Editor's Foreword to An Outline History of Taiwan Literature

Kuo-ch'ing Tu

Yeh Shih-t'ao (1925-2008) was an outstanding Taiwanesenovelist, literary critic and historian of Taiwan literature. In the history of the development of contemporary Taiwan literature he occupies an incomparably important position. After his death in December 2008, a special issue devoted to his work was publishedin Issue #25 of Taiwan Literature: English Translation Series (hereafter TLETS ) (July 2009). In the foreword to that issue I introduced his accomplishments as a way of expressing my reverence and grief. We have included that foreword in this book for the reference of our readers. As a literary historian, Yeh's magnum opus is An Outline History of Taiwan Literature (hereafter Outline). It is a comprehensive account that treats the subject of Taiwan literature from the perspective of Taiwan. Although it is only an outline, the book has very special significance in the history of Taiwan literature because it describes that history from the point of view of the people of Taiwan as I have discussed in my introduction to this book entitled, “From ‘Regionalism’ to ‘Nativism’ : An Introduction to the English Translation of Yeh Shih-t'ao's Taiwan Wenxue Shigang (An Outline History of Taiwan Literature).”(December 2009)

There are three editions of this book:

1) The February 1987 first edition of Outline published by Literary World Magazine (Wenxuejie zazhishe 文學界雜誌社), originally 179 pages with a 172 page appendix by Lin Ruiming entitled, “A Chronology of Taiwan Literature” (pp. 181-352), making a total of 352 pages.
2) The November 2000 Japanese translation entitled A History of Taiwan Literature (Taiwan bungakushi 台湾文学史) published by Kenbun Publishers (Tokyo) 305 pages, including detailed notes and explanations by translators Nakajima Toshio and Sawai Noriyuki which contribute an additional 120 pages. There is also an index of 20 pages.
3) The September 2010 annotated edition of Outline issued by Spring Sunlight Publishers (Chunhui chubanshe 春暉出版社) with collation and Chinese translation of the Japanese language edition annotations by Peng Hsuan. This edition included Peng Jui-chin’s newly edited “Literary Chronology of Yeh Shih-t’ao’s An Outline History of Taiwan Literature” constituting an extra 152 pages (pp. 288-339), for a total of 339 pages.

There are things about the close relationship between these three editions of Outline and the process of planning and publishing this English translation that must be clarified. Although the original text of this book was only 179 pages, it touches upon is a broad spectrum of historical material, includes reference to a large number of authors, along with a huge number of their works, and it employs very concise language in its critical discussion, therefore translating the text into English is no simple task. It is not something that a single individual could hope to successfully achieve. Over time, as we progressed from the planning stages of the English translation to its publication, there have been many twists and turns. It is not possible to give a full description here, but I would like to offer a simple explanation below.

Considering that Outline is an important medium through which foreign scholars can gain an understanding of the development of Taiwan literature, there was considerable value in producing an English translation. I always had hoped to see an English version of this book and encouraged Professor Christopher Lupke to take up the challenge of translating it.

In 2004, Prof. Lupke began his translation. However, when he sent me his first draft in August of 2006 it had many mistakes and omissions. It was incomplete and could not be published. This was especially true of Chapter One concerning the transplantation of the traditional classical Chinese literature, along with the footnotes and annotations in Japanese. For this reason, there was no alternative but for me and Robert Backus, then English language editor of TLETS, to go over Lupke’s text line-by-line to make corrections to the translation. In 2013, because he wished to use it in support of his review for promotion at his university, Prof. Lupke requested that I send the revised manuscript to him. After I did so, I never heard from him again. I never imagined that in 2019, he would use the revised manuscript without any notification to me, and got the book published by Cambria Press in the United States with himself as the sole translator and with financial support from the National Museum of Taiwan Literature. This is how Prof. Lupke described the process in the “Acknowledgements” of that book:

That Ye Shitao was willing to publish this in book form in 1987 was a true statement to his indomitable faith in the literature of Taiwan. Seventeen years later, Dr. Kuo-ch’ing Tu, Lai Ho and Wu Cho-liu Endowed Chair in Taiwan Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, encouraged me to translate Ye Shitao’s book, and I am grateful to him for this crucial nudge. I did indeed translate the work as well as the voluminous notes to the Japanese translation, produced by Nakajima Toshirō (sic) and Sawai Noriyuki. Dr. Tu and the late Dr. Robert L. Backus read through and offered numerous suggestions for the revision of my translation, saving me from countless blunders as I traversed this vast landscape of literary history. For a variety of reasons that can be subsumed under the general rubricof life intervening at every step, the publication of the translation has languished for more than ten years. (ix-x)

In his acknowledgements, Prof. Lupke reveals that, “For a variety of reasons that can be subsumed under the general rubric of life intervening at every step, the publication of the translation has languished for more than ten years.” This statement is equivocal at best. After he submitted his first draft to me in 2006, he had no practical role in the work of revision at all. Also, according to this explanation, Lupke began work on the translation of the book in 2004 and submitted a first draft in August of 2006. He does not indicate which edition he was working with. In fact, it should have been based on the first edition of February 1987 and the November 2000 Japanese translation. Thus, following the Japanese edition, these translation notes and explanations were added at the end of each chapter as endnotes.

The Cambria Press English translation identifies Christopher Lupke as the sole translator, but in fact this is not the case. Although in his acknowledgements he makes special reference to the encouragement that Robert Backus and I gave him to translate Yeh Shih-t’ao’s book. He neglects to recall that I once advised him that the publication of the English translation of the book could only be completed through the joint efforts of three translators and would be published by the US-Taiwan Literature Foundation. He also did not respond to my suggestions and ultimately, without any advance consultation with me, published the book with himself as the lone translator.

Now that Cambria Press has issued Outline as A History of Taiwan Literature by Ye Shitao, translated by Christopher Lupke in March 2020, is there really any necessity of publishing another version of the same text? After giving the question much thought, I have answered in the affirmative and decided to publish the text completed by Robert Backus and me. The September 2010 edition of Outline with annotations by Peng Hsuan replaces the endnotesin the original with footnotes at the bottom of the same page. For that reason, in the process of revising the English translation I decided to change all of the endnotes in the first draft into footnotes so that the reader would be able to read the relevant material and explanations on the same page. This is a distinctive characteristic of this version of the English translation. We cannot ignore the work that Prof. Lupke put into the first draft of the translation, but apart from expressing our thanks to him, we must especially extend our gratitude to the author, Yeh Shih-t’ao, who, before his death, granted me permission to make an English translation of his book. We also give thanks to Nakajima Toshio and Sawai Noriyuki, whose Japanese language translator’s notes and explanations make up two thirds of the translated text, for giving me English translation rights. Furthermore, it is because of a sense of personal obligation to Yeh Shih-t’ao and Robert Backus that I have a heart-felt desire to complete and publish this book as soon as possible. I would like to offer it to the author and the late translator in order to give comfort to their souls in Heaven.

When Yeh Shih-t’ao published this book he personally sent me a copy, at the same time happily giving me permission to translate the text into English. It goes without saying that he trusted me and had expectations of me. Robert Backus was responsible for editing the TLETS journal for eighteen years (1996-2014). His understanding and appreciation of Taiwan literature shared in the spirit of Yeh Shih-t’ao’s now-famous view that“literature belongs to the land.” That is to say, the literary work of Taiwanese writers springs from shoots growing from that piece of land that is Taiwan. It was also Robert’s wish that the readers of the world could gain a better understanding of Taiwan through literary work. To put it another way, he wanted the creative soul of Taiwan’s authors and the spirit of Taiwan literature, wherever it might be found, to receive a sympathetic response from the readers of the world. I fondly remember his passionate support for the English translation of Taiwan literature and his selfless contributions over the years. After he passed away I wrote a poem to grieve for him.

A pioneer of Confucian studies of the Edo era
Your erudition your character your wisdom
Was entirely devoted to Taiwan literature for eighteen years
You took on the task of English editor giving of yourself quietly
Now finally, a smile on your face you have gone to meet with
Taiwan’s master authors whom you know so well

A modern Yan Hui you accepted your lot and took joy in the Way
The Way found in the voice of Heaven and people’s words in Taiwan letters
Moved you profoundly as it resounded
With your perception and tolerance of human behavior
Every word written of the authors of Taiwan
As it passed through your heart was irrigated again
To become sprouting seeds ready for sowing
In the hearts of the world’s English readers

In the process of creation every word every phrase
Is a cocoon of soulful thought congealed
One by one in immortal cocoons
That store the genius of Taiwan’s writers
Then, in that moment of contemplative reading
Springs from its cocoons to soar aloft
In the sky of the reader’s heart.

After Robert Backus passed away, Terence Russell assumed responsibility for the English editing of TLETS. The comradeship that he gives me as he devotes so much time and energy to editingthe English translations has been tremendously encouraging. In 2019 and 2021, as the production of this book entered its final stages, he revised the manuscript of the translation one more time from beginning to end and also assisted with final production details. I am extremely grateful for all the selfless labor that he has devoted to the book as its editor.

In the ten years during which this book has undergone scholarly refinement, more than a dozen people have assisted in the work of research, including Anna Lin, Marco Lam, Cheng Lai Kuen, Linshan Jiang, Bella Chen, Zachary Belgum, and others. Translator Sue Wiles has assisted with checking the translation. Several assistants in the Center for Taiwan Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, past and present, including Karen Doehner, Heather Weitzel, Angela Borda, and Raelynn Moy have also generously contributed their help. Now that this book is finally being published, all of their efforts will not be in vain. Despite all these efforts, it is almost inevitable that there will be mistakes in the text, and for these we beg the reader’s understanding and forgiveness.

With the publication of this book, one of the missions of the US-Taiwan Literature Foundation has been completed. For this I sincerely appreciate the collaboration and support of National Taiwan University Press, especially that of Editor-in-Chief Tang Shih-chu, and executive editor Yen Chia-yun. I consider the English translation of Yeh Shih-t’ao’s Outline to be my personal tribute, not just to Yeh himself, but to all the authors and scholars of Taiwan. Together we will forever share the path of promotingthe English translation of Taiwan literature, and I offer my heartfelt gratitude to them for giving me their trust, support and assistance.

Editor's Foreword to An Outline History of Taiwan Literature

Kuo-ch'ing Tu

Yeh Shih-t'ao (1925-2008) was an outstanding Taiwanesenovelist, literary critic and historian of Taiwan literature. In the history of the development of contemporary Taiwan literature he occupies an incomparably important position. After his death in December 2008, a special issue devoted to his work was publishedin Issue #25 of Taiwan Literature: English Translation Series (hereafter TLETS ) (July 2009). In the for...

《台灣文學史綱》英譯本前言

杜國清（美國聖塔芭芭拉加州大學東亞語言文化研究系榮譽教授）

葉石濤（1925-2008）是台灣傑出的小説家、文學批評家、和台灣文學史家，在近代台灣文學發展史上具有無比重要的地位。2008年12月去世之後，《台灣文學英譯叢刊》在2009年7月出版了他的專輯（25集），我寫了一篇「卷頭語」，介紹他的生平和作品的成就，藉以表示尊崇和悼念。這篇文章收錄在這本書中，以供讀者參照。作爲文學史家，他的巨著當推《台灣文學史綱》。這是以台灣的觀點所闡述的第一本通史。雖然只是綱要，這本書在台灣文學史上，具有特殊的意義，主要在於以台灣人的觀點詮釋台灣文學的歷史發展，亦即文中所闡述的，〈從「鄉土」到「本土」：以土地為依歸的台灣文學史觀〉（2009年7月）。

《台灣文學史綱》的版本，有以下三種：

1）1987年2月初版《台灣文學史綱》（文學界雜誌社），本文180頁，附有林瑞明編〈台灣文學史年表〉172頁（181-352），總共352 頁。
2）2000年11月日文譯本《台灣文學史》（東京研文出版社），305頁，包括譯者中島利郎和澤井律之附加詳細的「譯註」和「解説」，120頁，以及「索引」20頁。
3）2010年9月註解版《台灣文學史綱》（春暉出版社），彭萱漢譯及校釋「日譯本註解」，附有彭瑞金新編〈葉石濤《台灣文學史綱》文學年表〉152頁（288-339），總共339頁。

《台灣文學史綱》的這三種版本，與學界殷殷期待的英譯本的計劃和出版過程息息相關，有必要加以釐清。該書雖然本文只有179頁，由於史料涉獵頗廣，作家人數衆多，作品數量龐大，評論言簡意賅，要翻譯成英文，談何容易，更非一人所能克竟其功。英譯本，從計劃到出版，這期間的進展，一波三折，説來話長，簡單説明如下：

鑒於《台灣文學史綱》作爲外國學者瞭解台灣文學的發展的重要渠道，翻譯成英文具有重大意義，我一直希望能看到這本書的英文翻譯，也曾鼓勵陸敬思（Christopher Lupke）教授考慮翻譯這本書。

2004年陸教授開始著手翻譯，可是，2006年8月他寄來的初稿有許多錯誤和遺漏，是不完整、不能出版的，尤其是第一章關於傳統舊文學的移植和日譯本的日文註解，因此不得不由《台灣文學英譯叢刊》的編輯拔苦子和我，從頭到尾，一字一句加以核對、糾誤和補譯。2013年7月，陸敬思教授爲了大學升遷的需要，要求我將修訂稿寄給他，從此一無下文。

沒想到，他竟利用這份修訂稿在我完全沒被告知的情況下，於2019年在國立台灣文學舘的贊助下，以他本人為唯一譯者的名義，交由美國Cambria出版社出版。其間的過程，見該書“Acknowledgements”。

在致謝中，譯者陸敬思做了如下的説明：

葉石濤在1987年願意出版這本書，是他對台灣文學具有不屈不撓的信心的真實聲明。十七年後，聖塔芭芭拉加州大學賴和吳濁流台灣研究講座教授杜國清博士鼓勵我翻譯葉石濤這本書，我為這一關鍵的推動感謝他。我確實翻譯了這本書以及中島利郎和澤井律之所提供的日譯本大量的附註。杜博士以及已故拔苦子博士閲讀我的全部翻譯，而且提供無數修訂的建議，免得我犯了無數錯誤，當我遍歷文學史這一浩瀚的地景。由於種種理由，一般而言，不外乎人生中難免步步受到干擾，因此這本書的出版，折騰了十多年。

陸教授在感謝詞中透露，「由於種種理由，一般而言，不外乎人生中難免步步受到干擾，因此這本書的出版，折騰了十多年。」這種説法是，含糊其辭，只因他在2006年提交初稿之後完全沒有參與實際的修訂工作。根據這段説明，陸教授開始著手翻譯這本書，是在2004年，提交初稿是在2006年8月，所根據的版本，他沒有説明，照理該是1987年2月原著的初版和2000年11月的日文譯本。因此，依照日譯本，「譯註」和「解説」是附在每章後面的「尾註」（endnotes）。Cambria Press的英譯本，以陸敬思為唯一的譯者，而事實並非如此，雖然他在誌謝中，特別提到拔苦子和我鼓勵他翻譯葉石濤這本書。平心而論，這本書的英譯出版，我曾跟他説明，應該是由譯者三人合作才能完成，而且將由美國台灣文學基金會出版。他對我的建議沒有回應，竟而未經與我商議，就以譯者一人的名義出版。

既然2020年3月Cambria Press出版了陸敬思一人翻譯的A History of Taiwan Literature by Yeh Shit’ao，是否還有必要再出另一版本？再三思考之後，我還是決定出版以拔苦子和我合作完成的這一版本。2010年9月出版的彭萱註解版《台灣文學史綱》，將「尾註」改成「脚註」（footnotes）附在同頁的下面。因此，在修訂的過程中，我決定將英譯本初稿的「尾註」全部改成「脚註」，以便讀者在同一頁閲讀相關的資料和解説，成爲這一英譯版本的不同特色。

對陸敬思教授當初提交翻譯初稿的辛勞，除了表達謝意之外，承作者葉石濤生前授權翻譯此書，並承日文版譯者中島利郎和澤井律之同意英譯占原書文本三分之二篇幅的日文「譯註」和「解説」，在此特別表示感謝。進而言之，基於我與葉石濤和拔苦子的人情義理，我的心願始終是希望早日完成出版這本書，獻給作者和譯者，以慰兩位在天之靈。

葉石濤出版這本書時，就親送一本給我，還欣然同意將此書翻成英文，他對我的信賴與期待不言而喻。拔苦子擔任叢刊的英文編輯十八年（1996-2014），他對台灣文學的瞭解和欣賞，在精神上與葉石濤以土地為依歸的文學史觀，是一脈相通的；一言以蔽之，都是爲了在台灣這塊土地上萌芽生根的文學作品，能夠讓世界的讀者更加瞭解。換句話説，透過文學作品，讓台灣作家的創作靈魂，道之所在，所呈現的台灣文學的精神面貌，能夠獲得世界讀者的共鳴。感念他對台灣文學英譯的熱愛支持和無私奉獻，在他去世後我曾寫了一首詩悼念他。

日本江戶時期儒學研究的先驅
您的學識　您的人格　您的智慧
全然獻給台灣文學　十八年
擔任英文編輯　默默付出
終於帶著微笑　去會見
您熟識的　台灣作家先賢

一位現代顏回　安貧樂道
道　就在台灣文學的天聲人語
讓您深為感動　迴響著
您對人性善惡的智慮和寬容
台灣作家　所寫的每個字
經過您的心血　一再滋潤
成為萌芽的種子　散播在
世界英文讀者的心中

在創作過程　每個詞句
都是神思凝成的繭
一顆顆　不死的繭
宿藏著台灣作家的精靈
在閱讀沉思的瞬間
破繭而出　翩翩飛翔
在讀者心中的天空

在拔苦子去世之後繼任《台灣文學英譯叢刊》英文編輯的羅德仁教授，以台灣文學英譯為志業傾力相助的情誼，給予我莫大的鼓勵。他為這本書的最後階段，在2019和2021年還將譯稿從頭到尾審訂一遍，並協助有關出版的作業細節，那種盡心盡力不計功利的無私奉獻，十分令我感激。

爲這本書，在十年磨一劍治學功夫的修練過程中，前後參與的研究助理，多達十數人，包括Anna Lin、Marco Lam、Cheng Lai Kuen、Linshan Jiang、Bella Chen、Zachary Belgum等，翻譯家Sue Wiles也曾協助審閲譯稿，聖塔芭芭拉加州大學台灣研究中心的歷任助理，包括Karen Doehner、HeatherWeitzel、Angela Borda、Raelynn Moy，也都積極給與協助。這本書終於出版，使他們的功勞不至於白費，儘管可能的錯誤，在所難免，尚請讀者涵諒。

這本書終於能夠出版，完成美國台灣文學基金會的一項重要使命，不能不感謝臺大出版中心的合作，尤其是湯世鑄總編的支持和嚴嘉雲執行編輯的竭力協助。這本書也是我對台灣作家與學者的獻禮，在共同推展台灣文學英譯道上，一路相陪，對他們給與我的信任、扶持和協助，在此謹致衷心的感謝。

《台灣文學史綱》英譯本前言

杜國清（美國聖塔芭芭拉加州大學東亞語言文化研究系榮譽教授）

葉石濤（1925-2008）是台灣傑出的小説家、文學批評家、和台灣文學史家，在近代台灣文學發展史上具有無比重要的地位。2008年12月去世之後，《台灣文學英譯叢刊》在2009年7月出版了他的專輯（25集），我寫了一篇「卷頭語」，介紹他的生平和作品的成就，藉以表示尊崇和悼念。這篇文章收錄在這本書中，以供讀者參照。作爲文學史家，他的巨著當推《台灣文學史綱》。這是以台灣的觀點所闡述的第一本通史。雖然只是綱要，這本書在台灣文學史上，具有...

Editor's Foreword to An Outline History of Taiwan Literature / Kuo-ch'ing Tu
《台灣文學史綱》英譯本前言╱杜國清

Editorial Notes

From “Regionalism” to “Nativism”: An Introduction to the English Translation of Yeh Shih-t'ao's Taiwan Wenxue Shigang (An Outline History of Taiwan Literature) / Kuo-ch'ing Tu

An Outline History of Taiwan Literature
Yeh Shih-t'ao's Original Preface
Chapter One　Transplantation of the Old Traditional Literature
Chapter Two　The Advent of the New Taiwan Literature Movement
Chapter Three　Taiwan Literature in the 1940s: Those Who Sowed with Tears Shall Reap with Shouts of Joy!
Chapter Four　Taiwan Literature of the 1950s: The Frustrations and the Decline of Idealism
Chapter Five　Taiwan Literature of the 1960s: Rootlessness and Exile
Chapter Six　Taiwan Literature in the 1970s: Regionalism or Human Nature?
Chapter Seven　Taiwan Literature in the 1980s: Toward a Freer, and More Tolerant, More Diverse Society
Notes
Index

About the Translators
About the Editor
About the Commentator

Editor's Foreword to An Outline History of Taiwan Literature / Kuo-ch'ing Tu
《台灣文學史綱》英譯本前言╱杜國清

Editorial Notes

From “Regionalism” to “Nativism”: An Introduction to the English Translation of Yeh Shih-t'ao's Taiwan Wenxue Shigang (An Outline History of Taiwan Literature) / Kuo-ch'ing Tu

An Outline History of Taiwan Literature
Yeh Shih-t'ao's Original Preface
Chapter One　Transplantation of the Old Traditional Literature
Chapter Two　The Advent of the New Taiwan L...