A Brief History of Translations of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature in Spain (1949-2009)

This paper outlines the history of translations of twentieth century Chinese literature in Spain both in Spanish and in Catalan. Not only direct translations, but also indirect versions are the object of study. The evolution of indirectness is used as an indicator to examine the relationship between these two literary systems and to consider the trends of the present globalized literary polysystem. The mediation of Anglophone and Francophone literary systems in the reception of this literature in Spain is examined and questioned. The assumption that indirect translation is a practice that diminishes with the development of cultural exchanges will be proved false. This paper raises such questions as: What was the development of modern and contemporary Chinese literature translations in the 20th century? How have “power” positions developed? What kinds of text are received in Spain? In which direction is the relationship between these two literary systems evolving? Ultimately, my interest extends to the norms that govern the transmission of texts and the nature of the new literary global system.