Tang Guoqiang reading Miłosz
As part of the Polish 2011 Milosz Year, the September edition of China's Poetry magazine distributes a recording of Miłosz's works recited by actor Tang Guoqiang
50,000 copies of the audiobook are to be released across China from the 1st of September until the end of the year. Following the September distribution with "Poetry" magazine, further 33 000 copies are promoted by the Xinhua Book Store chain in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou starting on the 15th of October. The September release was a feature event of the Polish literature month organised by the Polish Embassy in China.
The Czesław Miłosz audiobook endeavour forms part of the Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency of the EU, as well as a special programme commemorating the hundredth year since the Polish poet's birth. The publications differ, depending on their country of publication. The graphic design and overall concept remains the same: the audio books, produced by European Polish Institutes, and the Embassies of Poland in Beijing and Tokyo are an opportunity for international readers to acquaint themselves with the works of the Polish laureate of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
The Chinese selection of Czesław Miłosz's works was put together by poet, essayist and writer Adam Zagajewski and Dr Wu Lan, translator of Polish literature into Chinese. All of the poems in the selection have been translated by Professor Yi Lijun. Professor Yi Lijun has translated 66 Polish literary pieces and published numerous articles on literature. Her work has contributed significantly to the presence of Polish literature in various Chinese lexicons and encyclopedias. Some of the titles of poems chosen for the Chinese edition are "The Gift", "A Song on the End of the World" and "So Little".
Tang Guoqiang read the selected poems during a recording session on the 9th of June, produced by Zhonglong International Film & TV Culture Development, Ltd.
Born in 1952, Tang Guoqiang began acting in 1970, when, straight after graduating from high school, he began working at a theatre in Qinghai. In 1975, Tang debuted as a male lead actor in the film "Storm over the South China Sea". He is most famous for his portrayals of historic figures in various television series and films. Zhuge Liang, the emperor Yongzheng and Mao Zedong are some of Tang Guoqiang's most notable roles.
Listen to the audiobook here
After the recording, Tang Guoqiang admitted that although he had been invited to record audiobooks numerous times, he was usually was too busy to take up the task. Thus, the Czesław Miłosz audiobook was only the second audiobook recorded in the actor's career. In Tang Guoqiang's opinion the selected Czesław Miłosz's poems carry universal values, known to everyone in every corner of the world. Personally, the actor liked the last one entitled: "如此之少" / "Tak mało" / "So Little" the most. When asked whether poetry is still needed in today's busy world, Mr. Tang - an artist, actor and master of calligraphy - whole-heartedly replied that poetry will always find its place in human lives.
The Chinese edition of Czesław Miłosz's audiobook is made possible thanks to the help of and cooperation with the Polish Embassy in Beijing.
Full list of poems selected for the Chinese edition:
"天赋" 《波兰二十世纪诗选》上海译文出版社
"云", 《波兰二十世纪诗选》 上海译文出版社
"如此之少",《世界文学》1981.1
"世界末日之歌", 《波兰二十世纪诗选》上海译文出版社
"致诗人塔德乌什•鲁热维奇", 《世界文学》1981.1
Date: Distribution starts on the 1st of September, 2011
Location: Xinhua Book Stores in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou
Organised by: Polish Embassy in Beijing, Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Project cofinanced by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.
Czesław Miłosz is a Flagship Project of the Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency. For more information on the project, see: Czesław Miłosz
For more information on the 2011 Milosz Year, see: www.365milosz.eu
Source: Adam Mickiewicz Institute