New translation

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
By LUO GUANZHONG
Translated by Martin Palmer
Category: Fiction Classics | Nonfiction Classics | Historical Fiction | Asian World History
Paperback
Sep 11, 2018 | 672 Pages
ABOUT THE ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS
A new translation and abridgement of one of the four classical Chinese novels – an epic story of warring factions in the era of China’s Han dynasty
Written more than six centuries ago and still read by millions throughtout Asia today, The Romance of Three Kingdoms is an epic Chinese novel set during the Han dynasty that dramatizes the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, recounting their personal and military battles, intrigues, and struggles to achieve dominance for almost 100 years. Part historical record and part legend, the novel covers the turbulent final years of the Han dynasty when China broke into three competing kingdoms, and delves into the politics of war, power, and diplomacy, causing it to be viewed not just as a great work of literature, but also as a guide for success in business and leadership. The most famous historical novel in China, it has inspired countless adaptations worldwide and remains one of the most beloved works of East Asian literature.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Paperback | $16.00
Published by Penguin Classics
Sep 11, 2018 | 672 Pages | 5-1/16 x 7-3/4 | ISBN 9780241332771
Chinese classic gets new English translation
By BO LEUNG | China Daily | Updated: 2018-08-17 07:45

Martin Palmer has translated the Chinese classic, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. [Photo provided to China Daily]
A new translation of the celebrated historical epic, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, has been completed.
The novel, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is based on real-life historical figures and events. The story dramatizes the lives of feudal lords and their retainers toward the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).
Martin Palmer, whose work includes the English adaptations of The Book of Chuang Tzu and The Most Venerable Book, was tasked with translating the Chinese classic.
“The reason why it’s such an amazing novel is not so much the descriptions of the battles, but it is the personalities and the way Luo makes these figures come alive,” Palmer says. “What I wanted to do was capture the intrigue, the plots and the narrative.”
Part historical, part legend and part mythical, the novel comprises more than 800,000 words, more than 1,100 characters and 120 chapters.
For Palmer to translate and abridge one of the greatest classic Chinese novels, filled with complex stories and characters, was an ambitious project.
He had to cut down the hundreds of minor characters as well as sub-plots, repetitions and minor incidents from the original and transform it into one seamless narrative.
“I had to decide what the absolutely central moments in the novel are, as they needed to be translated in full,” Palmer says.
He says translating the poetry was also a challenge.
“Almost every chapter has poetry and every so often you come across these amazing poems by great poets,” Palmer says. “I relied upon a poet friend of mine, Jay Ramsay, who worked with me to translate them.”
Luo’s epic novel has also been compared to the works of William Shakespeare, such as Richard III and Henry IV.
Palmer is director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture and secretary-general of the Alliance of Regions and Conservation. It took him three years to complete the translation of the book, which he did in his spare time.
Palmer says that, as more people are taking an interest in China, Chinese culture is becoming more popular.
“Chinese novels, such as Legends of the Condor Heroes by Louis Cha (Jin Yong), have sparked interest from people, who are now looking at earlier books,” he adds.
Palmer is currently working on a new translation of another Chinese classic, The Water Margin, and hopes to work on Shijing-also known as the Book of Songs-which has a collection of Chinese poetry.
Cool. I’ve been thinking about re-reading this soon.