uneasy. (December 4, 1948) According to Ms. Guo, the translation of three chapters of my new novel has been sent to Mr. Amussen.She had negotiated with Mr. Amussen that she would pay $1,000 in advance, and pay $250 each, in four installments.The money goes directly to her agent and is paid within four months from the date of the contract, which is the case. As for my advance payment, do as you think best, whether the fifteen hundred dollars is paid in one lump sum or in installments, I do not care. (December 30, 1948) Between me and the publishing company, there are still a few clauses that have not been negotiated in the contract about my new book. I think you will solve all this for me. Unfortunately, the translation of the three chapters of the novel is represented by Ms. Guo It was directly handed over to Mr. Amussen by the agent. Similarly, Miss Guo's advance payment of one thousand dollars was also arranged by the agent.I only found out about all of this after Ms. Guo told me.In fact, Ms. Guo's agent should have sent you the translated manuscripts of those three chapters first, and should have informed you of Ms. Guo's request for an advance payment, but he did not do so.That way, you might get the impression that I am responsible for this.I am writing you this letter to clarify this fact.If I told you the reason at that time, you would definitely be angry with Miss Guo and Watkins. In fact, I have always been very cautious and tried not to deal with Mr. Amsen and Mr. Reynolds, just so that you will not feel that I am interfering with you when you are negotiating with them for me.But I can't prevent Guo or Watkins from dealing directly with the publishing company.I've never dealt with both ends at the same time in the past though, hope that satisfies you. The drafts of the translation of the three chapters currently in the hands of the publishing company are the only clean drafts.I'm really embarrassed to ask Ms. Guo to type up another copy, because she typed all the manuscripts by herself. You know how delicate it is to deal with a woman. I hope our contract can be signed as soon as possible, because if Ms. Guo cannot see the signed contract and receive the advance payment, she will not be able to continue working. (January 31, 1949) Ms. Helen Guo is really a good driver.It took us three and a half days to get to Miami.The worst part of the road was on the highway in Georgia. It was not the police but a herd of cows standing in the middle of the road, and Ms. Guo didn't run over any of them! Miss Guo went to do her own work in the country, seven miles from Miami.I stayed at the Flagler Hotel, which is a small, clean hotel at a moderate price. It's warm here too, hopefully good for my legs. (February 9, 1949) I had a great time in Miami and am now back in New York.Unfortunately, my legs are not doing well and I really don't know what to do. I have a handicap, can you send me a check? (April 18, 1949) Thank you for your check for $112.50. In a day or two I'm probably going to be in the Bathur Essler hospital, maybe have an operation.After several visits by Dr. Diedrich, the leg problem became worse every day.This morning he said he was going to take me to Bathur Essler Hospital and I'll tell you if I need an operation or not when I get there. The first draft of the translation has been sent to me, and I want to read it before being hospitalized.Mr. Amussen also has a copy in his hand. After he reads it, I will discuss with him the places that need to be revised, and then it will be finalized. Have you sent the short story we promised to Harper to England? (August 18, 1949) Mr. Amussen has gone on holiday, and I think he must be watching. Next Monday at eleven o'clock in the morning, I want to see you with the draft of the third part.Tomorrow I will have one last consultation with Miss Puard. (September 12, 1949) Miss Puard and I spent a weekend at her brother's house in Philadelphia.While walking in the woods with her, I suddenly thought of a good title for the English version - "Yellow Storm", what do you think?I'm going to see Mr. Amsen on Thursday morning.I will tell you everything about it.