MCLC: manuscripts of Qian Zhongshu

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: manuscripts of Qian Zhongshu
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Source: Global Times (7/27/14):
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/872830.shtml

‘Manuscripts of Qian Zhongshu’
Notes by famed writer allow a look into the mind of a master

By Li Jingjing Source:Global Times Published: 2014-7-27 18:43:01

Through works like A Town Besieged and The Marginalia of Life, the late
literature master Qian Zhongshu (1910-98) managed to leave an indelible
footprint on modern Chinese literature. While many admire the wisdom
embedded in his masterpieces, few know how this writer came to be such a
master. Now, with the publication of 211 of his notebooks containing a
total of more than 35,000 pages of his personal thoughts, we may finally
get a chance to see the tip of the iceberg of his genius.

An avid reader who spent more time reading than actually writing, Qian
took notes on and made comments about every book he read. Proficient in
multiple foreign languages - English, French, German, Italian, Latin,
Spanish and Greek - he was able to read books from all over the globe that
ranged from philosophy, linguistics, psychology and anthropology to
literature.

These copious notes have been kept safe by Qian's wife Yang Jiang, also an
influential writer in China in her own right. In 2000, Yang reached an
agreement with The Commercial Press to photocopy and publish these notes
in book form. TitledManuscripts of Qian Zhongshu, the first part of this
huge series Notes in Ronganguan, consisting of three volumes, was
published in 2003, while the second 20 volume set, Chinese Language Notes,
was published in 2011.

As for the remaining portion of Qian's notes, the largest and most
valuable section that records his thoughts on his readings in foreign
languages, these are set to be published in a set of 50 volumes titled
Foreign Language Notes, the first three volumes of which were already
published in June.

Keeping a record

"Many people say Qian was gifted with an extraordinary memory. However, he
didn't believe he was all that incredible. He merely loved reading, not
just reading, but also taking notes. He wouldn't read something just one
or two times, but three or four times, constantly adding new things to his
notes. That's the real reason why he never forgot all those books he
read," Yang, now 104 years old, wrote in the preface of Manuscripts.

As a youth, Qian attended Tsinghua University in China as well as Oxford
University over in England. After coming back to China, he returned to
Tsinghua to teach literature. According to Yang, his habit of taking notes
developed while he was reading in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.

Since the books in the library couldn't be removed from the premises nor
could any marks be made on the books themselves, Qian decided to write his
thoughts down in notebooks while he was reading.

Of course this method meant it took nearly twice the time than usual to
get through a single book. Yang explains in the preface that countless
books were constantly coming in and out of their home over the years, with
only these books of notes Qian's only form of permanent storage. "These
notes are already 'useless' to him, but for those who study foreign
literature and Qian's works, are they really that useless?" Yang wrote.

These notes cover the books that Qian read from the 1930s all throughout
to the near end of the 20th century when he passed away. An inseparable
part of his life, his passion for literature, languages and knowledge are
all preserved in these writings.

Massive undertaking

Although outliving both her daughter and her husband has been painful for
Yang, this has not stopped her from taking on the job of passing on Qian's
work after his death. However, she realized that this was a task she could
not accomplish on her own. Brought in by Yang, German sinologist Monika
Motsch, the translator of the German version of A Town Besieged, was among
the first group of people to get a chance to see Qian's grand work.

Motsch first saw Qian's notes in 1999 when, half a year after his death,
Yang invited Motsch to help arrange and catalog all of the late author's
notes. 

"The writings in Foreign Language Notes are an unprecedented 'world of
miracles.' They don't separate China and the world, but connect them
together like the Great Wall," Motsch wrote in the introduction to
Manuscripts. 

Arranging such a massive amount of material seemed nearly impossible at
first. Both Motsch and her husband Richard Motsch, who between the two of
them speak six languages, were both involved in organizing all the
notebooks. 

In the end they chose to rearrange these notes into six parts: The first
four parts according to chronological order, the fifth part consisting of
scattered pages of notes and the sixth covering personal journal entries.

The three volumes published in June, cover the notes Qian took from 1935
to 1938 while he was studying in Europe. According to Monika Motsch, Qian
took notes in English about books on literature, philosophy, art history
and psychology during his first year studying overseas. These notes cover
works from famous writers such as Richard Aldington, T.S Elliot, Owen
Beburd, George Santayana, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Later, French
literature begins to appear in his notes, covering authors such as Victor
Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Saint Beuve and Alphonse Daubet.

"The excerpts that Mr. Qian has written are unexpected and fresh, even to
us Europeans. We grew up with the works of these Western writers, so are
already familiar with them. Still we were very impressed by the wisdom of
his views," Motsch wrote.

In this age of high technological convenience, a time when people are even
gradually forgetting how to write by hand, Qian's huge handwritten work
that he kept at throughout his entire life is the perfect inspiration to
get modern people to reflect.

"The knowledge he pursued assiduously for his entire life should be a
useful heritage for those who study his works and Chinese and foreign
literature. I will do all I can to preserve these notes and diaries that
he left for those who pursue knowledge," Yang wrote.