BEIJING, Octt. 14 -- Herta Muller, winner of the 2009 Nobel prize for literature, has caught publishing houses in the Chinese mainland unawares - none of the books of the new Nobel laureate have yet been translated and published.
But they are reacting fast. Within a week of the unveiling of the prestigious prize, three of the nation's leading publishing houses engaged in translating foreign literature, are gearing up for action.
Nanjing-based Yilin Press, Beijing-based People's Literature Publishing House, and Shanghai Translation Publishing House have expressed interest in purchasing the copyright, despite having little expectation from the market.
"Personally, I don't expect high sales for Muller in China," says Liu Feng, chief editor of Yilin Press. "This is because on the one hand, the domestic market for literary publications is quite limited; on the other, Muller's theme and style are not popular given the interest of Chinese readers."
"There is a certain likeness with ancient Chinese poetry in Muller," says Li Yiqiong, the first and only Muller translator on the Chinese mainland. "It takes time to savor the profundity of her language."
Ouyang Tao, of the People's Literature Publishing House, believes Muller follows the tradition of German literature with her "serious introspection and metaphysical discussion".
But given the fast pace of life in China, readers favor reading that is light, dramatic and easy.
Despite his reservations, though, Liu does acknowledge the driving force of the prize on marketing and sales.
"The most illustrative example is J. M. Coetzee. We had already published his Disgrace before he won the Nobel Prize in 2003 and saw a meager sales number of 5,000 copies. But the number rocketed to 70,000 shortly after he became the Nobel laureate."
However, not all Nobel laureates are success stories. For instance, Le Clezio's War was a debacle even after he was awarded the prize in 2008.
Liu points out that the influence of the prize on reader response is diminishing, owing to increasingly diversified tastes.
Shi Lingkong, chief editor of Shanghai Translation Publishing House, agrees.
"Many of the recent Nobel laureates are not popular writers. Readers want to have a look at their writings only out of curiosity."
Publishing professionals concur and say that for translations of foreign literature, a sale figure of 10,000 is considered decent. By this standard, the case of Orhan Pamuk, the 2006 Turkish Nobel laureate, is tantamount to a miracle - more than 300,000 copies of just My Name Is Red have been sold.
Yao Yingran, deputy chief editor of Horizon Media, attributes the book's success to Pamuk's unique style rather than the influence of the prize.
"Pamuk sells well because he is a brilliant storyteller, with an innovative narrative perspective and structure. And Pamuk's story is set in a rapidly modernizing oriental nation, similar to situations here in China, something with which Chinese readers identify."
(Source: China Daily)
