New chapters
China's emergence as a darling of the publishing industry was confirmed when it was invited to be present as the "Market Focus" at the London Book Fair last month.
As publishers were busy discussing ways to forge Anglo-Chinese publishing partnerships and extend operations into new markets, many delegates preferred to browse the remarkable range of China-related titles on offer, attending book readings and panels hosted by a series of high-profile writers.
In many respects events such as these are evidence of the breadth of opportunity publishers are now presented with when it comes to China titles. If When China Rules the World proved the zenith of popular economic and geopolitical writing on the country, last year's parenting guide Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua showed that there is a market for broader cultural titles related to China.
The book caused mild media frenzy upon release for Chua's controversial approach to parenting, and has reportedly sold over a million copies worldwide. It was also indicative of this wider range of China-related titles enjoying mainstream success.
One such title is Julia Lovell's The Opium War, a work of history that reappraises the impact of the opium wars on attitudes in China today. It is the sort of the book that even 10 years ago might have struggled to achieve a popular readership, but today enjoys a wide circulation.
Lovell presented a panel at the London Book Fair in her role as a champion of Chinese literature. She has translated a series of works, including Lu Xun's short stories, and is finding that interest in Chinese literature is catching up with the longer-standing interest in China's economic rise.
"In the UK now we have quite a lot of access to economic and political stories about China, and they generally focus on the big headlines and the big trends in the country," Lovell says.
"I think that reading literature is a very useful companion source on China. These big stories we hear about tend to not be about individuals. They tend to be about the country as a whole."
"Literature by its very essence is a human, individual endeavor. It is one person's individual response to their set of circumstances. So by reading literature you are by definition grounding yourself in very individual stories."
It is the job of Marysia Juszczakiewicz, founder of the Hong Kong-based Peony Literary Agency, to seek out the stories from China that might appeal to a Western market.
"The main focus of what I do is try to find a diversity of voices from China in stories," says Juszczakiewicz. "I am looking for good stories that can cross cultural boundaries. Something that is universal in its emotional appeal and in the way the characters are formulated."
Chinese novelists are enjoying a wider audience than ever before. Jiang Rong's Wolf Totem, perhaps the most famous, enjoyed popular success globally. Penguin Books paid $100,000 for the worldwide English-language rights, a record at the time for a Chinese novel.
Juszczakiewicz, however, wants to move away from the grand historical narratives that have tended to define Chinese novels that have won an overseas following. Wolf Totem, like many, is set during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), but Juszczakiewicz argues that it is important to show the world more of modern China through literature.
"There have been a lot of stories about these big historical sagas centered on the 'cultural revolution'. I don't think people realize quite how diverse the voices are. Of course not everything can be translated, but I try to translate as much as I can.
"For example my next author who is coming through is Han Han, who has a tremendous amount of publicity in China. It will be interesting to see how he's received in the English language. I think he will do very well and it will be really interesting for the West to read about how someone in the late 20s perceives modern China."
Juszczakiewicz's efforts in promoting Chinese literature abroad have not gone unnoticed. One of her writers, Su Tong, won the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2009 for his avant garde novel, The Boat to Redemption.
David Parker, chair director of the Man Asian Literary Prize, says: "As Asia - and China, especially - have become the world's primary engine of economic growth, the West has become naturally fascinated by the region and feels a need to understand it better.
"Part of the fascination is sheer curiosity and I think fascination with the country often leads to fascination with the writing. People in the West can often have superficial media-created images of China and Asia that often just recycle stereotypes. Nothing undermines these stereotypes more effectively than the best novels when they promote real understanding."
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