BEIJING - A popular magazine that translated foreign literature into Chinese has been shut down. According to a report in the Jinghua Times, Yi Wen, a serious literature translation magazine owned by the Shanghai Translation Publishing House, halted publication last week.
Yi Wen published its first issue in 2001. It had gathered a group of young scholars and renowned translators, and developed a reputation for high literature standards. In order to find more talented translators, it held a nation-wide translation competition for four consecutive years. Each year, first place in the competition remained unfilled due to the publication's high standards.
It's all over now, however. The magazine has ceased publication, apparently due to an increase in paper prices and management failures. Beijing News reporter Jiang Yan interviewed the vice chief editor of Yi Wen, Huang Yuning, however she refused to give an explanation.
The magazine has some loyal fans. Some readers have written that much of their foreign literature knowledge and information was gleaned from reading this magazine. One reader wrote: “Shanghai was the place where foreign literature translation originated and it had been so popular for years. Now there are tons of pop and fashion magazines, but there is no tiny space for a serious literature translation magazine. That’s so sad!”
The chief executive of Shanghai Translation Publishing House, Han Wei Dong, said earlier that shutting down the magazine was part of his management's strategy.
Yi Wen's history can actually be traced back to 1934. The literature hero Lu Xun and Mao Dun started the magazine in September that year; Lu Xun edited the first three issues himself. Then Huang Yuan became the chief editor. It stopped publishing in September of 1935, returned in March 1936, and stopped again in June 1937.
Yi Wen published its first issue in 2001. It had gathered a group of young scholars and renowned translators, and developed a reputation for high literature standards. In order to find more talented translators, it held a nation-wide translation competition for four consecutive years. Each year, first place in the competition remained unfilled due to the publication's high standards.
It's all over now, however. The magazine has ceased publication, apparently due to an increase in paper prices and management failures. Beijing News reporter Jiang Yan interviewed the vice chief editor of Yi Wen, Huang Yuning, however she refused to give an explanation.
The magazine has some loyal fans. Some readers have written that much of their foreign literature knowledge and information was gleaned from reading this magazine. One reader wrote: “Shanghai was the place where foreign literature translation originated and it had been so popular for years. Now there are tons of pop and fashion magazines, but there is no tiny space for a serious literature translation magazine. That’s so sad!”
The chief executive of Shanghai Translation Publishing House, Han Wei Dong, said earlier that shutting down the magazine was part of his management's strategy.
Yi Wen's history can actually be traced back to 1934. The literature hero Lu Xun and Mao Dun started the magazine in September that year; Lu Xun edited the first three issues himself. Then Huang Yuan became the chief editor. It stopped publishing in September of 1935, returned in March 1936, and stopped again in June 1937.
