Dutch translators talk of work on 'A Dream of Red Mansions'

Three Dutch translators shared the challenges and revelations of an epic project they worked on during a captivating lecture on Thursday at the Sinan Literary Home.

The subject of their discourse was no ordinary tome; it was the inaugural complete Dutch rendition of "A Dream of Red Mansions (De droom van de rode kamer)," a monumental work of Chinese literature. The exhaustive translation encompasses all 120 chapters was published in the Netherlands in November 2021.

More than a significant academic contribution, "the book is meant for general Dutch readers as we have found that the Chinese classic is so much loved by the Chinese that it is read by many, and some may read it even more than once at different stages of their life," said Anne Sytske Keijser, a Dutch translator who holds a faculty position at the prestigious Institute of Sinology at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

"My students who had been taking part in the reading course actually found the story quite romantic," Keijser said and also recalled her first encounter with the book in Chinese in the 1980s when she was a student at Xiamen University.

"It's a book you need a bit of push to hang on reading, but the real engagement begins after the eighth chapter."

Silvia Marijnissen, who sat beside her at the lecture, agreed.

"'A Dream of Red Mansions' is basically a love story or stories. Each one is different," said Marijnissen, who currently serves as an editor for "Het Trage Vuur," a magazine for Chinese literature.

"Many of my readers find they can quite identify with the characters in the book because it basically says this is what life is, and you cannot always get what you want."

Penned by Cao Xueqin during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), "A Dream of Red Mansions" is revered for its nuanced depiction of 18th-century Chinese aristocracy's lifestyle and social stratification, as well as its profound psychological dissection of its characters.

The second edition of the book in the Dutch translation has sold out.

"That's a total of 4000 copies, which is really a bit of success in the Netherlands," Marijnissen said. "Paperbacks of the book are planned for the next edition, considering the cost of the hardcovers. We hope the Dutch version can reach a wider audience."

The translators also discussed the specific challenges they faced, such as cultural nuances and linguistic details. Keijser came to the lecture with some Chinese parasol tree leaves she picked up from the street of Shanghai, as she understood "Autumn arrives when yellowish green leaves are falling, which is the 秋意 (message from autumn)."

"Plants and flowers carry the cultural symbols and literary elements throughout 'A Dream of Red Mansions'," Keijser said. "Since the novel is so well researched and reviewed by generations of Chinese scholars, we find books specified on the plants, foods, clothes, architecture, and rituals described in 'A Dream of Red Mansions' from the library, which makes the translation a bit easier."

"The same with the details of women's attire at that time in China," Marijnissen said. "Thanks to the Internet these days, we can see pictures of what is what. We give the Dutch equivalent to what we do have in the Netherlands. As for those we don't, we created the specific terms; and we are happy about our choices."

Mark Leenhouts is a Dutch translator and writer who specializes in exploring the roots of Chinese literature. He collaborated with Keijser and Marijnissen on the translation of the 18th-century Chinese classic novel.

"We didn't divide the 120 chapters of the book among us," Leenhouts said. "Each chapter went through the hands of all three, which was done in a circular movement.

"Say we first started with six chapters each, and after finishing we exchanged the copies for a second and third reading for reviews and suggestions. After a complete translation of some 20 chapters, we would sit together for a big meeting to coordinate the wording and style, such as the naming of the things, or the rhyming of the poems."

Their collective effort was awarded the Filter Translation Prize in 2022, a testament to their mastery in rendering classic Chinese fiction into Dutch.

Leenhouts shared his admiration for the scene where Granny Liu visits the Grand Garden, reflecting on the stark contrast between her simple reality and the opulence she encounters.

"If Granny Liu is the real person in the novel, then the rest is fake, or Jia, which echoes with the surname of the highborn family."

In China, "A Dream of Red Mansions" is celebrated not only for its intricate narrative and character depth but also for its detailed observations on the culture, societal norms, and spiritual life of the time, making it a masterpiece of Chinese literature and an invaluable part of the world's cultural heritage.

The lecture concluded with each translator reading a passage from the Dutch version. Leenhouts chose the "Hao (won)-Liao (done) Song" by the Taoist, who appeared in Chapter One with advice on life: ... for in all the affairs of this world what is won is done, and what is done is won; for whoever has not yet done has not yet won, and in order to have won, one must have done.

"If you have noticed the 'woonde' and 'gedaan' sounds in the reading, then you must have sensed a bit of effort we have put into the process of translation," Leenhouts said.