Reviews on Tsau, Hsüä-Tjin / Gau, E: Der Traum der Roten Kammer oder Die Geschichte vom Stein [The Dream of the Red Chamber or the Story of the Stone], Translated from Chinese into German by Schwarz, Rainer / Woesler, Martin, ed. by Martin Woesler, with epilogue by Hartmut Walravens, Europäischer Universitätsverlag, ISBN 978-3-86515-010-3, hardcover, 177.00 Eur[D] / 182.00 Eur[A], 3 vols., ca. 2640 S. - 21 x 15 cm, 1st ed. 2006 [i.e. 2007], 2600 g [vol. 3 appears 2008/2009] Original title: Cao Xueqin, Gao E: Hongloumeng / Shitouji

Press release [in German, Chinese, English, French]
250 years after it was written, the most famous Chinese novel "The Dream of the Red Chamber" has been published unabridged for the first time in German.

The Bochum Sinologist Prof. Martin Woesler is publishing the first complete translation, which he has produced with his colleague, Dr. Rainer Schwarz, from Berlin. In the last 70 years students of Chinese as well as China-buffs have had to make do with a two-thirds complete translation, created by Sinologist Dr. Franz Kuhn.

Complete translations of the novel have been available in English, Russian, French etc... for decades, and for this reason a complete translation in German has been long awaited. That the novel in German comprises 2600 pages and the translation and editing in itself is the work of a lifetime has made this such a difficult task. To this end, the historical tradition of the novel sees numerous versions and has become a field of study in itself and split up in several schools in China, which is only comparable with the exegesis of the Bible. One point of contention among experts is the work itself: only 80 key chapters can be attributed to the author Cao Xueqin while the final 40 chapters, which can be traced back to his notes, were probably added to the final work by Gao E after Cao's death. This 'Chengjiaben', which consists of 120 chapters and was printed with movable wooden printing blocks and numerous illustrations in 1791, is the most widely spread one and was re-published by the "Dream of the Red Chamber" Research Institute in Beijing in the eighties. A facsimile-publication is also available again in China. Interestingly enough is that with Schwarz and Woesler, there is now a combination translation of two translators, who belong to the different perspective schools - 80 chapters vs. 120 chapters. With this in mind, Schwarz translated the first 80 chapters, which Woesler proofread and then translated the remaining 40 chapters alone.

The publication preceded a 15 year search for a publishing house as the majority of publishers declined such a huge undertaking. Woesler, simultaneously publisher of the small University Press Bochum, found the European University Press for this project. The publication is greatly welcomed by the scientific community, but it will bring no great financial profit. With this in mind, the work will be published in a  three-volume, limited numbered hardcover bound edition for aficionados on Munken Paper. The first two volumes have been available in shops since August 2007. Reclam Press has already shown interest in bringing out a paperback edition.

Woesler's personal motivations for the translation and publication were that he was already deeply resentful of the lacking quality of the Kuhn translation during his student time at Bochum. At the same time he was fascinated by the worldwide success of the novel (which has been an uninterrupted bestseller even in Germany despite its somewhat abridged translation) and he has harboured a wish to research the work to find the secrets of its success. Although the novel is seen as an epitome of Chinese culture,  Woesler finds a main reason in the culturally independent possibility of identification with the protagonist Bau-yü and respectively one of the female main roles Dai-yü or Bau-tschai: "In every person dwells the transfiguration of memories of childhood and youth. The idyllic narratives of the process of growing up facilitates the reader's identification with one of the main figures. The Dream of the Red Chamber is a novel of developing generations, which is comparable with Thomas Mann's 'Buddenbrooks' ".

Translators:
Prof. Dr. Martin Woesler is Professor for Intercultural Communication in Munich, where he directs not only the Chinese Language program but also one Master and two Bachelor study programs, among others for translators of Chinese. He has been awarded the Prize "Desideratum 2007", awarded by the European Science Foundation for the publication of the first complete translation in German of "The Dream of the Red Chamber". The Prize carries 10,000 Euros for printing costs and prize money.
Dr. Rainer Schwarz, who completed the majority of the translation work, is renowned for his numerous original translations of Chinese works. He has published collections of fairy tales as well as works of the authors Yuan Mei, Yue Jun, Shen Fu, Hebang'e and Shen Qifeng. Hartmut Walravens has dedicated the Epilogue at the end of volume II to Schwarz.

Bibliographical Entry:
Tsau, Hsüä-Tjin / Gau, E: Der Traum der Roten Kammer oder Die Geschichte vom Stein [The Dream of the Red Chamber or the Story of the Stone], Translated from Chinese into German by Schwarz, Rainer / Woesler, Martin, ed. by Martin Woesler, with epilogue by Hartmut Walravens, Europäischer Universitätsverlag, ISBN 978-3-86515-010-3, hardcover, 177.00 Eur[D] / 182.00 Eur[A], 3 vols., ca. 2640 S. - 21 x 15 cm, 1st ed. 2006 [i.e. 2007], 2600 g [vol. 3 appears 2008/2009] Original title: Cao Xueqin, Gao E: Hongloumeng / Shitouji

Novel Contents:
The goddess Nüwa no longer uses stone number 36501 for the repairs of the roof of heaven. The stone feeds a flower with dew drops. Finally, the stone is reincarnated as the protagonist Djia Bau-yü, who must reciprocate the dew in the form of tears. The novel tells of the growing up of Bau-yü with his cousins in the 'Garden of the Great Views' before the background of the rise and fall of the family of court officials of Djia in the Manchurian Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). However, the story plot has been moved to the end of Ming dynasty. Bau-yü spends an almost burden free childhood and youth with his cousins.
A triangular relationship develops between the talented androgynous Djia Bau-yü, the rising pragmatic Hsüä Bau-tschai and the wistful-loving, intelligent but sickly child Lin Dai-yü.
Bau-yü experiences the degeneration and the moral decadence of his family, and the political and financial decline that follows. The ideal world of childhood threatens to shatter during the precious crossover into youth.
Looming calamities overshadow the love of the androgynous Djia Bau-yü to his devoted but sickly cousin Lin Dai-yü, who suffers in silence and resigns herself to her fate. Finally Bau-yü marries Bau-tschai, believing he would marry Dai-yü. Dai-yü dies and after the ruination of the family and the closure of the garden, Bau-yü becomes a recluse. The novel carries clearly autobiographical traits.