Mo Yan’s ‘Red Sorghum’ to be published in Maltese

SKS Publishers have been granted the exclusive rights to translate from Chinese into Maltese Red Sorghum – a novel by leading contemporary Chinese author Mo Yan which was first published in 1986.

Mo Yan, often compared to literary figures like Franz Kafka, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2012. Red Sorghum is considered to be his best novel. It was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film in 1987.

The novel is set in China from the 1920’s to the 1970’s and tells the story of three generations of the Shandong family as they transition from sorghum wine makers to resistance soldiers during the Second Shino-Japanese War.

SKS Publishers signed the agreement with CHINEC, China Educational Publications Import & Export Corporation Ltd at the China Cultural Centre in Valletta. The Chinese delegation visited to Malta to finalise the agreement after initial meetings with SKS in China at the Beijing International Book Fair last June.

Mo Yan, in a video message shown during the signing ceremony, expressed his satisfaction that his novel will be now translated by SKS Publishers into Maltese and said he expects the novel to be warmly received by readers in Malta, which he described as “a shiny pearl at the heart of the Mediterranean.”

Nobel laureate Mo Yan expressed his satisfaction that his novel Red Sorghum will be published in Maltese.

“Although the life depicted in my book, the essence of the novel is about people in China the essence of the novel, the emotions and human nature explored in these pages are universal, just as the feelings of the Chinese people and of the Maltese people can be understood and shared across cultures. I hope that after reading the book you will gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of China,” said Mo Yan.

Xu Zhongbo, General Manager of CHINEC said both Malta and China are ancient countries with long histories and splendid cultures and though separated by vast oceans, the two peoples have created numerous literary classics over the long course of history.

The publication of Red Sorghum in Malta would not have been possible without the professional efforts of SKS Publishers and the outstanding contributions of translator Salvatore Giuffrè.

Zhongbo had words of praise for the artistic depiction of the cover of Sorgu Aħmar, designed by artist Pierre Portelli. He interpreted the design symbolically, saying it represents the efforts of Chinese society trying to overcome the challenges posed by the war of resistance against foreign oppression.

Joe Borg, Anthony Degiovanni and Pierre Portelli with members of CHINEC at the China Cultural Centre, Valletta.

Joe Borg, SKS Executive Secretary thanked the China Cultural Centre for their support and said SKS are also eager to have Maltese literary works translated from Maltese into Chinese.

The translation is being penned by sinologist Giuffrè, a researcher and lecturer in Chinese language as well a literary translator specialising in Chinese and comparative literature. He currently teaches Chinese at the University of Thessaly in Volos, Greece. He has taught Chinese language, literature, history and culture at the University of Malta and other institutions. He translated the Analects of Confucius directly from Classical Chinese when SKS published L’Analetti – Konfuċju (2023).

SKS was the first publishing house in Malta in 2003 to have translated Chinese literary works from Chinese to Maltese when Clifford Borg Marks translated Lu Xun’s works Call to Arms under the name Is-Sejħa.

Anthony Degiovanni, SKS Chairman, and Portelli, who has designed the cover for the Maltese version of Mo Yan’s masterpiece attended the ceremony.